She Built a Global Brand Without a Plan

Paula Short didn't set out to build a global beauty brand. She and her business partner created a glitter lip product to get more customers through the door of their salon. Then people started buying it. They took the product to London. Landed Topshop. Expanded internationally. Supplied major retailers and airlines. Paula appeared on BBC Dragons' Den. And somewhere along the way, the small idea became a very real business. But growth came with another side. The fun disappeared. The pressure increased. Paula eventually sold the company and found herself confronting a question many entrepreneurs eventually face: if the business has become part of your identity, who are you when it's gone? Then she made another unexpected decision. In her 50s, Paula packed two suitcases and moved to the United States. Today she works with entrepreneurs and leadership teams, helping them recognize opportunities, avoid expensive mistakes and build on what is already working. In Episode 328 of Fervent Four, Paula joins Zack Miller and Tim Ryan to talk about saying yes before you have everything figured out, building Beauty Boulevard, Dragons' Den, burnout, selling a company, negotiation, moving to America and why entrepreneurs need people willing to tell them what they don't want to hear.