SHOCEO^® Reading for Success: Ten (10) Minutes.

For this edition in the She’s Her Own CEO^® interview series, we are excited to bring you skincare executive and jewelry designer, Peter Thomas Roth!

Kathryn Brooks, She’s Her Own CEO^®:  Peter, what are the educational and career experiences that have made you into the fabulous and successful CEO you are today?

Peter Thomas Roth, CEO:  Skin care is a huge part of my heritage.  My grandparents owned a spa in Hungary and people would come from all over to soak in the mineral-rich thermal springs there.  Coming from a family that took skin care seriously, I always knew I would go in that direction.  But what really pushed me to create my own skin care line was when I developed skin issues: I had acne as a teenager and an adult (still do!) and could not find products that worked.  So I did what any budding entrepreneur would do… I created them myself.

I majored in Marketing Management at Wharton, where I gained the tools to run my business successfully.  I apply what I learned there all the time, from financials to product messaging.  For example, regardless of what the product is, I learned that you must take a deep dive and understand it completely in order to get your message across.  If the story is strong enough and the product is good enough, it should work.  And it does!  At my company, I lead all research and development efforts to deliver breakthrough formulas with astonishing results and what I hear most often from my customers is that they love my products because “they work!”

Kathryn Brooks, She’s Her Own CEO^®:  Your Ivy League education paired with your family heritage plus a passion for your product…a recipe for success!  Please tell us your favorite examples of how you Lead, Provide, and Create in your professional and/or personal world!

Peter Thomas Roth, CEO:  Absolutely!  I Lead, Provide, and Create as follows:

LEAD: As the CEO, founder and formulator of my company, I lead by example.  I give topline direction and explain my decisions so people can learn and grow.  It’s important to invest time and energy in teaching and mentoring my employees, especially the new ones.  I’ve been doing this for so long, I don’t expect anyone to understand the way I do things for at least six months to a year.  To get my voice and vision takes a while.  I’ve been told we function much like other large companies but, in the creative sense, people need to learn the “Peter Thomas Roth” way of doing things.  I’ve found that if I train employees well, those employees can mentor the new ones who come in.

PROVIDE: My favorite way to provide and show appreciation for my employees is to celebrate their birthdays.  Why?  Because I want all my employees to know that I value them, their hard work and their contributions to the Peter Thomas Roth family.  You don’t have to do anything except being born!  When my company was small, we had a birthday cake for each employee on their birthday.  But as we grew, it seemed like we were having birthday celebrations almost every day.  It was out of control!  So now, we do it monthly where we celebrate everyone who has a birthday that month.  It’s great for team-building and encourages camaraderie, plus we all get to eat cake—it’s a win-win!  In addition to holiday bonuses, I also give birthday bonuses.  This way, everyone feels special on his or her birthday.

CREATE: When building my brand, I made a conscious decision to name my brand after myself because I wanted people to know that I’m personally accountable and truly care about the products they’re getting.  When a product has my name on it, I have a reputation to uphold and my product standards are higher.  My goal is to create breakthrough formulas with astonishing results.  I choose the most effective ingredients at the highest level possible for all my products and I don’t believe in sprinkling ingredients.  If an ingredient is on my label, it’s at an amount that makes a meaningful difference.

 

Kathryn Brooks, She’s Her Own CEO^®: Being the CEO of your world can take many forms.  In your opinion, what is the best way to achieve success and to become the boss of your world?

Peter Thomas Roth, CEO:  The best leaders welcome feedback.  It’s a key part of learning, growing and improving!  I have an open-door policy, and I encourage my employees to share their voice and ask questions.  No question is “dumb” or off limits!  If someone doesn’t understand something, it means that we didn’t do our job—either myself or someone else in a leadership role didn’t explain or do it right.  If you have a question, that means a customer may walk into a store and ask that very same question! Clear, straightforward product messaging is the goal.

 

Kathryn Brooks, She’s Her Own CEO^®: Any additional advice you can share with motivated ladies with high aspirations?

Peter Thomas Roth, CEO: My advice for all the amazing ladies out there: Practice self-care!  I know many women have high-stress jobs like mine that require many deadlines, long days and lots of travel.  Exercising and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are important in managing that job stress.  Staying active and eating well can give you more energy and help improve your state of mind.  When you feel good about yourself from the inside out, it shows! 

I try to do some kind of exercise daily, whether it’s hitting the gym, walking or just moving.  Exercise is healthy and makes you feel good—your mind is sharper and your clothes fit better.  It can be hard to get motivated at times but after working out I feel better and more energized.  I joined two different gyms and made one of my rooms a home gym for variety to keep me motivated.  FYI, my favorite sport is zip lining.  If they had that in NYC, I would do it every day!  My favorite zip line is in Budapest.

Taking a moment to stop and breathe is also important for your mental well-being.  It’s essential for fostering creativity.  At my company headquarters, we have a huge garden terrace by NYC standards—3,900 square feet!  It has beautiful planted flowers with irrigation, outdoor seating and gorgeous views of midtown Manhattan.  It really is a calming oasis in this crazy city and I encourage my employees to go out there.  Go take a lunch break or put on my Cucumber De-Tox® Hydra-Gel Eye Patches, close your eyes and unwind.  You’ll come back in feeling energized after just 10 minutes!

 

Kathryn Brooks, She’s Her Own CEO^®: Peter, your academic background, your energy, and your leadership are amazing and inspiring.  Thank you for sharing your leadership perspectives with the She’s Her Own CEO® audience!

 

Are you looking to develop your entrepreneurial mindset? Looking for even more #CEO Insights? Check out my other interviews here!  Be sure you’re subscribed below, and share your thoughts in the Comments.

xo Kathryn