Success written in lipstick

"Today I will share with you my story of changes and leaving the comfort zone, because I believe that such stories can be an inspiration for others, especially for us women." – writes Anna Śliwińska, founder of Olivia Plum.

My name is Ania Śliwińska, I am 37 years old and I am the founder of the natural cosmetics brand Olivia Plum. I am sharing with you my story of changes and leaving the comfort zone because I believe that such stories can be an inspiration for others, especially women. Olga Kozierowska, which I had the opportunity to inform her about at the last Power Day in Warsaw, has already given me this "power" and incentive to change twice, for which I am extremely grateful to her.

But how did it start...

When, as a young girl, I joined a large company and was involved in marketing, which I loved so much, implementing large projects, it seemed to me that something wonderful had happened to me. I'm not saying that the years I worked there were wasted, I learned a lot about business and marketing there and met a lot of wonderful people. Nevertheless, I quickly realized that I am not a person who wants to live by patterns, either professionally or privately. I was looking for a place for myself and even though I worked in the food industry, I secretly dreamed of the fashion industry.

What did I do about it?

I am not a person who sits on the so-called butt and I believe that to make your dreams come true, you just have to reach for them! Initially, I took a number of courses in fashion, then postgraduate studies in Fashion Management, but somehow I was not able to quickly jump from one industry to another. Having already achieved some professional level, it was difficult for me to switch to hourly work as an employee personal shopper – I don't come from a rich family, nor did I have a millionaire husband to "work for pleasure", I wanted to be able to easily pay bills, travel around the world, sightsee... When applying to one of the large international clothing companies, I later heard that I was "overqualified" ”! It was then that I had the opportunity to go on a foreign contract, where I could pursue my professional career in new circumstances and culture. Today I know that the trip to Turkey was more important to me in the private sphere.

After returning from Turkey, I felt a strong desire for change, and even though I moved to a different city within the organization and managed a different brand, this change was quickly insufficient for me, and continuing to work for the same organization was unsatisfying. And then in 2016 I won tickets to Power Day in a competition organized by Głos Pisany Szminką. I don't remember Olga's speech exactly now, but I know that it certainly gave me that stimulus, that "power", I felt that I was ready for a change. Today, I believe that when we open ourselves to changes, fate sends us ideas and opportunities, and the universe begins to favor us! And that's how I got a job in the fashion industry after a month. Cool, yeah? I thought so too. I was finally fulfilling my dreams and finally someone gave me a chance to enter this industry. However, quite quickly I felt that I did not want and could not pursue other people's dreams. I don't want to do projects that I can't identify with one hundred percent. And then I came across a meeting for women Success IS ME, which took place opposite the office building where I worked. And so I got another boost of energy that I needed so much. I realized at the age of 35 that I had to work on my own account, if I made mistakes it was my own mistake, if I made decisions it was my own and not to implement what was imposed on me from above. As if that wasn't enough, the relationship I had high hopes for fell apart at the same moment. And thanks to this, my "inner power" gained supernatural power.

Nothing is impossible, we have to try even if we stumble along the way - I am an example of this. Less than 4 months passed from the moment I sat down and wrote down the assumptions of my business to opening an online store with my brand's products. Today I know that "done" is better than "perfect", so over the next year I had to work a lot to improve what I had so "hurrah" accomplished. However, I was afraid to leave my job, I worked in two places at the time and gave 200%. Moreover, the strength I showed and the work on Olivia Plum made me closer to my partner again, who realized that he had made a big mistake by escaping from Poland. He returned to Krakow. He gave me the courage to quit my full-time job and focus on what positively excites me, what I identify with, and currently supports and believes in me (what's more, we're getting married in July!).

What lies ahead?

Another one today Power Day (May 25, 2019) I am at the stage where the products of my brand Olivia Plum have already been noticed - 2 products out of 700 participating in the Love Cosmetics Awards competition made it to the finals! I wonder what changes this motivating day will push me to make. My fiancé is an American, we both don't plan to live a typical life, we would like to live in Europe, but not necessarily in Poland permanently (we both need more vitamin D!), so I wonder if 2019 will bring us a move to the south of Europe or even in another interesting place? The second half of the year also means a lot of business development projects, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and I'm asking you to do the same!