TRINNY Woodall says, “You just need to persevere and lots of passion.” This woman shares her hard-earned wisdom about turning her start-up dreams into multimillion-pound businesses.
Trinny Woodall: ‘I had 5,000 voices in my head from all the women we’d met. So many conversations were about make-up: women were confused by all the products out there and didn’t know what suited them.’
You need to be determined in order to start a business, grow it and make it a multimillion dollar empire within four years. But anyone who follows Trinny Woodall (and there are a lot: she’s amassed one million followers on Instagram, 1.9 million on Facebook) knows from her daily videos that she has the kind of boundless energy that practically fizzes out of your screen.
The former What Not To Wear presenter, 57, launched her beauty brand Trinny London – a range of make-up and skincare housed in space-saving stackable pots – in 2017. She’d spent the previous four years perfecting the products and developing the brand’s signature Match2Me technology, an online tool that solves the Russian roulette of ordering make-up on the internet by helping customers to find the right shades for their complexion.
TrinnyLondon has enjoyed a remarkable success thanks to their clever stack idea and innovative tech. It now has 194 employees, sells products in 187 countries and serves customers from 167 other countries. A pot of Trinny London Miracle Blur – an ingenious line-filling primer for your skin – is sold every 60 seconds. Despite the pandemic, the company made £45 million in revenue in the last financial year.
‘I went to a networking event recently and six people who’d said no to investing in the company when I was fundraising pre-launch came up to me and said, “I wish I’d made that investment,”’ says Trinny. ‘It was such a good feeling.’
Starting a new venture in midlife may be daunting but Trinny insists, ‘We shouldn’t define ourselves by age. We have to keep challenging ourselves and think: “What do I really want from life?”’
Here she shares what she’s learnt from launching a business in her 50s – and her advice for how you can get started, too…
Know your skills
Evolution has always been my career, not reinvention. Can I use the skills I already possess to do something different?
Over the years, I worked in TV transformations across the world. In 2013, I realized I had to turn the corner and I couldn’t keep up with my own demands. I didn’t want to be on a plane 64 times a year any more, but I still wanted to work with women and make them feel inspired.
I had 5,000 voices in my head from all the women we’d met. So many conversations were about make-up: women were confused by all the products out there and didn’t know what suited them. At the same time, I’d started making my own DIY stack, decanting my make-up into little pots. This simplified everything and people started asking me where to buy them. This was Trinny London’s spark.
If you’re in midlife and would like to change lanes – whether you’re a stay-at-home mum who wants to launch a business or you’ve had enough of the corporate world – start by identifying your existing skill set. Do you have any particular skills or knowledge that is exceptional? Do you have a great sense of organization? Super creative? Are you a genius at managing school events? Ask a friend if you’re not sure.
What can you do to turn these talents into a company? Are there products or services that you want to have in your life?
You know you’ve landed on a great idea if it’s something you get really passionate about. I was telling a friend about the idea for Trinny London and he said, ‘When you talk about it, your whole face lights up. It’s your passion. Do it.’
All doors must be opened
My idea needed support from venture capitalists and manufacturers. So I thought: ‘Who do I know who might have a friend in those fields?’ I created a spreadsheet for each area I needed help with and every week I wrote down five people I was going to email. If I didn’t get a response I’d follow up, saying: ‘Just in case you missed this – I’d love your help. Is there anyone you know who can help me?’
Everybody knows someone who knows somebody. Sometimes it took me three ‘jumps’ to get to the person I needed. You’ve got nothing to lose by asking for a favour – they might want one from you in the future. The worst thing they can do is say ‘no’ or ignore you. My motto is you never know what’s behind a closed door.
They are extremely important. These people are their gatekeepers. I’m not saying send flowers and chocolates, but when you email and call, be friendly, have a chat. The next time there’s a gap in their boss’s diary, they might think of you.
The key to success is perseverance
After spending a whole year in research and development I realized I would need more money to keep going. I was going through a tough period in my life when it happened. Lyla, my daughter, was eleven years old when her ex-husband had just passed away.
At his funeral, a friend said, ‘Maybe the last thing you need right now is to be taking a big risk. Perhaps you should get a job and have some security.’ I remember thinking, ‘I just can’t give up on this idea.’
Passion is just as important as perseverance. When you’re an entrepreneur, it is important to consider what your capabilities are. So I looked at every single one of my expenditures – what was a necessity, what was an indulgence. Because I was underwater on my mortgage, I decided to rent out my place and find a more affordable one. I sold my 20-year collection of designer clothes and raised £60,000. I was able to continue the business for 9 months with this money, which gave me time to plan for raising capital from investors.
Don’t dilute your vision
All of them gave me different opinions. They’d pull apart my idea and say, ‘Why aren’t you doing it like this?’ From having total faith in my concept, I started to question it.
According to one investor, millennials are the best people to sell online. However, I was confident that I could help older women buy makeup online if I did the right personalization. They were women I was familiar with. These women were the ones I worked with for many decades. This knowledge was invaluable. The realization dawned on me that listening to all the advice would only dilute my passions.
Part of my journey has been learning what advice to take on board and what to regard as simply one person’s opinion.
To stay focused, I did visualisation exercises. To keep my focus, I visualized the Trinny London products being manufactured in the factory. Then I imagined the products being packaged up and then shipped. It was my imagination of a woman applying the makeup for the first-time and feeling confident.
