Intelligent Must-See TV
This week on Profile: Janet Gurwitch makes a great makeup leap and learns to letgo
"Everyone knows the name Laura Mercier, but not that many people know Janet Gurwitch. But without Janet Gurwitch no one would know Laura Mercier."
That's a truism Greg Scheinman will attempt to redress in this week's episode of Profile (10:30 p.m. Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday on Channel 8, Houston PBS), with the story of Gurwitch who he calls "an all-American success story" in her transition from high-powered executive to entrepreneur to the business force behind a $100 million business, Laura Mercier Cosmetics.
Gurwitch started at Foley's, rising to senior vice president of merchandising over an 18-year career, and subsequently moved to Neiman Marcus, where she was executive vice president of merchandising, dealing with strategies for ready-to-wear and cosmetics. Leaving her job at Neiman Marcus, in 1996 Gurwitch joined forces with makeup artist Laura Mercier to launch the high-end cosmetic line.
"She went to Laura and made this agreement to build the line of mineral, high-end makeup around her name, based around Janet's business savvy and Laura's talent," Scheinman says. "In 12 years she built the business up to where it's available at over 800 stores in 26 countries and grossed over $200 million in 2008.
"The story of somebody having an idea and having the courage to leave the high-paying, high-profile job at a Neiman Marcus and say, 'I'm going to start my own business' with essentially an unknown person is to me what made the story interesting. It takes a lot of courage to leave a job at the height of your career rather than stay safe and have the money and the car and the expense account, etc. and to go out on a limb and sell a new product.
"A lot of people say they want to be an entrepreneur but they never do it, because it's never the right time," Scheinman continues. "When you decide to do it, that's what was interesting to me, the risk involved, the lack of fear of failure —or the fear is there but you overcome it and say you're going to do it anyway. And she did it and she made Laura Mercier a household name.
"I think I've even worn (the Mercier makeup) on the show once or twice when I've been shiny."
After selling the company to Alticor in 2006, Gurwitch has focused on her consulting company, Gurwitch Consulting Group LLC, and her roles on the boards of La-Z-Boy and Urban Decay and the advisory board of the Rice University's business school.
"We met at her condo, she has the nice condo, wonderful artwork, view of the city," Scheinman says. "Since she's no longer working full-time, there's no Laura Mercier factory tour, but we did go to Neiman's to see the line and how it's presented.
"We talked mostly about the journey, the risks and trials and tribulations that you go on building that kind of company, how unglamorous it is in the business side, especially, and what you learn and at the culmination of it all, being able to sell, and after how you feel when you sell your baby and how do you move on to other things. It was mostly about letting her tell her story. She's pretty remarkable."
CultureMap is the official online home of Profile — and you can watch exclusive clips of all the episodes in the series (season one and the current season two) on our special Profile page.
