Confidence Classic: Believe In Yourself When Everyone Else Says No with Jamie Kern Lim, Founder of IT Cosmetics
In this episode of Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan, IT Cosmetics founder Jamie Kern Lima discusses her path from continuous rejection to selling her company to L'Oréal for $1.2 billion. She details the realities of entrepreneurship beyond the headlines, including investing all her savings, working from her living room, and going years without paying herself, while sharing techniques she used to maintain her self-belief despite repeated setbacks.
The conversation explores how Lima's commitment to authenticity—particularly in her choice to feature relatable models—contributed to her success in the beauty industry. Lima also discusses her subsequent efforts to create positive change, including her advocacy for more inclusive beauty standards and her dedication to giving back through book proceeds and virtual events, demonstrating how business success can be leveraged for broader impact.
This is a preview of the Shortform summary of the Oct 7, 2025 episode of the Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan
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1-Page Summary
Overcoming Rejection and Self-Doubt
Jamie Kern Lima shares her entrepreneurial journey with Heather Monahan, discussing how she overcame constant rejection and self-doubt. Despite facing years of "no" from prestigious beauty retailers and industry experts, Jamie maintained her conviction. She persistently reached out to buyers who had rejected her, keeping them updated on her brand's achievements until she eventually succeeded, becoming the largest shareholder when her company sold to L'Oréal.
To build resilience, Jamie learned to silence negative voices, both internal and external. She credits visualization techniques and support from friends, particularly advice from Bob Goff about controlling whose words affect one's self-belief, as crucial to maintaining focus on her goals.
Entrepreneurial Journey and Realities Behind the "Highlight Reel"
While Jamie's story of selling It Cosmetics to L'Oreal for $1.2 billion often makes headlines, she emphasizes the less glamorous reality behind this success. Jamie and her husband invested all their savings, operated from their living room, and went years without paying themselves. By sharing these struggles, Jamie aims to prepare aspiring entrepreneurs for the challenges ahead.
Jamie attributes much of her success to authenticity, particularly in how she connected with her audience. Against conventional advice, she chose to display models who resembled her everyday customers, leading to sold-out products and deeper customer connections.
Using Success and Influence to Create Positive Change
Upon receiving the prestigious Cosmetic Executive Women Achiever Award, Jamie used her platform to advocate for industry change, particularly regarding unrealistic beauty standards. Despite facing backlash, she maintained her stance on the importance of diverse and inclusive representation in the beauty industry.
Jamie demonstrates her commitment to positive impact by donating all proceeds from her book "Believe It" to Feeding America and Together Rising. She has also organized free virtual expos to serve others, with Heather Monahan noting that these actions set a high standard for using success to benefit others in need.
1-Page Summary
Additional Materials
Actionables
- You can start a resilience journal to document your journey through rejection and persistence. Each time you face a setback, write down the details, your emotional response, and how you plan to move forward. This practice can help you track your growth and maintain determination, similar to how Jamie Kern Lima persisted despite rejections.
- Create a support network by reaching out to two people you admire for their positive mindset and ask if they'd be willing to provide mentorship or support. This could be through a monthly coffee chat or a quick check-in call to discuss goals and challenges. Having a support system can help you silence negative voices and stay focused, just as Jamie did with the help of friends and mentors.
- Practice authentic storytelling by sharing your personal experiences or challenges related to your goals on a blog or social media. Use your real-life stories to connect with others who might be on a similar path. This approach can foster a genuine connection with your audience and encourage mutual support, drawing inspiration from Jamie's use of authenticity to resonate with her customers.
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Overcoming Rejection and Self-Doubt
Jamie Kern Lima's journey from facing rejections to becoming a successful entrepreneur exemplifies resilience in the face of self-doubt and adversity. Heather Monahan and Jamie engage in a discussion about the commonality of rejection in entrepreneurship and how to surpass it without surrendering one's dreams.
