Lashes and Leadership: Our CEO just won a CEW Female Founder Award!

Our Founder & CEO Alicia Grande has been recognized for building the brand behind some of beauty’s biggest breakthroughs 💖 We could not be prouder of our inspiring leader for winning a CEW Female Founder Award!

15 years after launching Grande Cosmetics with the iconic GrandeLASH-MD Lash Enhancing Serum - Alicia was honored for her years of dedication and passion for empowering all women to reach their full lash potential by winning the Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) Female Founder Award! 

The CEW Female Founder Awards were created to recognize leading beauty pathfinders who served as industry inspiration while successfully growing their beauty brands. 

The climb to the top of the lash game was no easy task for our founder Alicia, who bootstrapped her way to becoming the leader in functional cosmetics.  Alicia shared with us what this award means to her and answered our questions about how she made the #1 Lash & Brow Serum Brand in the US.* 

What does it mean to you to receive the CEW Female Founder award? 

“This is truly the biggest honor I have received. It means that my hard work over the past 15 years has paid off. There are so many deserving female founders and to be called out for this honor is so meaningful.

My team is 97% female and mentoring them is just as important to me as our product innovation. I started this company in 2008 with the mission of empowering women to live their boldest life and am happy to say I wake up everyday with the same passion and mission I had 15 years ago.” 

What does it take to be a great founder? 

“A great founder wakes up everyday with the word yes, not no. A great founder really wants to work with their employees to create a positive work culture because they recognize they really can’t do it all by themselves. I also always give people the recognition they deserve and give my employees guidance on where they are going with their careers.” 

What was your first job in beauty? 

“At 16 years old I managed a flea market and it was the first time I was able to really interact with people and see their expressions from my beauty recommendations. Ever since then, I knew that this was the industry I wanted to be in.” 

What is your leadership style? 

“I see people for who they are and their drive. I encourage my employees to have a voice and share their experiences and opinions. I try to match my employees' skill sets to the company’s white space and give them the tools they need to grow within the company. Most of my employees have been with me for a very long time and I love seeing them evolve & become leaders! I am proud to share that Grande Cosmetics has a 97% retention rate.” 

What is your favorite part about being a founder? 

“Aside from being able to work in beauty - a category that I really adore and having the chance to create products that make a real difference for people, I really cherish the opportunity to give back. We created Grande Gives Back to support social causes that are close to my heart including women empowerment, cancer research and social inequality. I am proud to say we have raised over $800,000 to date.” 

You’re celebrating your brand’s 15th birthday - What’s coming next for Grande? 

“I am so proud of what we have created in the past 15 years and will continue to create beauty solutions that deliver more than just instant results. We are in an environment where people are looking for more out of the products that they invest in, and Grande delivers just that! In the next few years I will always be on the lookout to create more innovative tools and products.” 

Congratulations Alicia! We are all so lucky to have an amazing leader like you 💕 Watch the video below to see how the Grande team congratulated our amazing CEO 🎉  

*Source: The NPD Group, Inc./ U.S. Prestige Beauty Total Measured Market, All Other Face Skincare Brand Sales, Body Part: Eye, Jan 2021-March 2022