5 Tips For Success

by Bobbie Weiner, president, Bloody Mary, top makeup artist and entrepreneur

1.   Never let age be an obstacle: I started my business when I was already “middle aged.” I was dreaming new dreams for myself and the reality became bigger and better than I could have ever imagined. Remember, you have a resource that young people do not have: experience!
2.   Be willing to work for cheap: Work just as hard as you would if you were making a lot of money. The contacts and experience will prove to be priceless. Had I passed up the first opportunity I was offered out of makeup school, I firmly believe I would not be where I am today.
3.   Surround yourself with good people: By that I mean people who will help you succeed, who have your back and with whom you share mutual respect. No one can run a successful business alone. It takes a good, solid support team to truly excel. Make a conscious decision to only be around people who will enhance your life and aspirations.
4.   Persistence pays: As they say, slow and steady wins the race. When I was in makeup school, I was not the most talented student—not by a long shot. But you’d better believe I worked harder than the other students combined. I stayed for hours after class, studying the training tapes. If you have a goal in mind, persist until you achieve it. Resist the temptation to compare yourself to other people, feel defeated and throw in the towel. It might take years down the road, but at some point, your persistence WILL pay off.
5.   All mistakes are golden: Making mistakes is how you learn. I made a lot of mistakes, and I’m still making mistakes today. I look back now on what I’ve learned from them, and I am a wiser person. People say “if I only knew then what I know now.” But life does not work that way. You only know now what you know now; it doesn’t work backwards. Don’t ever beat yourself up for mistakes or poor choices you made yesterday. What’s the point?  The sun does not rise on a new day each morning so that we can spend the next 23 hours atoning for the mistakes we made the day before. The sun comes up and the sun sets and in the hours in between, we do the best we can to move forward, using the wisdom we gained from days gone by!

Texas Conference for Women speaker Bobbie Weiner started a new career at age 46 by going to makeup school for the film and TV industry. Today, she owns and operates a multimillion-dollar makeup company and has written an autobiography, “I Can Do This: The Bloody Mary Story.” www.dearbloodymary.com