“It's nothing short of an Australian small business fairy tale that's about to unfurl.”
Poppy King was barely out of high school when she launched her first company in 1991, quickly gaining a cult-like following for her dreamy 1940s Hollywood-inspired matte lipsticks.
By 1995 she was Young Australian of the Year, but not long later the company fell apart amid investor disputes.
The young entrepreneur moved to New York to work for the famed Lauder cosmetics brand. “My office was on the 39th floor of the GM building opposite the Plaza Hotel. I walked past Tiffany's every morning,” King enthuses.
Now, some 30 years since the launch of her lipstick empire, King has revealed exclusively to Curveball she's returning to the Australian market with a brand new line.
Find out what King learnt from her first business collapse, how she views the current influencer-inspired cosmetic industry, and why she’s going all-in on a new lipstick line made in the very same factory as her first product.
+++
Curveball is the show that leans into life’s messy moments! It’s a production of Deadset Studios.
Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.
Want to know more about how people thrive in challenging times? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! And suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com
This episode was produced by Grace Pashley and edited by Liam Riordan. Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kicking goals — Peggy O’Neal stares down the competition
A new season of thrills and spills from top leaders
INTRODUCING — How I Work, a podcast where leaders talk about how they structure their day
Tough calls — How good leaders make the right decisions when everyone’s a critic
Forged in fire — how great leaders use personal adversity to become even stronger
Crazy brave — How to channel your inner warrior
Think again — Adam Grant wants to change your mind about leadership
Dropping in — Andrew Stark rescues a world surf tour in record time
Turning the tide — How Andrew Stark transformed a crushing wave into the ride of his life
Staging a comeback — Jeremy Fleming’s show-stopping pivot from sets to desks
You beauty — Kate Morris on taking her online cosmetic company from her garage to stock market float
Testing times — Justin Langer on truth, tough love and making cricket great again
Lead your team like a MOFO
I get knocked down, but I get up again!
Mind games, set and match
If you didn’t pivot did you even 2020?
Start-up rollercoaster — Michael Fox on winning and then failing with women’s shoes, and re-emerging with a vegetarian VC success story
School of hard knocks – Dr Briony Scott on shutting down schools and firing up online classrooms
That’s Entertainment — Comedy boss Kevin Whyte on going broke, bouncing back, and shifting the laughs from stages to zoom screens
Cereal-ising success — setbacks, comebacks and taking risks with Carman’s muesli mogul Carolyn Creswell
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Organic Marketing Simplified: Effective podcasting strategy for growth and monetization
THE GO BIZ GUY
The Sigma Femme Podcast
The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
The Tim Ferriss Show