Money·2 min read

9 to 5ish: Rea Ann Silva

September 29, 2021

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Rea Ann Silva spent two decades working as a makeup artist for music videos, movies, and television. And on the side, she started developing a tool to make her work easier: the Beautyblender. Little did she know, she would end up transforming the beauty industry. And what helped her along the way - from movie sets to becoming CEO - was her relationships and her network. So this week, we’re getting her advice on how to start - and grow - your own.  

On Networking

Rea Ann: “People are pretty good about sniffing out b******* and insincerity So just try to keep it real. There's people that do certain types of work that you want to do, so whenever you get the opportunity to be on a job with them, you take that opportunity. And you try to find things that you have in common so that you can build some foundation for a professional relationship. 

On Cold Calling

Rea Ann: The worst thing that can ever happen is that someone can tell you, ‘no.’ And who cares? There's always going to be somebody that says ‘yes.’ So if you get no’s then you just haven't found the right person.

On Copycats

Rea Ann: It did traumatize me a bit, because it took me a long time and I knew it was just me. When you see some of the bigger companies trying to knock BeautyBlender off, it was very scary — because they have the staff, and the manpower, and the dollars to put behind that product if they really want to push it.

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