What would you do in case you had a six-figure wage? Maybe you’d by no means prepare dinner one other meal once more or take pleasure in a month-to-month Thai therapeutic massage and a Soho Home membership to unwind from the stress that comes with being at your A-game.
Right here at The Good Life you don’t should think about what life on the high seems to be like anymore: Get real-life inspiration for the way essentially the most profitable stay their lives.
Right this moment Fortune meets Maria Hatzistefanis, the London-based entrepreneur, bestselling writer and founding father of magnificence giants Rodial and Nip + Fab.
The Greek-born 54-year-old started her profession as a magnificence author for Seventeen Journal, earlier than shifting to New York to check an MBA at Columbia Enterprise Faculty after which once more to London to hitch the aggressive world of finance at Solomon’s Brothers Metropolis.
Nevertheless it wasn’t till Hatzistefanis acquired sacked from her “dream banking job” in 1999, that her profession actually took off.
“My life was about to alter without end,” she writes of the pivotal second in her autobiography model self-help e book, How To Be An In a single day Success.
She took a leap of religion and went again to her magnificence roots with a skincare firm, Rodial.
Amazon.co.uk
It wasn’t all easy crusing: Hatzistefanis wasn’t capable of safe funding, so she invested in herself, placing all of her financial savings—£20,000—into funding the startup and ran the enterprise “as a one-woman-show”.
“I used to be doing every part from growing formulation to producing buzz across the model.
Hatzistefanis wasn’t capable of safe funding, so she invested in herself…
As one of many early adopters of bizarre elements like bee venom and snake peptides, the model made a reputation for itself—and attracted a cult movie star following.
Quick ahead 25 years and you could find the model in 35 nations and over 3,000 shops together with Selfridges, Harrods, Neiman Marcus, Blue Mercury and SpaceNK.
Right this moment, one Rodial Lowlighter is bought each minute.
3,000
The variety of shops promoting Rodial.
Hatzistefanis’ even launched a sister magnificence model focused at Gen Zers, known as NIP+FAB which launched completely with Boots ten years in the past. Now, it’s experiencing a lift in gross sales throughout Europe due to the opening of two,000 Rossman shops in Germany alone.
To today, each manufacturers stay privately owned with out exterior funding. Final 12 months, it turned over $32 million.
This interview has been edited for brevity.
The funds
Fortune: What’s been the most effective funding you’ve ever purchased?
My household dwelling in Notting Hill, London. We purchased it 15 years in the past and it has gone up in worth by 40%.
And the worst?
My automobile, a Porche Cayenne. It loses worth by the minute.
When you’ve got kids, what does your childcare preparations seem like?
My kids are at college proper now.
How do you commute to work?
We stay in a contemporary home in Notting Hill. I like the environment of Notting Hill with its cool espresso retailers and out of doors eating places. I go to the Portobello Market on weekends. The Rodial workplace was at a special location however we lately moved and it’s quarter-hour away from my dwelling. When the climate is good I stroll to work.
Do you carry a pockets?
Sure, a Louis Vuitton in Gray Damier.
Michele Limina/Bloomberg by way of Getty Photographs
What private finance recommendation would you give your 20-year-old self?
Put money into property slightly than hire.
What’s the one subscription you possibly can’t stay with out?
I like my Airmail subscription. I like the tales and e book suggestions.
“Put money into property slightly than hire.”
The place’s your go-to wristwatch from?
I don’t put on a watch typically, but when I do, it’s the Hermes Cape Cod.
The requirements
How do you get your day by day espresso repair?
I’ve a Magamix machine at dwelling and the workplace. I drink the CruKafe natural espresso pods in Espresso. I’ve one espresso within the morning after which one other one or two cups of decaf through the day. I often have breakfast a bit later within the morning, which is often a bowl of grains and berries with almond milk or eggs & avocado.
What about consuming on the go?
I often have lunch on my desk. I like sushi from Oka, Sticks & Sushi or a salad from Atis. Lunch is often £20. For a sit-down meal, I am going to 5 Hertford, a membership I’m a member of, or I’ll go to one of many Soho Home areas in London.
The place do you purchase groceries?
I purchase my groceries on-line. I get Monday morning deliveries from Ocado.com.
How typically in every week do you dine out versus prepare dinner at dwelling?
I often eat out twice every week.
The treats
The place do you store in your work wardrobe?
I’ve my staples from The Row, Toteme, and Wardrobe NYC. My model is basic, timeless, minimal and sporty.
Are you the proud proprietor of any futuristic devices?
I’m not into devices. I virtually ordered an Oura Good Ring, however I couldn’t bear the considered carrying it 24/7 so I made a decision to not get one.
How do you unwind from the highest job?
I like spending time in nature on weekends at my trip dwelling within the Cotswolds, strolling my canine, and unwinding with my pals.
What’s the most effective bonus deal with you’ve purchased your self?
I’m into holidays, journey, and experiences greater than materials items. Final week, my husband and I took an extended weekend journey to Ibiza the place we hiked for just a few days. We liked it.
Take us on vacation with you, what’s subsequent in your trip checklist?
I’m planning a vacation in Montenegro in a few weeks. I’ve good friend who has a spot there. It is going to be my first time visiting and I can’t wait to discover. My household and I at all times attempt to go to a brand new place yearly to expertise one thing new. I often take a while off throughout Christmas and in August. We now have a weekend dwelling on the Cotswolds and we go most weekends. After the Pandemic, lots of people moved to the world both completely or for the weekends. Many cool and new eating places and retailers have opened—it’s just like the Hamptons of the U.Ok. (with out the ocean).
Right here at The Good Life you don’t should think about what life on the high seems to be like anymore: Get real-life inspiration for the way essentially the most profitable stay life.
Fortune desires to listen to from European leaders on what their “Good Life” seems to be like. Get in contact: orianna.royle@fortune.com
