Learn from Bobbi Brown how to let go of your success and start over

"The easiest thing to do as an entrepreneur is step away from the business you helped grow from the ground up," said no one ever.
 By 
Tracey Edouard
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo

"The easiest thing to do as an entrepreneur is step away from the business you helped grow from the ground up," said noone ever.

Iconic entrepreneur Bobbi Brown found herself in a situation where she walked away from her nearly $2 billion, self-named makeup brand to start a new venture and hasn't looked back since.

Since that time, she's embarked on a new journey steering her ship to a new kind of consumer experience called: JustBobbi, a lifestyle and wellness shop that immerses customers in a 360-degree world to purchase a curation of her favorite products ranging from jeans to jewelry and everything in between.

Brown stopped by Mashable to break down five tips any entrepreneur needs to know to re-invent themselves and start over. For the full interview and more discussion, check out the above episode of #BizChats.

1. Walk away from what you're doing

"You just gotta do it. You have to actually one day just do it. Take a chance, do it. That's number one, walk away. You can't do it while you're there. There's no side hustle, you gotta walk away."

2. Build a mini-team. You can't do it alone

"As I said, know what you're good at, know what you're not good at -- I hired a girl right out of the Apple Store, brought together a few people that; by the way don't just do one thing, do many things -- build a mini team because you can't do it by yourself. Okay? Or you're going to be hitting your head against the wall."

3. Be scrappy and move quickly

"Don't waste time, don't waste energy, don't waste money. What happens often when you're in a really big company, is that you have to have meetings and meetings and meetings for the meetings and meetings for those meetings when really all you needed was a 60-second phone call. So, be scrappy, figure it out and be quick."

4. Be open to changing the marketplace. Re-invent not only what you do, but how you do it

"Because you don't know what you don't know. You don't know who you're going to meet, you don't know who you're going to talk to, who you're going to be introduced to, just be open. Don't think you know everything. It's a new world, Goldie. Learn what's happening. Everything is different right now."

5. Have no fear

"And this is probably the hardest part for most people, 'cause people have to buy milk (well, you might want to buy coconut milk), but you have to buy food, you have to pay rent, you have to do these things. Sometimes, you might have to get a waitressing job, you might have to live with your parents, you might have to get a roommate, but have no fear because if you're fearful, you will not get anything done."

Mashable Image
Tracey Edouard

Tracey Edouard is a Social Media Assistant for Mashable, with a primary focus on daily content optimization for Mashable Business & Startups on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Since the start of her internship in September 2014, Tracey has created and managed the first-ever #BizChats Twitter chat, a new series which highlights various topics surrounding business. She's a Long Island native and a proud graduate of The Pennsylvania State University (May 2013).

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
AdultFriendFinder success rate: Real AFF info from someone who’s tried it
By Jack Dawes
Hands shaking surrounding by dice

AdultFriendFinder vs. Plenty of Fish: Most legit, success rates, and more
By Jack Dawes
Man using laptop

'Scream 7' review: Kevin Williamson makes Ghostface fun again
Ghostface rises again in "Scream 7."



Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

Google launches Gemma 4, a new open-source model: How to try it
Google Gemma

NYT Strands hints, answers for April 3, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.

What's new to streaming this week? (April 3, 2026)
A composite of images from film and TV streaming this week.
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!