"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

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