Meet Kimber Maderazzo of Milli Rose in Pacific Palisades

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimber Maderazzo.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started my career at an early age, I was 14 and loved doing make up on myself and friends. I saw an ad in the newspaper for a makeup artist and I interviewed and got the job. What I did not know is the job was all over the valley in various department stores on Saturdays ( I lived in Arizona), the problem was I wasn’t old enough to drive. I had lied about my age to get the job and I was so young and naive I did not think to ask about the locations. Some were 30-40 miles from my home.

When I came home and told my mother about the job, she said “no way” not because of my age, because I had no way of getting to the job. Then I told her they were going to pay me $15.00 per hour plus commission and her next words were “I will drive you”- that was the work ethic I saw at home. I kept the makeup artist job all through high school. It was not until years later did I learn that I made more on weekends than my father made all week at his retail job.

My goal in life was to not live like my parents from paycheck to paycheck. With the drive I learned from my parents, I moved my way up in the corporate ladder. I moved from a makeup artist to traveling the US as a trainer for Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salons (at 17 years old), I was an account executive for Lancôme and ran a $40Million dollar account, the largest in the country. Before creating my own brand, I spent 15 years in direct response, I created multi-million-dollar brands represented by top celebrities. One of the most known brands is Proactiv, the number #1 acne brand in the world. I did all this with no formal education. College was never discussed in my home, I think my parents were afraid that If it was mentioned I would want to go to college. I was so young and eager to get out of the house and make my own money I did not even think of college. At the time I was worried it would hold me back.

I knew this would come to haunt me someday. It did, I was working on a project for J&J and they wanted to see all the transcripts for the people who were working on their project, I did not have any. So I did not get the job. It was the first time ever I interviewed for a job and did not get it. I was not going to ever let this hold me back and hang over my head. At 40 years old, I went back to school for my undergrad and then completed my MBA. It was one of the best things I did for myself! At the time, I did not know it would lead me to a marketing professorship at Pepperdine. It’s one of my loves, working with students and teaching them what I do best.

Makeup was my start and has always been my love. I had created so many brands in my career for other people, it was time to create one for myself. So, I broke away from the corporate world and started my brand. It was not as easy as I thought or as it was creating one for a big celebrity. I wanted something that would bring joy to people when they received it. When thinking of a name for the brand I thought of the things that bring me joy, Champagne, roses, shoes, handbags all were not a good band names. The most joyful thing in my life that I cherish is my French Bulldog, MILLI ROSE. The joy of bringing MILLI ROSE to everyone made me smile! It was the perfect brand name. Each collection in MILLI ROSE is filled with roses, we have butterfly and bee motifs; butterflies are for transformation and bees are for community and power.

I am fortunate to have a strong community of women who I love, so I named all the lipsticks after the women close to me in my life who I admire and adore. The brand itself is different than most make up brands on the market. Each collection is matched as a set and formulated with easy to apply pigments, you don’t have to be a makeup artist to use it. It’s crazy how many women I meet that say they do not know how to do their makeup. That is why I created something easy to use. MILLI ROSE is every woman! Every product is curated into a collection and feels like you are giving yourself a gift.

Now, I am the founder and CEO of something I love – MILLI ROSE.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There has been many struggles, I had many people who wanted to invest in my company. The biggest challenge I had is that I wanted to be 100% owner. Most people don’t give money with no equity. So, I decided to bootstrap the company. When it’s your money you think differently, now I know how Entrepreneurs feel. I used to run a $200 Million dollar a year budget. Now I run a budget in the $100K ranges, my dollar has to work harder and smarter. I have had to find ways to do things that don’t cost money!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about MILLI ROSE – what should we know?
I am most proud of the way my brand looks and the quality of the makeup. I really delivered on my promise. The brand is most known for its design, it is highly designed. People tell me it should be a clothing brand, I should do scarfs and handbags. It makes me laugh. The real uniqueness is in the way the product applies on the skin. It is super easy to blend and feels great on the lips.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I am fortunate to have a supportive network. When I was thinking of brand ideas I would meet with mentors, friends, and other business leaders. I was struggling with what I wanted to create. There was so much pressure to create something that was different and not on the market. The best advice I got from a close friend was “make something you love, make it for you.” He said you are going to spend 1,000’s of hours on this and give your heart and soul to it. You are going to have to love it.

That was the best advise because everyday when I look at my brand it makes me smile.

I also have had such a strong support from all of my girlfriends, they were the first ones to place orders!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.millirosebeauty.com
• Phone: 310-801-1893
• Email: millirose@millirosebeauty.com
• Instagram: @millirosebeauty
• Facebook: millirosebeauty

Image Credit:
Cameron Lee

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