Rejection Is Common but Needn't Destroy Entrepreneurial Dreams
Jamie Faced Rejections but Refused to Give Up On Her Vision
Jamie Kern Lima recalls enduring years of pain due to rejections from prestigious beauty retailers and industry experts who doubted her business idea and fittingness. Despite the constant noes, Jamie's conviction in her vision did not waver.
Trusting Her Instinct, Jamie Turned "No" To "Yes"
After three years of persisting through rejections from beauty stores and untoward meetings — such as QVC deeming her not a right fit, and a Sephora meeting that left her in tears — Jamie continued to believe that the tide would turn. She constantly reached out to buyers who had previously rejected her, updating them with her brand's achievements and maintaining her belief in eventual acceptance. Even when an investor returned years later, acknowledging his error in rejecting her brand, Jamie was able to see her earlier rejections as doors that eventually led her to become the largest shareholder when her company sold to L'Oréal.
Building Resilience and Self-Belief to Overcome Adversity
Jamie Silenced Negativity and Amplified Inner Knowing
Overcoming rejection involved overcoming her own self-doubt. After an investor criticized her appearance, Jamie chose to trust her instincts over a lifetime's worth of self-doubt. By consciously diminishing the influence of negative words and doubt from herself and those around her, Jamie affirmed her inner belief in her dream.
Jamie shared her struggles with feeling unworthy, a deep-seated fear that manifested as a fierce independence. It took a pivotal realization during her surrogacy journey that she was not meant to face life's challenges alone. With the support of her friends, she learned to accept and seek the help of others, embracing the notion that she, too, is worthy of support.
Visualization ...
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Overcoming Rejection and Self-Doubt
Additional Materials
Counterarguments
- While persistence is crucial, it's also important to recognize when a change in strategy or direction might be necessary to achieve success.
- Trusting one's instincts is valuable, but it should be balanced with feedback from others, as external perspectives can sometimes identify blind spots.
- Overcoming negativity is essential, but it's also important to differentiate between constructive criticism that can lead to growth and destructive negativity that should be ignored.
- Visualization and support are powerful tools, but they must be accompanied by actionable steps ...
Actionables
- Create a rejection response plan to turn setbacks into motivation by writing down constructive actions you'll take after each rejection, such as reaching out to a different potential partner or refining your pitch. This ensures you have a proactive approach to continue pursuing your goals even when faced with a "no."
- Develop a personal affirmation audio track that combines your favorite uplifting music with recorded affirmations of your strengths and goals, and listen to it during moments of self-doubt. This personalized soundtrack can help reinforce your self-belief and mute negative thoughts.
- Start a visualization journal where you dedicate a few mi ...
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Entrepreneurial Journey and Realities Behind the "Highlight Reel"
Heather Monahan highlights Jamie Kern Lima’s entrepreneurial journey, revealing the demanding reality behind seemingly glamorous success stories.
Glamorous Success Stories Hide the Toil and Sacrifices Behind Business-Building
Jamie Kern Lima, who started It Cosmetics in her living room and later sold it to L'Oreal for $1.2 billion, often has the "highlight reel" of her story shared, without acknowledging the full picture of struggles. Despite her significant achievements, Jamie faced many challenges such as financial strain, overcoming personal doubts, and facing industry rejections.
Jamie's It Cosmetics Journey: Overcoming Financial, Work, and Personal Challenges
Jamie and her husband invested all their savings into It Cosmetics, made sacrifices such as quitting their jobs, and operated from their living room, which led to years of financial struggle without the ability to pay themselves or hire experienced help. They overcame these challenges by being scrappy and resourceful.
Jamie's Unvarnished Entrepreneurial Journey to Inspire and Prevent Discouragement
By sharing the highs and lows of her experience, Jamie aspires to inspire others and prevent them from feeling discouraged. Her book narrates her entrepreneurial journey and is an attempt to prepare and support new entrepreneurs for the challenging path of business building, which includes failed opportunities and concepts.
Authenticity and Vulnerability Create Powerful Customer Connections and Lasting Impact
Jamie’s success is tied to her authenticity and how she openly addresses her own flaws and insecurities, which closely resonate with her audience.
