Model, lingerie designer and beauty brand founder, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is way more than just a pretty face (although that is outrageously impressive as well), she's the woman boss with an entrepreneurial mind that any business mogul would be envious of.
Between her best-selling collections for M&S, becoming the face of bareMinerals, having a baby and launching her own beauty platform, Rose Inc., Huntington-Whiteley is all of our success goals housed in one totally unattainable body.
As well as all of the above, she's a longtime friend of ELLE's and agreed to come down to our inaugural ELLE Weekender event at the Saatchi Gallery, to give a workshop on how to create a super successful beauty brand - moodboards included.
'My day to day connection with beauty is so phenomenal, it's always creative and I always learn something. The transformation that beauty can give and just shopping for make-up products has always been a passion of mine. Whenever you have a passion for something and can work out a way to monetise that, that's when it's a good idea.
'I'm always thinking of a way to go to work and do what I love, because when you find something that works, it's authentic, and that's important - when you're selling something to a consumer there's got to be authenticity from the beginning.'
'I've always had a vision and allowed myself to dream and to creatively visualise what I want from my life and to see myself there - to see what I want in five years time and work out how to get there.
'When you have a vision and goals it's easier to connect the dots to get there. Of course curveballs come and you have to move and change to allow for them, but if there's something you want, dream for it. That applies to all aspects of life.
'Rose Inc for me is a passion project. After 15 years in the make-up chair, I wanted to give the artists I'd worked with a platform to celebrate their work.'
'I'm a big fan of making a lot of vision boards. The first thing I want to do is make an idea look amazing on paper - whether it's creative direction for a shoot or launching my site or make-up line. I always put together storyboards in my office and work on them for weeks.'
'Pitching is such a nerve wracking thing to do. Often, you're in a room full of people you have to convince. I felt early on in my modelling career that it would be short lived and I was constantly reminded of that. I felt I had to use the industry in the way it used me and find a way to build from it.
'It had always been a dream of mine to work for Marks & Spencer because it was such a household name, so I decided to pitch my lingerie idea to them. It started with an 11 piece collection which has grown into sleepwear and now beauty. '
'If I could give one piece of advice, it would be to surround yourself with people who understand your vision - that's huge. I have a great agent who changed my life when I started working with him seven years ago and I talk to Jason (Statham) about everything I'm working on - he's very entrepreneurial.
'All my best decisions have come from trusting my instincts but it's not always as black and white as that so surrounding myself with people who are honest and tell me no is so helpful.'
'One of the plus sides of social media is that it's an amazing way of connecting with people and showing them your work. It's an extension of myself but also my portfolio.
'I often find people I want to work with on social media and I'll contact them on that. Constantly talking to people in the field of what you're doing is a great way to connect with a like minded community.'
'There's days when I feel like superwoman and I wake up feeling fresh and I'm doing all my mum duties and work and I'm looking after myself, and then there are days when I feel incredibly overwhelmed and stressed. There's a lot of plate spinning and I do have a bad habit of saying yes to everything. It's important for me to remove things from my plate and go back to basics, prioritising what really matters and learning to say no.
'Time management is really important and what I'm working on right now with having a baby and launching a new business. I like to turn up and be 110% everyday so having a great team to support me is essential. There's a lot of pressure to say yes to everything but learning to say no and sticking to your guns is essential.'
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