Lay the foundation: Aimee Connolly on running Top Startup Sculpted by Aimee?

LinkedIn has just announced its Top Startups for Europe . One of these is an Irish cosmetics company, Sculpted by Aimee . The multi-million euro, international brand, was founded by makeup artist Aimee Connolly at her kitchen table, and has grown more than 100% a year, despite not seeking outside funding in its seven years. Polly Dennison of LinkedIn News Europe spoke with the founder about what she's learned along the way.

When Aimee Connolly , founder of Sculpted by Aimee , set up her makeup company in 2016, she didn't have a team, but pretended to be other people when answering emails, to give the impression of being from a much bigger operation.

"I was Anne on accounts on email chasing invoices. I was pretending I was someone else when I was trying to chase my logistics and freight, organising sea shipments. It was wild for those first two years, but it was the best learning experience you could ever have."

Connolly cut her teeth on department store makeup counters as a teenager and as a part-time makeup artist while at university. By the time she had finished her degree in business and French, she was ready to set up her own makeup brand. The company has been named LinkedIn's Top Startup for Ireland, 2023.

"When I graduated, all my peers were going into graduate programmes, but I really loved makeup. I had also discovered I adored business," she tells LinkedIn News Europe. "So I just thought I'd merge the two together and start a brand."

But Connolly is not a cosmetic scientist by training, and setting up a makeup company meant developing product formulas.

"I just threw myself in and was like 'it'll be fine'. I think that naivety or that just 'go-for-it' attitude was my saving grace because I think if I knew what I know now I'd be psyching myself out."

One of Connolly's top pieces of advice for fellow entrepreneurs in their early days is not to give into the fear of not knowing everything. Instead, she says, it is important to have the confidence to ask questions, do research and find the answers.

As European cosmetic regulations are among the strictest in the world, she searched for nearby producers online, and opted for one in Italy at first, knowing they would be compliant. She worked with her producers to develop formulas for her first two products.

Going global

Since then, the company has grown slowly, but steadily –?at more than 100% most years – from just two products, to a range of more than 80 now. It is available across more than 400 outlets in Ireland, including a flagship store on Dublin's Grafton Street, and pharmacy chains. In the UK, she has a store in Belfast and Boots stocks the range. Connolly has also recently expanded to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

"When you have global plans, you can't sit still in Ireland," Connolly says. "I think Ireland is the most amazing testing bed and the most amazing, loyal market. I think you get spoiled by the consumers here and then you go abroad trying to replicate that level of loyalty.

"As much as we adore Ireland and we'll never not put attention and focus on it, to really scale big, you have to go abroad and you have to show up."

Connolly's global expansion is just beginning, and she has the US in her sights.

"The US is always that big landmark," she explains. "But one thing the UK has taught me is not to run before you can walk.

"It's not an easy or cheap market to enter. But it's definitely in the plans. I think we just need a proper roadmap of people, finances and processes before we do."

While the company, like many others, was forced to pivot to a mainly online model during the pandemic, Connolly chose to launch its first foundation then. But most customers stay loyal to foundations, making this a difficult market to enter. Buyers warned her of the risk, saying the company was too young and it could make or break things.

But Connolly points to this launch as an important moment in her company's development. As a small Irish brand, trying to break through, she believes it showed customers they had faith in themselves and their products.

"We got the customer's trust, which obviously then became a further layer to future launches," she says.

Establishing the brand

Another big risk was the company's decision to open its flagship store on Grafton Street, in the early post-pandemic days of September, 2022.

"I needed and wanted to elevate our position," says Connolly. "And how do you do that? You get a flagship, you show up."

The store has been a success financially, according to Connolly, and in building brand identity and awareness. The company recently launched its second store in Belfast, and a third one is due in an as-yet undisclosed location.

In 2021, the company registered a profit of €2.6m – up from €1.3m the year before – and a net worth of €4.5m. In the company's seven years, Connolly has never sought external funding, but she says she is open to it, if it was needed for the company's development.

"There are some businesses that fundamentally can't start without [outside funding]. But where you have an idea that you can start potentially maybe a little bit slower, then it's definitely worth it.?

"When you are raising investment, you're most likely giving away a lot of equity before you've even understood what your plan for the business is."

Being CEO

While the question of equity has not come up for her, being a solo founder can be lonely, says Connolly, and it comes with other challenges too.

"I am the CEO of this company. I've never been a CEO. I've never done a job interview for anyone else. All I know is what I'm doing here," she says.

"There's no co-person along this journey. I have a brilliant team, but you can only share so much of your worry load with them."

Balancing the work of a founder, including company development and personnel management, with a personal life can be difficult, says Connolly.

"I work a lot. My expectations are quite high, on myself actually, as much as anyone else. I've always been like that.

"My mind is always on and I don't consider that a negative sense. I'm thinking or planning or an idea might come. But if I'm a bit burnt out, I'll allow myself to do that. I'll take a bit of time on the weekend off my phone. I feel very in control of it."

What are the key skills a founder needs? If you could grow a company slowly but without external funding, would you choose that path? Join the conversation in the comments and with #TopStartups .

Check out LinkedIn's Top Startups for Ireland and Europe .

Reporting by: Polly Dennison