You can stop doubting yourself and start to see the positive benefits you business offers to your customers. You need to have a clear picture of your goals. It’s that little shift in mindset that will help you convince other people that it can work.
Setbacks get less scary
It was terrible to see the first prototype of Trinny London’s stack. It appeared cheap and ungainly. That was an awful moment. I even cried. However, I persevered. It was eleven prototypes before we finally succeeded.
The setbacks don’t stop, even when things are going well. An early version of our mascara was ready for launch last year. We were extremely busy so a few things got lost. The outside of the mascara tube hadn’t been sealed properly, so all the decoration and branding rubbed off.
We had to dump £50,000 worth of stock. It was a financial blow but I knew it was the right decision; bringing out a product that wasn’t high quality would damage the brand in the long run.
For the first few years you’re in business, you worry over every decision. It was only recently that I felt confident the business wouldn’t disappear overnight because of one wrong move. When I started Trinny London it felt like I was walking a tightrope 20 feet off the ground; today it’s more like two feet – I don’t have so far to fall. The business is now solidly rooted and ready to grow.
Have a brilliant idea?
Here’s how to get it out of your head and ‘on to the kitchen table’
Trinny Woodall “Check out my idea on Google. How will you make it different if it is already there?
Step 1 Determine if the item exists
You can check it out at Google. Make at least seven search. If it’s already out there, don’t panic. It’s possible to change the way you do things.
Step 2 check your concept
Ask a couple of friends: ‘Would you use this? Tell me truthfully.’ Then ask someone you’re not as close to, such as a neighbour or acquaintance: ‘Can I pitch you something and you tell me what you think?’ If a few people say, ‘I would use that’, it gives you a bit of momentum.
Step 3: Consider funding
You might be wondering where to start. Are you looking to start your savings on your own? Do you have the ability to take out a bank loan? If you have friends or work contacts willing to invest, look into the government’s Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS). Individuals can get 50 percent tax relief when they invest in your startup
The secrets of social media success
Trinny Woodall: “If someone leaves a comment in my channels, then I like it and reply.”
Talk to each other
A business launch should include social media. While the algorithms behind them can be complicated, they will promote channels that have strong engagement.
If anyone leaves a comment on my channels, I ‘like’ it and respond. It’s better to have two-way interactions than one.
Be your true self
What’s your true self? It’s when you feel most passionate and emotive.
That’s what cuts through when someone speaks from the heart. After I moved from taking posed pictures to creating videos that were about things I was passionate about, I noticed a shift in my social media platforms.
Create a community
When starting out lots of small brands post things like, ‘The first 20 people to share this can get a free product.’ It’s quite a commercial approach to gaining followers but it can become a race to the bottom. Think about what emotions you would like people to associate your brand with. Instead of chasing numbers you should create a community people love to belong to and reflect your business’ ethos.
How to get your nails in place A pitch
When meeting investors I’d take an old make-up bag full of bulky products and slam it down, saying ‘I want to take women from this… to this’ and then I’d present my streamlined Trinny London stack. I was able to quickly get my point across.
Simple is best. Your product/service? What makes it unique?
– If you can’t summarise your business proposition in three sentences, refine it.
– Don’t read your pitch from a script – you lose your passion and enthusiasm.
Tycoon Trinny’s timeline
Aged 16 Trinny bought velvet hair bows
1980 teen mogul
Trinny, 16 years old, launches Bow Unlimited. ‘My friend and I sold velvet hair bows decorated with brooches. We were stocked in Harvey Nichols but it fizzled out.’
1982 socks on each side
At 18 she is hired as a PA. She launches a short-lived side hustle, Sock It To You, selling socks on the trading floors – ‘but the socks dyed people’s feet and the elastic went’.
1986 city slicker
Trinny, after dabbling with financial PR to try and impress her father, eventually became a commodities trader. ‘I hated it. I was there with 60 other men.
Trinny (middle), Susannah Constantine and Liz Hurley both right.
1996 style journalist
‘For the first time I asked myself: what do I really love? Fashion.’ Trinny gets a break writing a newspaper column, ‘Ready To Wear’, with Susannah Constantine.
Trinny & Susannah, internet pioneers for their 1990s fashion website Ready2Shop.com were Trinny & Susannah
1999 dot- com pioneer
‘Susannah and I created a fashion site, Ready2Shop.com, but it was way too early.’ The site stops trading the following year.
Trinny’s and Susannah’s BBC show “What Not to Wear” was hugely successful
Trinny’s Magic Knickers by Susannah
2001 Television stardom
The pair’s hit BBC show What Not To Wear (below) runs for five series, winning them a Royal Television Society Award. A seven-figure deal was also signed for the book.
2007 designer dabblings
The duo’s range for Littlewoods includes their bestselling Magic Knickers.
2010. Globetrotters
Trinny & Susannah are on the road giving television makeovers for women around the globe in America, Australia and Belgium.
The big 2017 launch
‘The day we launched Trinny London we took £20,000. Today, we have half of a billion customers around the world.
2022 is coming soon
A new project – currently under wraps – will be launching.
Trinny & Susannah do a make-over on Australia’s TVs
Stylist: Annie Swain.
Olivia Davis.
Hair: Adam Embleton Perea.