Daniel and Anastasia Soare start with Romania, identity, and the immigrant experience, then trace her journey from arriving in the US in 1989 to building one of the most globally recognized beauty brands in the world. Anastasia explains how she went from an esthetician job to renting one room and one chair in Beverly Hills, betting on an overlooked idea: eyebrows. She shares why curiosity and mastery mattered more than “manifesting,” how trust built her celebrity relationships, and why she sees ABH as a legacy she will never stop building, alongside her daughter. Key Discussion Points Anastasia shares how hard the first six months in LA were, crying daily because she left family, community, and certainty behind and arrived with no language or security. She explains how life under communism trained her for entrepreneurship, constant problem solving, adapting daily, and finding solutions without expecting help. Anastasia describes why she chose brows, using art, architecture, and the golden ratio to create a repeatable technique that made faces look balanced and lifted. She recalls being told she was crazy by her husband, landlord, and community, but her mindset was simple: what do I have to lose if I believe in this. The Oprah moment in 1998 became the turning point, her “Oscar moment,” because Oprah understood the concept and broadcast it to the world before social media existed. She explains how celebrity relationships grew over decades, including working with Jennifer Lopez from early in her career, and why trust is everything at that level. Anastasia shares her partnership with private equity in 2018, then reveals she personally invested $225M to maintain majority control when the firm exited after COVID disruption. She describes ABH as pure legacy, saying she will never “retire,” because innovation and building products with her daughter is her purpose. She explains product innovation as a loop of consumer insight, social signals, and chemistry advances, sharing how formulas like brow pomade became possible only when labs could make them waterproof. Anastasia credits her daughter for pushing ABH onto Instagram in 2012 to educate customers digitally and reduce constant travel, which later fueled massive growth in retail. Takeaways Immigrant grit is transferable, the same mindset that helped Anastasia survive scarcity became the mindset that helped her build a brand under pressure. You do not need a huge dream to start, you need obsession with mastering one craft, and for Anastasia that craft was brows. Success is easier to achieve than to maintain, and long term winners keep working like rent is due even after the brand is iconic. If you want to win as a founder, leave ego behind, ask questions, admit what you do not know, and learn directly from customers. Legacy is a decision, and Anastasia’s $225M reinvestment shows how founders protect what they built when outside capital priorities shift. Closing Thoughts Anastasia Soare’s story is proof that category creation starts with conviction before the market agrees. She did not follow a trend, she created one, then defended it with craft, discipline, and decades of trust. This episode is a reminder that the American Dream is not a vibe, it is endurance, humility, and the willingness to bet on yourself twice, even after you’ve already “won.” Episode Sponsor: Thank you to our amazing sponsor, Shopify, who has changed my life. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at SHOPIFY.com/foundersstory Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
