It’s been over two decades since founder Maureen Kelly began her entrepreneurial journey from her one-bedroom New York City apartment. Without a formal business background or beauty industry expertise, building a multi-million dollar cosmetics company from the ground up was initially based on hopes and dreams with a six-figure debt to match. Determined to make her mark, after several failed attempts, one yes changed the course of her destiny as those hopes and dreams quickly turned into reality, and there was no turning back!
Tarte cosmetics went from being virtually unknown to appearing in top magazines and exclusively debuting at Henri Bendel in 2000—a full-circle moment and a dream come true. As an innovative force in the cosmetics industry, Kelly is still involved in the day-to-day operations alongside her all-women-led C-Suite team, ideating ideas and creative concepts. With the brand’s continued success, paying it forward is non-negotiable. The mom of two has her sights set on helping others achieve their entrepreneurial endeavors providing mentorship, opportunities, and funding, all while continuing to grow her beauty empire.
NEW YOU spoke with the founder and CEO about building confidence in the face of adversity, advice for aspiring businesswomen, and what’s next on her career bucket list. Read on for more.
NEW YOU: What made you become an entrepreneur and enter the cosmetics industry?
Maureen Kelly: I wanted to start a makeup company because I am one of seven children, and my mom is from Ireland. Because of this, she always created natural antidotes for us. If my sisters and I had a pimple or a blemish, she would mix aloe with turmeric. We never bought our products from the store like other teenage girls. Fast forward to when I got older, and I could buy my products or go to the makeup counter and get my makeup done; I would flip over the box, unable to pronounce one ingredient, and I realized they were full of very unhealthy ingredients.
My mom also grew up on a farm in Ireland, so we had a lot of animals when I was growing up. It made me sad that back then, mostly all cosmetic companies were tested on animals. So I wanted to create a cruelty-free makeup brand formulated with healthy ingredients.
NY: Experiencing rejection as an entrepreneur is inevitable. What advice do you have for building confidence in the face of adversity?
MK: It’s imperative not to let imposter syndrome hold you back nowadays. That is common, and even I am guilty of it. You want to ensure you keep yourself from falling into it. Believing in yourself is so important. A big ego doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I am humble, but I feel very confident in who I am and what I’m doing, and you should too.
NY: You’ve already accomplished so much. What are some of your other aspirations on your career bucket list?
MK: I feel fortunate to have accomplished what I have to this day. My Northstar is definitely lifting up other women. That is what drives me. I started a non-profit six years ago called Heart to Tarte, and a big part of what I do is giving back. It’s been a big part of my DNA since day one.
In the early days, when we weren’t making enough money, we couldn’t afford to give back. Back then, instead of giving money, we used to provide products to homeless women’s shelters. Fast forward, we can donate money, and now we do some incredible initiatives! We give back to teachers by clearing their lists, and we’ve cleared over a thousand teachers’ lists. We also help many female entrepreneurs in assisting them in starting companies.
NY: Has this been the most rewarding part of your career so far?
MK: The most rewarding part of my career so far is definitely creating the non-profit Heart to Tarte because we’ve been able to do so many things within it, such as giving back to the teachers. We have our Ship Your Future Small Business Awards, where we have been able to give back and help amazing female founders and entrepreneurs start their businesses. I also have an all-female C-suite, which is very unusual in the cosmetics industry. They mentor young women in college, teach them how to craft their LinkedIn pages, resumes, and things like that. Lifting up women makes me so happy and is something I am most proud of.
NY: What would you say to another woman looking to start her own company in 2023?
MK: I would say to a woman who is starting or wants to start her own company in 2023 to go for it and do it inch by inch, day by day. When I look back and think about what I did, I had no experience and no money. I started on credit cards and a vision board. I didn’t even know how to do an Excel spreadsheet at the time! I was actually cutting things out of magazines and putting them on my vision board. For me, that was my Excel spreadsheet because I didn’t have a business background, and I didn’t have experience in this industry. So if I can do it, you can do it.
NY: You speak to a lot of your successes. However, was there ever a moment in your career where you wanted to give up, but you had to push through and garner that resilient spirit?
MK: Yes, early on, when I had all of the cosmetics created, I was calling Henri Bendel, Barneys, and Bergdorf Goodman to try to get someone to launch the makeup. No one was calling me back, and I left at least four or five messages. Then I started to have some real panic set in that I was going out of business before I even began.
I left a final message, and it was a seventh message for Henri Bendel saying I’m about to launch at Bergdorf Goodman. It was a little white lie, and I do feel bad about that to this day. But lo and behold, she called me back and allowed me to come in and show my products. I knew if I could show her the products, she would love them. And she did!
