Jamie Kern Lima

And so to try to amplify that, I began interviewing them for the school paper, bottom line, I loved it so much and I started to get this whisper or this knowing that said I'm supposed to go into journalism as my first career out of B school. And I made the decision to trust it.

And so to try to amplify that, I began interviewing them for the school paper, bottom line, I loved it so much and I started to get this whisper or this knowing that said I'm supposed to go into journalism as my first career out of B school. And I made the decision to trust it.

In 2004, when the average starting salary of a Columbia MBA was six figures, I took a job for $23,500 working in a small town in Washington State anchoring the news. I'm pretty sure I destroyed the curve and said yes to one of the lowest starting salaries in the history of Columbia Business School.

In 2004, when the average starting salary of a Columbia MBA was six figures, I took a job for $23,500 working in a small town in Washington State anchoring the news. I'm pretty sure I destroyed the curve and said yes to one of the lowest starting salaries in the history of Columbia Business School.

A few years in, I was moving up in markets and loving it, but didn't realize my dreams were about to take a tumble and a massive detour. See, while anchoring the news live one day, I hear in my earpiece from the producer, there's something on your face. There's something on your face. You need to wipe it off. You need to wipe it off. I knew what it was.

A few years in, I was moving up in markets and loving it, but didn't realize my dreams were about to take a tumble and a massive detour. See, while anchoring the news live one day, I hear in my earpiece from the producer, there's something on your face. There's something on your face. You need to wipe it off. You need to wipe it off. I knew what it was.

I have a skin condition that's called rosacea. There's no cure for it. It gets really red and bumpy. And until that moment, I'd always been able to just cover it up with makeup, like, no big deal.

I have a skin condition that's called rosacea. There's no cure for it. It gets really red and bumpy. And until that moment, I'd always been able to just cover it up with makeup, like, no big deal.

When I glanced down live on TV in that moment, it was during a commercial break, and I saw, like, if you imagine desert clay cracking and red coming through, that was what was happening under the hot HD lights. My rosacea was coming through on live television. I tried to cover it up, and for the first time ever, the makeup didn't work.

When I glanced down live on TV in that moment, it was during a commercial break, and I saw, like, if you imagine desert clay cracking and red coming through, that was what was happening under the hot HD lights. My rosacea was coming through on live television. I tried to cover it up, and for the first time ever, the makeup didn't work.

And this turned into a really long season of self-doubt where I'd be live on television every time thinking like, am I going to get fired? And every time I'd go on and hear in my earpiece, Jamie, it's still there, it's still there. I spent most of my paycheck just trying to find something that would work. Every product out there and nothing would. And then one day I felt this whisper.

And this turned into a really long season of self-doubt where I'd be live on television every time thinking like, am I going to get fired? And every time I'd go on and hear in my earpiece, Jamie, it's still there, it's still there. I spent most of my paycheck just trying to find something that would work. Every product out there and nothing would. And then one day I felt this whisper.

Maybe you've had a whisper like this in your life. It was a whisper that said, if you cannot find anything that works for you, why don't you figure out how to create something that does? So my gut, my intuition, my knowing said, you can do this. You can start a business and figure out how to find the best chemist and make an amazing product that's probably going to help so many people if you do.

Maybe you've had a whisper like this in your life. It was a whisper that said, if you cannot find anything that works for you, why don't you figure out how to create something that does? So my gut, my intuition, my knowing said, you can do this. You can start a business and figure out how to find the best chemist and make an amazing product that's probably going to help so many people if you do.

But my self-doubt said, oh, but you've got no money. You don't know anyone in the beauty industry. You are not qualified. I made the decision to dare to trust my gut, to trust my knowing over my self-doubt. I also leaned on my Columbia Business School network. I called every alumni in the database that I could find asking their advice.

But my self-doubt said, oh, but you've got no money. You don't know anyone in the beauty industry. You are not qualified. I made the decision to dare to trust my gut, to trust my knowing over my self-doubt. I also leaned on my Columbia Business School network. I called every alumni in the database that I could find asking their advice.

And then my husband, Paolo, he's right over there, CBS class of 04 alum. He was working in investment. Yes. He's over here. He was working in investment banking, and he and I both decided to quit our jobs. We poured every penny we had into starting a company called IT Cosmetics in our living room.

And then my husband, Paolo, he's right over there, CBS class of 04 alum. He was working in investment. Yes. He's over here. He was working in investment banking, and he and I both decided to quit our jobs. We poured every penny we had into starting a company called IT Cosmetics in our living room.

What we did not know is from the moment we went all in, it would be more than three years before we could even afford to pay ourselves a single penny. It would be hundreds and hundreds of no's and rejections.

What we did not know is from the moment we went all in, it would be more than three years before we could even afford to pay ourselves a single penny. It would be hundreds and hundreds of no's and rejections.