She Faked It Until She Made It 💄 | The Untold Story of Estée Lauder’s $2B Empire

Before Estée Lauder became a global icon, she was Josephine Esther Mentzer — a dreamer mixing face creams in her family’s kitchen.

While other girls were playing with dolls, she was learning how to sell. Her belief?

💬 “Beauty isn’t a luxury — it’s power.”

She didn’t wait for someone to discover her. She acted as if she already had. From walking into salons pretending to represent a luxury brand to convincing Saks Fifth Avenue to stock her line — every step was pure confidence, hustle, and vision.

In this episode of The Social Venture Podcast, Joe Mkhitaryan breaks down the brilliant psychology behind Estée Lauder’s rise — and how “faking it till you make it” isn’t deception. It’s belief turned into reality.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation on Spotify:

👉 https://open.spotify.com/show/4tcknpOs54XmKhxEAn63yo?si=62c3d7eddbe54172

🔥 Topics Covered:

How Estée Lauder used illusion as strategy

The psychology of luxury marketing

Turning rejection into opportunity

The difference between faking success vs. manifesting it

👇 Comment below: Do you think “fake it till you make it” still works today?

👍 Like, comment, and subscribe for more stories of business icons and the mindset that built empires — hosted by Joe Mkhitaryan on The Social Venture Podcast.

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