EMMA THORNTON

As the Founder of TRUE Skincare and with over 12 years of experience in beauty, leading the marketing, product development and sales for brands such as Elemis, QMS Medicosmetics, Bulgari and Guinot, as well as Country Manager for a soft-drinks start-up and consulting for The Refinery/Aromatherapy Associates, Ocado and emerging brands, I've been entrenched in the world of beauty and brand-building for the entirety of my career. I've built direct-to-consumer channels from scratch, significantly grown trade (spas and salon) beauty businesses and launched brands in most of the UK's leading retailers, as well as international.

Yes, I’ve worked for big brands, but unlike other consultants, I’ve actually done it. I’ve started a beauty brand from scratch, launched it in multiple leading retailers, including Boots, THG, Superdrug, Holland & Barrett, Ocado and Sephora, set-up a US operation, developed pioneering products, raised investment, successfully slayed the “Dragons” from the Den, and, as importantly, been burnt by people along the way. I’ve sourced raw materials and packaging from all around the world, deep-dived into supply chains and their environmental footprints, picked, packed and dispatched thousands of orders and grown a team from one, to seven. And, unfortunately, also made some redundancies. I grew a business as a one-man-band which generated close to £1m in revenue with minimal investment. And I did this all by myself. It’s bloody hard work. And you have to learn quickly. Are there things I’d do differently? Absolutely. And that’s what I’m here to help you with. I’ve made the mistakes, learnt the lessons and built the relationships, so you don’t have to.