Emily Weiss

Mar 10

Founder and CEO of Glossier

Emily is all about the hustle and putting in the effort to make her dreams come true. Her billion-dollar business all started from a blog, Into the Gloss. She worked on the blog from 4 AM to 8 AM every day before going to her “official” job. During the day, she was a stylist’s assistant at Vogue which served as the inspiration for her blog content, giving her an insider’s view into how the beauty industry worked and the secrets professionals and models used to get that perfect look.

Two things we can learn from Emily are how important endurance is and not to be afraid to ask for what you want. As a babysitter in high school, she asked the parent of the kids she was watching to introduce her to the hiring managers where they worked which landed her a job at Ralph Lauren as an intern… Which led her to an internship at Teen Vogue… Which led her to her stylist’s assistant job at Vogue… which we all know led her to Into the Gloss and finally Glossier. Before she had a fully baked idea for Glossier, she began seeking VC funding. She began going to meet with VCs on Sandhill Road and, after being turned down by all of them, she was introduced to a female-only VC fund that invested a couple of million dollars to get her startup off the ground.

Powerful Quotes by a Powerful Woman

“I’m not afraid of being told ‘no.’”

“I love supporting female-owned companies and women who are awesome.”

“People often ask, ‘Are you a tech company? Are you a beauty company?’ And I say, ‘Yes, we are.’”

“Women are so hungry to have more role models who have achieved what they want in their careers.”

“You can make a million excuses for why something didn’t go well, but ultimately, just fix it and get on with it. Be a solutions person.”

“We wanted Glossier to have an excellent customer experience and reach as many of you as possible from day one, so we went with venture—the stuff fast-growth, tech-enabled companies like Facebook, Amazon, and Apple are made of.”

“I’m surrounded by women whose style I admire. It’s natural to be inspired. I’m not a horrible copycat, or if I am, then I admit it and make a joke about it.”

“Throughout your teens and twenties, it’s pretty easy to live in a suspended reality - one where you never get old or need to spend much time thinking about 401Ks, mammograms, or renewing your license. You don’t need me to tell you: that ends.”

“The single guiding principle that I try to follow, assuming blindly that the rest will fall into place, is to operate squarely in the present. I think it’s one of the most difficult things for anyone to do. In my humble opinion, having tons of products and furniture and magazines and clothes is not luxurious - living minimally is.”