Lyda Djarar Fischer

Lyda Djarar Fischer is the founder and creative director at Lyda Beauty. She is on a mission to challenge society’s inside the box approach to beauty. Her aim to inspire you through high quality, forward-thinking make-up and innovative cosmetic tools. Lyda’s goal is to create a beauty culture that defies rules and expectations… her hope is to challenge you to reach beyond your comfort zone and allow your most authentic self to shine through.

Where did the idea for Lyda Beauty come from?

The idea for Lyda Beauty came from frustration. Frustration of not being able to create the perfect eyeliner and not being able to find cosmetics and make-up that wasn’t packaged in pink and all that glitters. I’m more of a tomboy and learned to love make-up thanks to me being able to see it as a form of self-expression vs. “it’s what girls do”. I wanted to create cosmetics and make-up that everyone could enjoy but with an edge, a whole lot of innovation and practicality.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I wake up at 6:30 every morning, ignore my phone for the first half an hour of the day, take my time drinking my coffee and just being present. Then I take my dogs out for a walk and talk to my mother on the phone, who’s in Switzerland. Once I finish my coffee I get dressed and go to the office. For me to be productive I first have to talk with my team, this way I know where everyone is at, work-wise. It also helps me determine what the next steps should be and to ensure we’re on the same page. As an entrepreneur, we tend to want to do everything ourselves and that is counter-productive. I understood early on that it doesn’t work like that. It’s all about being a team player.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I have a big imagination and naturally think out of the box, which got me in a lot of trouble in school, but now its one of my biggest assets. For me to bring an idea to life it takes A) confidence in knowing I can do it and B.) Leveraging my amazing team’s talents to make it a reality. It’s about staying creative and always finding the angle to make my ideas reality. This taught me that nothing is impossible when approached with the right mentality and will.

What’s one trend that excites you?

As egotistical as this sounds, that eyeliner made a come back. It’s like my soul knew it was going to be a thing again, when I moved forward with my invention, the Cleopatra Cat Eye Stamp (CCES).

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I love to listen to people’s needs and try to understand them as much as I can before executing a project.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Life is a game, don’t take it too seriously. Be ok with failure it’s part of the game, and understand that “you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”, keep on going!

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Money is not evil, its how you acquire it, and what you do with it once acquired. It has such a bad stigma, but why? Many of the great things that surround us took money to make them a reality. I think people need to understand that what you do with the money is more important than the money itself. I’ve always said “money comes and goes”, so I tend to focus more on how we can use it to benefit everyone within my radar. Think about the things we could improve/accomplish, if money flowed to the same kind of souls that run from it. Make peace with money and see what happens when you eliminate that energetic barrier… you’ll create flow in that arena.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I ask myself every morning, why are you doing this? I try to always remember my why. When you start something, everything is new and exciting, and you believe that no one can stop you, to me thats one of the best feelings. So remembering why you started what you’re doing helps keep the fire of passion for your endeavors strong.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

There are no shortcuts, period. Knowing that everything in life takes time is essential to endurance in the attainment of any goal. I remember when I first had the idea of the Cleopatra Cat Eye Stamp, I thought I would be rich in 3 months. Boy was I wrong! Every time I took a shortcut I failed. Business is like a plant, it takes time to grow, just keep watering it and giving it sun, and you will avoid big mistakes.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

I used to think that people that were in business longer than I knew better. That they would know exactly how to execute and conduct my business. I now know that isn’t true, no one knows your business better than you and it’s important that all things leading up to your business aligns with your vision. If those helping you don’t get it, then you might have to make the difficult decision to replace them with people who do get it.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

To create a service where the wing (wo)man of each party play cupid and try to find suiters for their single friends. A sort of blind-dating if you will, but all potential candidates get sifted by the people that know you best.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

The best $100 I spent recently was on a friend. We went out for dinner at a fancy restaurant, where the bill was huge and the portions were small. When I looked at her face I could tell she was uncomfortable with paying for what she had ordered, so I ended up treating her. You see, for me, it’s important to share the wealth. It brings me joy to be able to share my money with those I love rather than hoard it for myself.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

I tried many web services and software and none really helped me. I have to say my Business Manager, Karina, really helps me stay productive. She is very good at sorting everything we need to do, creating a timeline and then breaking it down day by day as to keep the momentum going with any given project/task. I’m a little difficult to work with at times, and truly believe she’s the only person who can manage me. Lol

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra. It’s a game changer! Why? Summarized, it says that success is a journey not a destination. It emphasizes just how powerful we are and how we get what we focus on… often, so slowly that we don’t even notice it’s happening until we’ve reached our goal.

What is your favorite quote?

“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life… that is why I succeeded.” – Michael Jordan

Key Learnings:

• Resilience pays off
• Enjoy the journey
• Failure is part of success