Tosca Hillman
Founder of GlōGirl Cosmetics
Established: 2014 | Number of employees: 2
Website: glogirlcosmetics.com | Instagram: @glogirlcosmetics // facebook.com/glogirlcosmetics
The Lab at ICA Alumni (2021)
“GlōGirl Cosmetics represents boldness, power and uniqueness. It is your inner fierceness that allows you to shine and trail blaze. It is empowerment. It's about tapping into your inner goddess and bringing out the best of what’s inside of you because you feel good.”
Why did you decide to start GlōGirl?
I started GlōGirl after working for some of the biggest cosmetics brands in the industry and not seeing the images of my people or surrounding ethnic communities represented enough. Also, I was frustrated by the lack of pigments in the color category for women of color.
What’s your best piece of advice for other entrepreneurs?
Stay focused on your dream. Block the noise and the naysayers, because a lot of people won’t understand your vision—but that’s OK as long as you do. Also, remember that just because you are working on manifesting your dreams, life still happens. Bills still have to be paid, so never measure your success by what you think someone else’s quick success is. You don’t know their backstory or what it took to get where they are, so run your own race.
What has been your most impactful interaction with ICA and why?
The mentorship and weekly Zoom meetings were amazing. They really helped me further dive into my brand and analyze it from a different perspective. I was also able to see that I was not alone in the struggles that entrepreneurs face. There was a lot of support and a real sense of camaraderie within my group.
ICA’s investment is helping GlōGirl rebrand products with more vegan formulas in the clean beauty sector, as well as moving into production faster and investing more in our marketing.
How have the challenges of the last year changed your long-term strategy?
It made me realize how crucial it is to provide an easy online shopping experience, and to have a really good selling platform for the back-end data. It also made me rethink products. After wearing a mask all day, people just want to breathe. And if you’re stuck working in the house all day on Zoom calls, you don’t feel like wearing makeup, but you still need to show up for work. I started thinking about a minimalist makeup look and glowy, radiant skin. That inspired me to come out with my very first face product, with expansions in that category on the horizon.
What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned about yourself as an entrepreneur?
Having been a retail specialist, sales trainer and corporate exec within the cosmetics industry, I thought I knew my limits as to what I was capable of—or at least what I had been trained to believe. But being an entrepreneur forces you to wear many hats. It pushes you right out of your comfort zone—sometimes to what you think is the brink of insanity.
Those very hard, crucial moments transformed me. I woke up and I am now mentally stronger than I ever imagined. I have fine tuned (though you can never really fine tune enough) my negotiation skills with manufacturers. Helped graphic designers bring my visions to life. Introduced and pitched my brand to buyers. If the front door closes on me, I find a back door. Basically, I’ve learned that I never give up and I intensely believe in the success of GlōGirl Cosmetics.
