Acquisitions and Ambitions with Jeanine Lobell, Founder of Neen

Stairway to CEO

Description:

Coming to share their story today is Jeanine Lobell, the Founder of Neen. Her story is truly remarkable and underlines the unexpected turns we can all encounter and how far a commitment to one's ideals and ideas can take things. Jeanine talks about the acquisition of her previous company, Stila, and what it took for her to take a dive into something new and exciting. The lessons around healing, community, and authenticity that Jeanine has learned and generously touches on here, are truly inspiring. Tune in to hear it all!

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In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

• [03:12] Jeanine's childhood years in Sweden, the activities she enjoyed, and how she taught herself to read.

• [08:01] Living in San Francisco, London, and Paris, and the difficulties of her teen years.

• [13:20] A humble entry into the make-up industry before getting work as an artist.

• [19:55] Jeanine reflects on her independent spirit and distrust of authority.

• [23:46] Building Stila and discovering her new personality and capabilities.

• [29:54] Jeanine's thoughts on the challenges of having a company acquired, following Estée Lauder's acquisition of Stila.

• [36:13] The decision to start Neen; the ideas and motivations that drove Jeanine to begin a new adventure.

• [43:55] Sustainability at Neen and the way that Jeanine has approached packaging.

• [51:43] The funding process at Neen so far and the meaning behind the brand's name.

• [56:19] Jeanine's suggestions for the questions entrepreneurs should ask themselves.

To Find Out More:

Awesome CX

Neen

Jeanine Lobell on Instagram

Stila

Lee Greene on LinkedIn

Stairway to CEO

Stairway to CEO on Instagram

Quotes:

“[As kids], we just made stuff all the time!” [0:07:18]

“I kind of woke up to find a whole other person living inside me that I didn't know.” [0:24:13]

“I just need to be smarter than the problem in front of me.” [0:25:22]

“That's a big driver for me, like how do I make things different?” [0:25:32]

“Acquisition is tough. I don't think I know anyone who is super happy after an acquisition, unfortunately.” [0:34:17]

“When you make a business – [and] it comes from your personal values, people feel that.” [0:40:28]

“I wanted to make a sustainable, refillable package.” [0:45:54]

“I'm not on the soapbox about it, I just don't want to make more trash, period.” [0:47:01]

“I always say, makeup is a mood-altering chemical. 100%. It can totally change the way that you feel and that's what I like about it.” [0:53:47]

“You don't have to change yourself to feel that way about yourself. You have to learn to feel that way about yourself, period. And then makeup is just the icing.” [0:55:25]

“Don't ever let anyone tell you that you shouldn't be an entrepreneur.” [0:57:31]