Book Review
Inspiring women to pursue their own colorful dreams, I'm Not Really a Waitress tells the story of how entrepreneur and co-founder of OPI, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, transformed a small dental supply company into a #1 beauty brand around the world.
Today, OPI is known as a global beauty brand, famous for its trend-setting colors, unforgettable shade names, and celebrity collaborations with the biggest stars from film, television, music, and sports. But behind all the glamour is the little-known tale of OPI's unlikely origins - an intimate and inspiring story of a timid schoolgirl who arrived in the US with little money and no English and became the business leader and industry game-changer known worldwide as "Suzi, the First Lady of Nails.” In I'm Not Really a Waitress, titled after OPI's top-selling nail color, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann reveals the events that led her family to flee Communist Hungary and eventually come to New York City in pursuit of the American dream. She shares how those early experiences gave rise to OPI's revolutionary vision of freedom and empowerment, and how Suzi transformed an industry by celebrating the power of color, and of women themselves.
Author quotes
Thank you to all the women around the world who love OPI and have made it a household hame. Thank you for being my muse, my inspiration, my motivation, my source of joy. Thank you for allowing me into your lives through one bottle of nail lacquer after another. Together we told an amazing story.
Our modest family business, which improbably enough had started as a dental supply company, would become the number-one professional salon brand in the world, famous for trendsetting colours, quirky unforgettable names, and groundbreaking partnerships.
We changed the whole nail care category for the better. We continued to add new, beautiful shades every season inspired by everything from travel to celebrities and film/TV, and with this, we were able to continue to excite the consumer and solidify OPI’s position as the #1 professional nail brand worldwide.
The OPI journey continues to be a grand, improbable adventure. I have no doubt it has fashioned me into the person I was meant to be.
About the author
Suzi Weiss-Fischmann is the cofounder, brand ambassador, and creative visionary behind OPI Products, Inc. She is the leading international authority on nail care and color trends in the beauty and fashion industries. She is a frequent contributor to top magazines and has been featured hundreds of times in articles, blogs, and television shows. She is an active public speaker and gives keynote addresses, inspirational speeches, board and trade show presentations, and gala talks around the world. A native of Hungary, Suzi now makes her home in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.
Why LoA loves it….
There is nothing quite as inspiring as hearing at first hand from uber-successful women entrepreneurs on how they have built their businesses and brands, and this new book from Suzi Weiss-Fischmann is certainly inspirational. She tells her very personal story of becoming an entrepreneur and transforming her family business into a global beauty brand that today is a household name. Suzi has some great insights and experiences to share, and her story really is a great example of the power of the pivot in business. This is an enjoyable and highly informative read for any woman entrepreneur brand-builder. - Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa