Book Review
In Believe IT: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable, Jamie Kern Lima, founder of IT Cosmetics, shares the wild but true story of how a once struggling waitress turned her against-the-grain idea into an international bestselling sensation. She eventually sold the company for over a billion dollars and became the first female CEO of a brand in L’Oréal’s 100+ year history.
Faced with self-doubt, body-doubt, God-doubt, down to her last few dollars and told “No one is going to buy makeup from someone who has your body,” Jamie Kern Lima, founder of IT Cosmetics, reveals for the first time what really happened on her entrepreneurial journey. She shares how she almost didn’t make it, and the deeply personal and powerful business lessons you, too, can use to go from underestimated to unstoppable. With radical vulnerability and honesty, Jamie shares deeply personal stories of heartbreak and resilience—including accidentally finding out that she was adopted when she was in her twenties, and the reverberations this has had on all aspects of her life. She also pulls back the curtain on her fight to change the beauty industry’s use of unrealistic images, on behalf of all little girls who are about to start doubting themselves, and all of the grown women who still do. Spellbinding, riveting, with raw vulnerability and down-to-earth warmth, Believe IT shakes your soul and shows you that you, too, have what it takes to achieve the impossible.
Do you have big goals, hopes and dreams but let rejection or self-doubt get in the way? Do you struggle with feeling like you’re not enough, and like success is something that happens to other people, but have a hard time believing it’s possible for you? Do you let past mistakes and failures hold you back? Do you know deep down inside that you have something more to give, but you’re not sure how to step into your full power and own it? If you answered yes to any of these, Believe IT is for you!
In Believe IT you’ll discover how to...
Overcome self-doubt
Tune into and trust your own intuition
Let go of your mistakes and insecurities
Turn down the volume on your inner critic
Stick up for your ideas
Handle the rejection, the haters and the mean girls
Start your dream (and keep going!)
Follow through on your ideas
Deal with personal dilemmas and find your real confidence
And much more…
Author quotes
Imagine what would happen if you decided to believe that you could.
If you ever doubted yourself, or felt truly underestimated, Believe IT will inspire a new kind of belief and confidence in you and your dreams.
My prayer is that Believe IT will inspire you to dream big and believe that you too have what it takes to achieve the impossible.
About the author
Jamie Kern Lima is a self-made entrepreneur, champion of women, philanthropist, keynote speaker and Co-founder of IT Cosmetics, a company she started in her living room and sold to L’Oreal for $1.2 Billion, becoming the first female CEO in L’Oreal’s 100+ year history. She’s on the Forbes Richest Self-Made Womens List and is an active investor in more than 15 companies. Jamie’s is a journey of starting IT Cosmetics from her living room, not paying herself the first three years, hearing countless Nos from retailers and investors, all while working 100+ hour weeks to keep her dream alive. Her passion for her mission, unremitting perseverance, hard work and belief led to her turning every NO into an eventual Yes, presenting and selling her products in more than 1000 live shows on QVC, and eventually building the largest beauty brand in their history. Jamie is passionate about inspiring and mentoring entrepreneurs, building businesses, making a difference in the lives of women and girls and giving back in a big way. As a highly sought-after speaker, Jamie loves sharing stories of inspiration, underestimation, rejection, overcoming self-doubt and never giving up and she’s especially passionate about inspiring, elevating and empowering women and entrepreneurs! Today, she’s a mother of two and an active investor, speaker, and thought leader who is passionate about inspiring and elevating women. She’s also an active philanthropist who has donated over $40 million in product and funds to help women face the effects of cancer with confidence.
Why LoA loves it….
At Lionesses of Africa we always love to hear the stories of women entrepreneurs who built their businesses from the bottom up, working from their kitchen tables in the early years and bootstrapping their way to the top. Jamie Kern Lima’s story is just that, and her journey to entrepreneurial success is an inspirational one. She is proof positive that if you have the right idea at the right time, and are prepared to work all the hours you have and persevere until customers sit up and take notice, then you can make it in business. As the beauty industry is big business on the African continent, Jamie’s story will inspire a whole new generation of women entrepreneurs who have an equally big vision for their brands and products. Now, they will see that everything is possible! — Melanie Hawken, founder and ceo of Lionesses of Africa