Gabriela and Fergus Hernandez are the co-founders of Bésame Cosmetics, a carefully curated line of cosmetic essentials inspired by style icons both famous and familial.
As a young girl, Gabriela would watch in complete wonder while her beloved grandmother applied makeup as part of her daily beauty ritual. From the swipe of a bold lip color to the dusting of rouge on a cheek, Gabriela loved how this small moment connected art to beauty, and grandmother to granddaughter.
After immigrating from Buenos Aires to the United States, Gabriela’s fascination for cosmetics grew into passion followed by expertise. She became a historian of makeup through the decades, studying photography and art direction at ArtCenter, where she met Fergus. The pair started a photo studio business together after graduation, and later co-founded Bésame Cosmetics.
Just like Gabriela’s experience watching her grandmother apply makeup decades ago, Bésame offers authentic connection across generations, so you can build looks that transcend time. As co-founder, Fergus shares that hearing what Bésame customers appreciate is hard to put a price on, and that customer feedback is what gets him up every day. He shares that his happy place is with Gabriela and their kids.
Topics discussed in this episode: • Gabriela and Fergus’s journey to launching Bésame Cosmetics, and where the inspiration came from • Rough spots the Bésame team has faced along their entrepreneurial journey • Changes Gabriela and Fergus have seen in the cosmetics industry over time, and the impact of the internet on the direct-to-consumer model • Being self-motivated as an entrepreneur, and the most difficult aspects of owning a business • The immeasurable joy of receiving impactful client feedback • Whether the economy (and looming recession) has impacted Bésame Cosmetics recently, and purchasing trends the co-founders have noticed • The cost of chaos, the risk of being tunnel-visioned as a passionate entrepreneur, and “not knowing what you don’t know” • The value of great accounting, and how working with Blueprint CFO has helped Gabriela and Fergus run their business better • What entrepreneurs should be looking out for along their journey, from the Bésame co-founders’ perspective
About the Series. Blueprint CFO Presents: Future Focused Entrepreneurs is an interview series and podcast highlighting entrepreneurs and businesses that are going places by focusing on the future and developing a roadmap for success. Hosted by Jim Downes, founder of Blueprint CFO, a future focused fractional CFO & accounting services firm based in Southern California.About Blueprint CFO. Blueprint CFO is a future focused fractional CFO and accounting services firm based in Orange County, California. Partnering with entrepreneurial companies to guide and support them on their road to success, Blueprint CFO equips clients with the Profitability Roadmap® they need to grow. Learn more at www.BlueprintCFO.com.
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