Jamie Kern Lima has a clear memory of when her life changed. She was working as a live news anchor under the harsh lights of a fast-paced studio, when a producer asked her to remove something from her face. That “something” wasn’t a smudge of lipstick, or even a pen mark. It was her rosacea showing through melting makeup. She couldn’t find coverage that worked, and that’s when an idea struck: she would have to make a durable yet breathable makeup herself. 

Lima started IT Cosmetics from her living room in 2008, and this time, she heard nothing but no in her ear: No from QVC, no from Sephora, no from any retailer who could help people like her get the makeup coverage they couldn’t find on a shelf. Two years later, QVC finally said yes, and that’s when Lima’s past met her present. The television shopping network gave her 10 minutes to sell to IT Cosmetics to customers in a live segment, and when she was in front of the camera—armed with a breakthrough product and a killer instinct—she sold out.

In the last decade, IT Cosmetics has grown into one of the most trusted and successful brands in the industry. It’s now heralded as QVC’s largest beauty brand, and when it was acquired by L’Oreal in 2016, it sold for $1.2 billion. Lima stepped down from her CEO position last year to focus on getting more women into leadership roles, and given that she knows exactly what it takes to rise to the occasion, there’s no doubt she’s helping others have their own life-changing moment—whether it’s on air or not.

How did you make your first dollar and what did that job teach you that still applies today? 

I’ve always had entrepreneurial instincts, even as a little girl. From lemonade stands to selling homemade cookies at school, I was always dreaming of what I could build or how I could serve. When I was 15, I worked four jobs one summer to save up enough money for my first car. I bagged groceries, worked at a local swap meet’s concession stand, coached gymnastics, and worked as a receptionist. I saved up $2,500! I learned that if you really want something, you need to take the initiative and be willing to work hard for it.

Today, IT Cosmetics has over 1,000 employees and is now one of the largest makeup brands in the country, as well as one of the top-selling brands at Sephora, ULTA, and QVC. But take us back to the beginning—what was the lightbulb moment for your business/career and what inspired you to pursue this path?

I was working as a TV news anchor and thought that’s what I would do my entire career, as I love hosting and interviewing and telling other people’s stories. I started developing a skin condition called rosacea, which is hereditary and there’s no cure for it. I would get these bright red patches on my face, and it began to create problems for me. I’d be anchoring the news live on the air and hear the producer in my ear saying, “There’s something on your face, can you get it off?” I knew it was the makeup breaking up under the hot HD lights and my redness showing through. 

After trying every brand of makeup I could get my hands on, nothing would work. It was really an “aha” moment when I realized that if I couldn’t find makeup out there that worked for me, so many others probably had the same challenge. So I took a massive risk and changed career paths. I decided to pour everything I have into figuring out how to create a product that worked, even with skin challenges. And even though the first several years were packed with rejection and struggle, I just knew that I was on the right path. Sometimes knowing when to give up on and dream is just as important as knowing when to pursue one!

Entrepreneurship is all about taking calculated risks. What’s the most pivotal risk you’ve taken, and how did it change your path? 

After three years of hearing no from just about every retailer, we got a yes from QVC. It meant we got one shot and ten minutes to go live on the air and hit the sales goal—or not come back. It was September 2010, and whenever you looked around the beauty industry or in magazines, all you saw were models with perfect (and Photoshopped) skin. But the thing is, I created IT Cosmetics to work for everyone, including real women like me with skin challenges. 

When we had our one shot on the air, everything was on the line because we used every last penny to fund the inventory we needed to hit the QVC sales target. I worked with third-party experts on how best to present the product in my segment. They all told me unanimously to use models that were “aspirational” with perfect skin. But that would have been inauthentic to the “why” of my business. So I was in a situation where my gut was telling me one thing and all of the experts were telling me another. And if that 10-minute segment didn’t go well, we would have had to take back all of the inventory. We would’ve gone bankrupt. 