Jamie's Openness About Her Flaws Resonates With Her Audience
Jamie openly discusses her body doubts sparked by potential investor comments, perso ...
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Entrepreneurial Journey and Realities Behind the "Highlight Reel"
Additional Materials
Counterarguments
- While Jamie Kern Lima's story is inspiring, not all entrepreneurs will experience the same level of success by following a similar path of authenticity and vulnerability; success in business is multifaceted and can depend on a variety of factors including market conditions, timing, and luck.
- The narrative that investing all savings into a business and taking extreme financial risks can glorify a potentially dangerous financial strategy that might not be suitable for everyone.
- The idea that being scrappy and resourceful is enough to overcome challenges may oversimplify the complexities of business and the often necessary role of external support, funding, and networks.
- Sharing the highs and lows to inspire others is valuable, but it might also set unrealistic expectations for aspiring entrepreneurs who may not be prepared for the magnitude of challenges faced in such journeys.
- The emphasis on personal belief and trusting one's gut feeling may undervalue the importance of data-driven deci ...
Actionables
- Start a "Behind the Scenes" journal to document your entrepreneurial journey, including the challenges and how you overcome them. This practice will help you reflect on your growth and can serve as a motivational tool when facing new obstacles. For example, write about a tough decision you had to make and how you navigated it, or a setback that taught you a valuable lesson.
- Create a "Resourcefulness Plan" where you list alternative solutions and hacks for potential problems in your business. Think about low-cost marketing tactics, free online tools for business management, or networking through social media groups. This plan will be your go-to guide when resources are tight.
- Develop a personal mantra based on your core values and belie ...
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Using Success and Influence to Create Positive Change
Jamie Kern Lima utilizes her achievements and influence in the beauty industry to advocate for inclusivity and charitable endeavors, facing challenges yet remaining committed to creating systemic change and inspiring others.
Achieving Success and Influence Presents Opportunities and Challenges
Jamie Kern Lima, upon attaining success through her company, sees a chance to inspire change in the beauty industry by demonstrating that success does not depend on the use of overly photoshopped and unattainable images. Receiving the significant Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) Achiever Award, she seizes the opportunity to address the issue to the industry's decision-makers. Despite facing opposition and dealing with haters after taking a stand on these issues, Jamie remains steadfast.
Jamie Won Award, Sees Chance to Inspire Beauty Industry Change
Jamie gave a keynote speech emphasizing that it's always the right time to do the right thing, even when difficult. Her speech at the CEW awards, likened to the "Academy Awards of beauty," highlighted the great responsibility of those in the beauty industry to influence the images seen by girls worldwide.
Backlash to Her Call For Diverse, Inclusive Representation Demonstrates Challenge of Systemic Change
Although she faced critique and attacks from some after her speeches advocating for more diversity and inclusivity in the beauty industry, Jamie recounts the challenging times with a victorious mindset, maintaining her stance despite the challenges.
Leveraging Voice and Resources for Greater Impact
Jamie Kern Lima exemplifies her dedication to using her influence positively, committing 100% of her book proceeds to charity, displaying values of generosity and inspiring others to contribute to meaningful causes.
Jamie's Choice to Donate all Book Proceeds to Charity Shows Her Commitment
Jamie Kern Lima is deeply invested in giving back to the community, and she demonstrates this through her decision to donate all proceeds from her book "Believe It" to Feeding America and Together Rising. She chose not to keep any money for herself, reinforcin ...
Here’s what you’ll find in our full summary
Using Success and Influence to Create Positive Change
Additional Materials
Actionables
- You can champion diversity by consciously supporting and promoting brands that prioritize inclusivity. Look for beauty products created by companies that showcase a wide range of models and cater to diverse skin tones and types. Share your finds on social media to encourage your network to do the same, creating a ripple effect that can influence industry standards.
- Start a book club focused on literature by authors who advocate for positive change, and donate any membership fees to charities they support. This not only spreads awareness of the causes but also directly contributes to them. For example, if a book club read "Believe It," they could donate to organizations fighting hunger or supporting women's empowerment.
- Create a personal rec ...
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