Summary: In our first episode for the show, host, Naomi Mdudu, talks to Dineh Mohajer. Even if you don’t recognise her name, you either wore or knew about her iconic ‘90s brand nail polish brand, Hard Candy. Dineh started her business at the tender age of 21, all while studying a biochemistry major at USC, mixing tons of white nail polish with whatever neon colours she found at her local beauty store. In the space of a few months she was stocked at every big retailer from Harvey Nichols in London, to Sephora, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. That’s how her line, and eventually a whole movement, was born. Now helming a new beauty brand called Smith & Cult, Dineh is still very much entrenched in the industry she helped innovated. In this episode we talk about what it was like starting a business from scratch, while juggling school, without prior business experience. We explore the issue of growth and some of the challenges that come along with it because, yes, rapid growth isn’t always a good thing. We also touch on the importance of having a solid team around you whose expertise plug your weaknesses and, as crazy as it sounds, the relief she felt when she sold her business to the LVMH group for an undisclosed sum just three years after starting it. www.smithandcult.com @smithandcult @thelifestyleedit