I flew out to Pennsylvania a week before the airing and sat in a rental car in the QVC parking lot each day praying, and honestly, many days crying. I chose to take a risk, go with my gut, and stick to my authentic mission. I cast models of all ages, sizes, skin tones, and skin challenges. And I showed my own bareface on national TV in front of 100 million homes in order to show how the product worked. I remember that there was a minute on the clock left, and the host said that the “deep” shade and the “tan” shade were starting to sell out. Then, just as the clock ran out, the sold-out sign came up across the screen. All shades sold out completely and tears started streaming down my face. After hearing “no” from QVC for three years, this led to over 100 airings the next year, and then to over 200 live shows each year for eight years. Today we have built the largest beauty brand in QVC history. 

After L’Oreal acquired your company IT Cosmetics for $1.2 billion cash in 2016, you became the first woman to hold a CEO title in L’Oreal’s 100+ year history. How did you handle that transition from founder to CEO, and what was the biggest learning curve?

Yes! It was a dream come true in so many ways, because L’Oreal has teams on the ground in over 100 countries and it has allowed us to get our mission and message out there so much more quickly. L’Oreal is very data savvy and I’m very driven by my gut-instinct, so blending both was a great transition. We doubled the size of IT Cosmetics in the acquisition’s first two years. 

Going after what you deserve in life takes confidence and guts. Does confidence come naturally to you or did you have to learn it? What advice can you share for women on cultivating confidence and going after their dreams? 

When it comes to confidence, I think the greatest challenge is that we confuse the voice of self-doubt with the voice of our own internal instincts. And when we let the voice of self-doubt get louder than that of our gut, it’s when we let fear and comparison win. I think the most important step in cultivating confidence is to truly know that your gut is your compass. You have everything you need inside of you right now to fully step into all of who you are. You’re not here to compete with anyone else, you’re here to compete with what you were born to do. 

For those who haven’t started a business (or are about to), what advice do you have? 

Make sure you deeply define your authentic mission, and once you’re clear on it, make sure all of your decisions are rooted in it.

You started IT Cosmetics in your living room in 2008 and didn’t pay yourself for the first three years! What is your number one piece of financial advice for any new entrepreneur and why?

Prioritize cash over flash. It’s so important to stay cash-flow positive, and avoid spending money on things that look good on social media and serve your ego, but don’t truly serve your business goals or your customers. 

You’re on the “Forbes Richest Self-Made Women List” along with Oprah, Taylor Swift, and Beyoncé. What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs? How can they achieve the same success you've experienced?

Authenticity is the only way to connect with other human beings, and you can’t fake it. So the most important thing is to show up as you authentically are with whatever you do. And always remember that even if an idea has been done before, no one can do it the way you can do it. Authenticity is your superpower. And while authenticity doesn't automatically guarantee success, inauthenticity guarantees failure. 

You’ve donated over $40 million in product and donations to Look Good Feel Better to help women face the effects of cancer with confidence. How are you making a difference and pushing your industry forward?

We’ve actually been donating since day one of the company, even in the years when I couldn't afford to pay myself. In any industry, when the company’s culture truly aligns with its authentic mission, it will better serve it and its customers.

Your first-ever book “Believe It: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable” is launching Feb 23, 2021 —congratulations! What’s it about and how can we get our hands on it?  

Believe IT is for every person who wants to truly overcome their own self-doubt and step into the person they we’re born to be! It’s packed with all of the stories I’ve never shared before and all of the lessons I’ve learned personally and professionally. You can get it on BelieveIT.com, and if you pre-order, you get some amazing free gifts—including a course I’m doing on becoming unstoppable and overcoming the things holding you back! 

If you could go back to the beginning of your career journey—with the knowledge you have now—what advice would you give yourself? 

You have everything it takes inside of you to accomplish your goals and dreams. The most important thing you can do is learn to truly believe it for yourself! 

Fill in the blanks:

When I feel fear…
I look it straight in the eye and know my faith is bigger than it.

The best career advice I always give is…
To get still and listen to your gut. It will always tell you if you’re in the right job, launching the right business, or heading in the right direction.

The three qualities that got me to where I am today are…
Hard work, resilience, and making the decision to believe that I could do it

The change I’d like to see in my industry is…
More representation of all groups at the top.

To be successful, you need to be…
All of who you authentically are.