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September 28th, 2022

What It's Like To Start–and Run–a Global Beauty Brand

  1. What It's Like To Start--and Run--a Global Beauty Brand 46:36

Ready for a hit of inspiration?  Aishetu Fatima Dozie says she's insecure and full of fear, but she also calls herself courageous–and crazy.  Aisha (as “everyone” calls her) transitioned from two decades as an investment banker to starting Bossy Cosmetics.  Many people said it was a wacky idea; she persevered.  A global pandemic hit; she almost folded–but she didn't.  Grit, resilience and determination kept Aisha and Bossy Cosmetics going, and now,  just a few years old, it is an international sensation.  In this episode, Aisha shares What It's Like To do something that feeds your soul, and keep at it even when the going gets rough. (She also dishes on what it felt like to learn her products were chosen to be on the list of Oprah's Favorite Things of 2021!) 

In this episode:

Why Aisha transitioned from working in Finance to starting a beauty company (01:49)
The steps she took to build the company (04:57)
How Aisha has battled “imposter syndrome” (09:06)
What happened when the global pandemic hit (12:12)
Why Aisha didn't “wave the white flag” and give up (16:28)
Why she named her company Bossy Cosmetics (20:20)
Her process for creating a new product (25:16)
How Aisha manages her time (work, Family, friends, personal time…) (31:30)
Her reaction to the news that her product had been chosen as one of Oprah's Favorite Things 2021 (39:47)
Aisha's definition of success (42:27)

Want to know more about Aisha and Bossy Cosmetics?

  • Check out their website: www.bossybeauty.com
  • Connect with them on Twitter: @bossybeautyinc
  • Follow them on Instagram: @bossybeauty

Want to know more about the podcast What It's Like To… ?

  • Sign up to be on our Insiders' List to receive our newsletters and insiders' information! Go to whatitsliketo.net (sign-ups are at the bottom of the page)
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Support the show

Elizabeth Pearson Garr has spent a lot of her life asking questions. A daughter of a professor and a principal, as a kid she loved sitting at the “adult table” during their dinner parties so she could participate in the “real” conversations.

Elizabeth went on to graduate with honors from Harvard with a degree in History and Literature, and promptly attended professional cooking school to become a food writer. That led to various career opportunities, including becoming one of the first employees of the Television Food Network; writing/producing gigs at networks from PBS to E!; anchoring/reporting at the NBC affiliate in Billings, Montana; earning a graduate degree in Documentary Film & Video from Stanford University; and various and sundry other things. The through-line to all this has been curiosity. Elizabeth is a skilled interviewer who loves diving deep into research, finding connections, and telling good stories.

Elizabeth has a husband, two daughters, and a fluffy white dog who rarely leaves her side.