Randi Shinder is a Canadian beauty entrepreneur with an amazing record of success.
I included her portrait, shot in 2001, not because of her string of successes but because it was shot to promote one of her projects that did not work!
The key to being a successful entrepreneur is not what you achieve but your resilience and constant belief in yourself and your ideas. That would be Randi in spades.
To launch Youtopia, her first major foray into business, this Ottawa native managed to enlist Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake to promote “Youdollars”.
The idea was before its time and venture capital dried up after 9/11…but imagine if you will today`s “influencers” and “Bitcoin” and you see some of the thinking behind her mind almost two decades ago.
Undaunted by setbacks, Randi launched CLEAN Perfume a year later. For the next venture she partnered with Jessica Simpson to create Dessert Beauty which became the first brand to exceed $10 million in sales at Sephora. In 2007 she sold a large stake in her companies which became Fusion Brands to Eugene Melnyk for an amount reputed to be between 50 and 80 million dollars. Retail sales figures for her brands that year were 100 million dollars.
Her list of awards are many..but among them.
Fashion Institute Rising Star Award – 2007
Cosmopolitan Magazine Fun Fearless Female Award – 2007
Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award – 2008
Over the years we photographed everything from Randi`s family to her PR and products. Her vision, her creativity and her attention to detail made her an ideal client for someone with an eye for detail who did not mind working til midnight to meet her deadlines. She understands branding, marketing and truly enjoys keeping up with the ever changing trends in the beauty industry.
Not content to sit back after a few years hiatus, Randi recently launched House of Greatness, a lifestyle brand developed with the core belief that greatness should be a way of life. It will feature product lines covering categories such as fragrance, beauty, home décor, apparel and jewelry and will include brand collaborations from celebrity beauty and lifestyle expert Spencer Barnes and supermodel/actress Bar Paly.