How Elizabeth Arden Failed Before Making It Big
If you’re into cosmetics, then you must be familiar with the name “Elizabeth Arden.” The Canadian-American businesswoman was able to create a whole empire that made women’s lives easier. From a very young age, she was interested in skincare, and she was able to make her dreams come true. Although she passed away in 1966, Elizabeth was able to leave the world with a great legacy.
Although some don’t realize it, Elizabeth Arden’s journey was not the easiest. She experienced a few drawbacks on her path to success, yet she knew how to overcome everything and move forward. If you need some inspiration for your own boost of confidence, keep reading to find out Elizabeth Arden’s story.
Elizabeth Arden’s Early Life
Elizabeth Arden, born Florence Nightingale Graham, was from Ontario, Canada. She was born on December 31, 1881. Her family built a farm in Woodbridge after moving to Canada from the United Kingdom back in the 1870s.
Her mother Susan was English, whereas her father William was Scottish. She had four siblings, and it was very difficult for her family to support themselves. Due to a lack of money, making ends meet was almost impossible. This is why even as a young girl, Arden had to consider odd jobs in order to help her parents.
Despite the lack of funds, William and Susan wanted to see their children educated, which is how they managed to send Arden to nursing school in Toronto. They were able to do this by having a wealthy aunt pay for the education. However, this school experience wouldn’t last long for Arden — she dropped out after a while.
Arden had other things in mind, which is why she went to Manhattan to join her elder brother. She worked at the E. R. Squibb Pharmaceuticals Company as a bookkeeper. This is also when she discovered that she enjoyed working in the lab. The company had laboratories, so Arden took this as an opportunity to learn more about skincare.
Afterward, she took another job, working for Eleanor Adair. This job allowed her to work as a “treatment girl.” Eleanor Adair was also a very early beauty culturist.
The Idea Behind her Brand
One of the things Arden did in marketing campaigns was to focus on the importance of teaching other women how to apply scientific cosmetic formulations. Back in the day, makeup did not have a good reputation because people saw it as something used by prostitutes and the lower classes.
So, Arden decided to revolutionize makeup, and she’s the one who managed to turn it into something proper for ladies of all social classes. The new image of makeup was something ladylike that any woman could use. For the most part, she marketed her products to non-glamorous and middle-aged women.
There are also stories about Arden being a suffragette and joining a march for women’s rights in 1912. Apparently, she brought red lipstick, which she gave to other women as a sign of solidarity. But it’s unsure whether it actually happened, since there is no evidence.
Elizabeth Arden’s Career
Arden joined a partnership with a culturist known as Elizabeth Hubbard in 1909. Unfortunately, this wouldn’t last long. In 1910, the partnership dissolved.
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It is well known that “Elizabeth Arden” is not her real name. However, she was looking for a trade name at the time, which is why she settled for “Elizabeth”. It allowed her to keep the salon signs without having to spend money on replacements. Then, she saw the name “Arden” at a farm in the area, and she thought it sounded good next to “Elizabeth.” Arden then established the Red Door Salon in 1910, in beautiful New York City.
Arden wanted to take things even further. She went to France in 1912 in order to learn different facial and beauty massage methods in salons in Paris. When she came back, she had already created several tinted powders and rouges.
In 1915, she increased her international operations. So, multiple salons belonging to her business opened all around the world. The very first destination beauty spa in the U.S. was also established by Arden. In 1934, she decided to open the Maine Chance residential spa, located in Rome, Maine. It was active until 1970.
Arden also received the Legion d’Honneur in 1962 from the French government, thanks to her work in the cosmetics field. Elizabeth Arden passed away on October 18, 1966, at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan.
Elizabeth Arden’s Failures
Although Elizabeth Arden became successful, and her name is a strong one in the cosmetics industry, she also experienced some failures.
For example, in the early days, her business failed, and the partnership between her and Elizabeth Hubbard ended.
Many people in her situation would have given up, but she didn’t. Arden was determined to make her dreams come true, so she picked a name that would be recognized in the industry. As we know, she settled for Elizabeth Arden. Then, later that year, she also opened the Red Door Salon, which would be the beginning of her journey in the cosmetics kingdom.
Not to mention, her family was not wealthy. Before she even tried to set up her own business, Arden had to work different odd jobs to help her family. She was even sent to nursing school with the help of an aunt, but she dropped out. Luckily, she did not allow her lack of funds to stop her from building an empire.
Once she founded her company, Arden thought it would be great to help it grow even bigger. So, she opened about 150 salons all over Europe and the United States. This is how she managed to sell more than 1,000 products in 22 different countries.
At some point, her business had over $1 billion in yearly sales, making her company one of the most successful ones in the industry at that time.
Elizabeth Arden’s story teaches us some valuable lessons, but the most important one is to never give up on the things we want. Even if things don’t go as planned in the beginning, you have the power to make great things happen if you keep moving forward. After her first startup business failed, Arden got up and worked hard to establish something else, making sure she didn’t give up on her dreams. She took the risk and saw her plans come to fruition.
Arden’s determination, confidence, and persistence are great inspirations, especially when you feel like you cannot succeed no matter what you do. So, take this as an example in your own life and do what she did in order to achieve success. There may be a few obstacles along the way, but you should never let them stop you.
The Bottom Line
Elizabeth Arden knew what she wanted and went for it, and that’s how she became one of the greatest businesswomen in the world. After selling her products in 22 countries, she became one of the wealthiest women on the planet, and people still remember and honor her by using her products.
