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“What was your big break?”
Images courtesy of Anastasia Bezrukova / Illustration by Ingrid Frahm
InMy Beauty Break, we’ll dig into the behind-the-scenes details the money, the aha!
Anastasia Bezrukovahas been hustling nonstop since her family immigrated to Canada from Kazakhstan when she was little.
The more she accomplished, the more she accumulated.
Bezrukova and Marie Kondo
This faux fix ended up surrounding her with mountains of overwhelm and chaos…not to mention debt.
She was able to think clearly and truly appreciate the items and experiences that meant the most to her.
Plus, her anxiety was nearly gone.
Bezrukova and Marie Kondo
Allure: Congratulations on launching Minori, Anastasia!
Your brand was founded on the ethos of minimalism.
Where did that idea come from and how did minimalism become so important to you?
Minori’s first collection of products: Lip Gloss, Cream Highlighter, and Cream Blush.
Anastasia Bezrukova:Thank you so much!
Minimalism, specifically the KonMari method, completely changed my life.
In the past, I used shopping and acquiringstuffas a way to quell anxiety and burnout.
Anastasia Bezrukova
I lived a work, work, work, buy, buy, buy lifestyle.
But about four years ago I hit a breaking point.
Right at this time, a friend introduced me to the Marie Kondo (or KonMari) method.
A snap of baby Bezrukova, an aspiring CEO, in Kazakhstan from 1991.
I was hooked and committed to turning my life around.
It brought me such a sense of calm and clarity.
Bezrukova:Well, becoming a certified KonMari consultant was a natural next step for me.
Bezrukova just before she immigrated to Canada.
That’s why our mission with Minori is to inspire mindful consumption.
I dont want to add clutter to anyone’s life.
Minori’s first collection of products: Lip Gloss, Cream Highlighter, and Cream Blush.
Courtesy of brand.
Allure: Did you always want to be an entrepreneur?
Anastasia Bezrukova:It took me a little while to figure that out.
My first job was in finance as a commodities trader.
I bought wheat, corn, and soybeans directly from farmers.
I loved every interaction I had with the founders I met at these shows.
They were so passionate and so in love with the idea of creating something whole from the ground up.
I knew this was a path I wanted to pursue.
The founders were my people.
I looked up to them and wanted to learn from them.
Allure: Is this when you decided to start your own brand?
Bezrukova:Not yet!
After Well.ca, I worked as a buyer for Sears.
They went bankrupt one year later, but it was a very eye-opening 12 months.
I saw the need to innovate and push forward, realizing that customers were more intentional than ever.
They wanted to know the founder, the brand, and what it all stood for.
This led me to NYC and the role of merchandise personalization analyst at a popular beauty subscription service.
I partnered with the merchandising team, tested out every single product (there were hundreds!
), and tried to figure out who would love which items.
I started to understand what types of products people liked and didnt like.
Theres so much newness!
So muchstuffon the market!
What makes a product special?
What is the importance and essence of a brand?
How can you help people connect to something bigger than just swiping on somelip gloss?
Allure: How did you know when it was the right time to start your brand?
Bezrukova:It was actually because of another book!
I thought about being 95 years old and looking back at my life.
If I tried to start this brand and failed, would I regret it?
My only regret would benotstarting it.
This shift in mindset was instrumental for me.
It removed the fear.
I wanted to be the 100-year-old lady that said, “regardless of the outcome,I did it!
And it was fun!”
So, I began the very long process of starting Minori.
Allure: Where did you start?
Can you walk us through the process?
Bezrukova:It is a terrifying process.
We kind of had to accept that we were going to spend every single penny we owned.
My husband and I did it together.
We put all of our savings into the company.
We even moved back to Montreal with our parents at the ripe age of 31!
It was humbling and not at all the glamorous idea many people have of starting a cosmetic line.
But it was the best decision we ever made.
We had 10 months of focused Minori-building boot camp.
Now we’re back in San Francisco and were so glad that we did this.
So we built it slowly, starting with hiring an amazing designer.
Allure: Interesting that you started with design and not the product itself.
We bootstrappedeverythingup until now.
Now we’re doing afriends and family fundraisinground and have two investors.
To be clear, there’s a big difference between a loan and an investment.
You want to verify that people who are investing in your company are comfortable with the risk.
Those types of Angel investors do it because they are comfortable with a certain risk.
Allure:How do you stay so motivated?
He worked into his mid-70s to make ends meet.
A snap of baby Bezrukova, an aspiring CEO, in Kazakhstan from 1991.
Seeing how hardworking and persevering my parents and sister were was my biggest inspiration!
I owe it to them to give it my all and aim to succeed.
Bezrukova just before she immigrated to Canada.
Allure: When did it finally feel like Minori was real?
Bezrukova:Seeing the products for the very first time.
We had actually made something.
It wasn’t just an idea.
I always kind of wondered, when is this gonna feel real?
In March 2021, I opened that box and saw the labor of three years in my hands.
I was shaking as much as when I walked down the aisle on my wedding day.
The very next day we sent it to a buyer atThe Detox Market.
And now, they’re carrying Minori.
That moment was pretty remarkable too.
And I cant wait to see where our brand will grow from here.
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