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In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

• [03:12] Jeanine's childhood years in Sweden, the activities she enjoyed, and how she taught herself to read.

• [08:01] Living in San Francisco, London, and Paris, and the difficulties of her teen years.

• [13:20] A humble entry into the make-up industry before getting work as an artist.

• [19:55] Jeanine reflects on her independent spirit and distrust of authority.

• [23:46] Building Stila and discovering her new personality and capabilities.

• [29:54] Jeanine's thoughts on the challenges of having a company acquired, following Estée Lauder's acquisition of Stila.

• [36:13] The decision to start Neen; the ideas and motivations that drove Jeanine to begin a new adventure.

• [43:55] Sustainability at Neen and the way that Jeanine has approached packaging.

• [51:43] The funding process at Neen so far and the meaning behind the brand's name.

• [56:19] Jeanine's suggestions for the questions entrepreneurs should ask themselves.

 To Find Out More:

Awesome CX

Neen

Jeanine Lobell on Instagram

Stila

Lee Greene on LinkedIn

Stairway to CEO

Stairway to CEO on Instagram

 Quotes:

“[As kids], we just made stuff all the time!”  [0:07:18]

“I kind of woke up to find a whole other person living inside me that I didn't know.” [0:24:13]

“I just need to be smarter than the problem in front of me.” [0:25:22]

“That's a big driver for me, like how do I make things different?” [0:25:32]

“Acquisition is tough. I don't think I know anyone who is super happy after an acquisition, unfortunately.” [0:34:17]

“When you make a business – [and] it comes from your personal values, people feel that.” [0:40:28]

“I wanted to make a sustainable, refillable package.” [0:45:54]

“I'm not on the soapbox about it, I just don't want to make more trash, period.” [0:47:01]

“I always say, makeup is a mood-altering chemical. 100%. It can totally change the way that you feel and that's what I like about it.” [0:53:47]

“You don't have to change yourself to feel that way about yourself. You have to learn to feel that way about yourself, period. And then makeup is just the icing.” [0:55:25]

“Don't ever let anyone tell you that you shouldn't be an entrepreneur.” [0:57:31]