"Turning Down Victoria Beckham Was One Of My Biggest Fails": Millie Kendall OBE | Ladies Who Launch
· 1 h 05 min · Episode 99
Episode "Turning Down Victoria Beckham Was One Of My Biggest Fails": Millie Kendall OBE | Ladies Who Launch
Millie Kendall OBE has spent more than 30 years shaping the British beauty industry. She launched Shu Uemura and Aveda in the UK, co-founded the iconic makeup brand Ruby & Millie with Ruby Hammer, and now leads the British Beauty Council as its founding CEO. In this episode of Ladies Who Launch, she shares the wisdom, mistakes and reinventions behind a career that has spanned the early days of modern beauty brands.
Millie tells Rochelle why she helped launch brands that sold for hundreds of millions without ever owning a stake, why she turned down Victoria Beckham, how Boots backed Ruby & Millie with £7 million to launch the brand, and what it really felt like to walk away from a business with her name on it.
In this episode, we cover:
• Why Millie says it's "invention, not reinvention" • Launching Shu Uemura in London and turning a loss into a profit in three months • The lesson of not taking equity in the brands she helped build • Building Ruby & Millie, from Harvey Nichols and Selfridges to Boots • The Victoria Beckham lipstick she turned down • Why she and Ruby chose to walk away from Ruby & Millie • Founding the British Beauty Council and raising the reputation of the beauty industry • Millie's advice on pivoting careers, and her money habits
If you're building a brand, thinking about your next career move, or want an honest look at how the beauty industry grew, this one is for you.
We Are Ladies Who Launch!
CHAPTERS
00:00 Millie Kendall Intro
00:36 AD Starling Business
01:08 Reinvention Versus Invention
05:43 Growing Up In Salons
06:32 Shu Uemura Origin Story
10:34 Launching A PR Agency in Beauty
17:13 Meeting Ruby Millie
20:18 £7M Boots Deal And Launch
24:58 Inclusivity And Range Battles
34:30 Control Value Lessons
37:23 Leaving At Peak Growth
43:40 Building British Beauty Council
48:56 Industry Impact In Numbers
52:19 Pivot Advice For Change
57:41 Rocket Round: Money Habits
01:01:30 Financial Mistakes & Lessons
01:03:04 Launch Advice
🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss a launch.
#AD Powered by @starlingbank
Access Starling Bank here: https://bit.ly/44sEaMf
FOLLOW MILLIE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milliekendall/
FOLLOW US
Instagram: www.instagram.com/weareladieswholaunch/
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@weareladieswholaunch
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Weareladieswholaunch
#LadiesWhoLaunch #MillieKendall #RubyAndMillie #BritishBeautyCouncil #BeautyIndustry #FemaleFounders #BeautyBusiness #RochelleHumes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Links in the notes 2
Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.