Name: Jennifer Yen
Job Title and Description: I’m a mom, entrepreneur and former TV villainess. I used to fight Power Rangers, and now I save complexions with Purlisse, my beauty company inspired by my grandmother’s Asian beauty secrets.
College: Boston University, Marketing Major
Website: Purlisse
Twitter Handle: @purlisse, @jenyen1
Instagram Handle: @purlisse, @jenyen1
What does your current job entail?
JY: I’m a working, co-parenting mom. My job is to get my little girl to preschool, then I head to Purlisse offices in Beverly Hills, CA where I create skincare and cosmetics products inspired by Asian rituals. But my job goes beyond product development. I also manage a team of women who are dynamic, driven and creative to help make things happen. I would say there are only two days out of the month that are typical. Every day is full of fun, exciting challenges. We are never bored.
What is the best part of your job?
JY: The best part of my job is being able to create – create beauty products that women love, create jobs for women, create my life and my world.
What was your first entry-level job in your field and how did you get it?
JY: I never worked in a beauty company before I started Purlisse. But I worked as a hostess at my mom’s restaurant in high school and I worked at many clothing stores in high school and throughout college. The skills I learned from these entry level jobs are invaluable for what I’m doing today – understanding how to sell, how to satisfy customers and how to make women feel special, beautiful and confident.
What words of wisdom do you find most valuable?
JY: I didn’t have a real boss that mentored me. But here is a quote that I love from Socrates: “The Secret to Change is to focus all of your energy on not fighting the old, but on building the new.” This can’t be more true in my case. But I will add this: You can not know or see the changes unless you are in the trenches.
What is one mistake you made along the way and what did you learn from it?
JY: I made many, many mistakes. But the one that stands out is that I borrowed equity from my condo and I launched my company 10 months before the world recession. I created debt on top of debt.
What has been the most surreal moment of your career thus far?
JY: The world is changing so fast and it’s surreal to not only witness but also be a part of the change in my industry. We started out in retail stores; [the] economy crashed and we almost did along with most of the stores we were in. We had to reinvent ourselves and we are mostly an online e-commerce company.
What do you look for when considering hiring someone?
JY: Does this person have a strong work ethic? Is this person genuine? Does this person’s energy match our values? Does this person have a sense of personal accountability? Does this person have a yearning to learn?
What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
JY: Be bold and go for it. Make the mistakes when you are young. You have to know it’s going to be really hard but it’s not impossible. If you have the ability to suffer through the process (because you will), do it.
What’s the one thing that’s stood out to you the most in a resume?
JY: Their passion, but also when someone has jumped from job to job in a short period of time. This stands out as a red flag.