Rocking It In New York; Two Sisters Build An Empire For Redheads
By Penelope Hernandez
They say if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. Every year, thousands of hopeful actors, financiers and entrepreneurs come to the city, fresh out of college to try their luck. Some get at least a taste of what they came to do, others get caught in the vortex of glamour, endless options and constant struggle that is New York; some go running back to Arkansas at the sight of their first rat, but some manage to actually make it. Sisters Adrienne and Stephanie Vendetti are the founders of “How to be a Redhead,” a lifestyle website aimed to bring redheaded girls specialized products, beauty tips, and daily empowerment. Shortly after graduating from The University of Miami, both sisters packed their bags and got on a plane determined to stick together, work hard, and bring some much needed TLC to the gingers of this world.
Sisters Adrienne and Stephanie Vendetti Photo Credit: SaraJaneBlog.com
I had the pleasure of knowing these girls before “How to be a Redhead” really blew up and I can tell you that they are the coolest and most down to earth babes you will ever meet, and I love to see awesome people succeed. As they are getting ready to launch their first beauty book, they were cool enough to take some time to answer some questions.
Tell me about your experience first moving to NY? Did you have a plan or did you just show up hoping for the best?
Stephanie: We moved to a small apartment in the Upper West Side during the summer of 2011. It was the best decision we ever made. Our plan: to work as hard as we could to make How to be a Redhead come alive. And, we did just that.
When did you know that you had something good going? Was there a pivotal moment when you thought this was going to be big? And did you ever imagine it would go as far as it has?
Adrienne: Oh, yes. We wouldn’t have started it if we didn’t know how far it could go. We believe strongly in the universe and the law of attraction. Every day we woke up more determined to succeed.
In 2012, we were approached by one of L’Oreal’s marketing firms to be L’Oreal Paris Brand Ambassadors for a color line they were launching for redheads. That was a pivotal moment in our company. Then, it was like a snowball effect. We began doing beauty events called Rock it like a Redhead and after our 1st successful event in 2013, produced and created a 5 city tour that just wrapped up in 2015. Most importantly, our readership is over 400,000 unique views per month and our social media numbers get higher every day. We’re so excited for the “How to be a Redhead” Book to release on April 12, 2016! It’s the first-ever beauty book for redheads.”
Did you ever have times when you almost gave up? If so, what kept you going?
S: Isn’t that what being an entrepreneur is all about? Of course we have our down days. It’s the roller coaster that we live for and we feel very blessed to have each other to fall back on.
A lot of young girls follow your every move now. From beauty advice, to overcoming obstacles, you are a role model now. Do you feel responsible for setting a good example?
A: We do. We work very hard to set a good example for all our followers, fans and customers. It’s extremely important to us to showcase our confidence as redheads through every post, tweet and pin. Before we post anything, we think ‘Would we have liked this when we were 20, 15, or 12, or 8?’ We place ourselves at different ages, but strive to make everything age appropriate, yet still inspiring at the same time
What’s it like having your sister as your business partner? Are you guys usually on the same page? Does the personal sister stuff ever interfere with the business stuff?
S: For all those out there wondering, yes we do argue. It’s part of being sisters and business partners. Adrienne has strengths that I do not and vice-versa. It’s what makes us great partners. We think the secret is that we don’t hold grudges.
What realistic advice would you give to other people working in NY as servers and bartenders and everything in between? I think that sometimes making that good and easy cash can make you complacent. Is there a particular formula you followed to not get trapped?
S: When starting How to be a Redhead, Adrienne & I worked as servers at night. It was our way to make sure we were devoting as much time to our website during the day as possible. The one piece of advice I can give someone is to not give up on the main reason why you came to NYC. There was a reason why you moved to the greatest city in the world. Don’t forget that. A lot of people get jaded and rely on their serving/bartending job because of the money and comfort. Don’t let this happen to you. Work hard during the day in order to eventually throw out your serving book and apron.
How do you balance career success and a relationship? Do you find yourself having to constantly compromise?
A: We’ve learned to shut our office door once the evening is ending to be with the people we love both. It’s hard at times, but a great way to have a work-life balance.
I’m sure every single NY gal would love to know how you managed to find love while building a brand. Do you think men find successful career women intimidating?
S: NYC guys find it intriguing. And some maybe find it intimidating. But, I think either way is a good thing. It’s important to find a guy who supports your vision and believes in you 120%. If there’s any doubt, then he’s not the one.
How did you come up with the concept for how to be a redhead? Was it something you thought about growing up, or did you and your sister brain storm and then one day the light bulb turned on?
Photo Credit: IanBarling.com
A: We are both natural redheads and have struggled to find beauty and fashion items that cater to young, trendy redheaded women. When Stephanie was a teenager, she went blonde to “fit in,” but realized she felt and looked best with natural red locks. As young girls, we both had trouble finding ‘redhead friendly’ products because most items caused our skin to irritate or break out. We took it upon ourselves to test and try different types of products and loved expressing our fun redhead personalities with fun pops of color in our wardrobe.
When we discovered mascara, we will never forget how beautiful they felt! The discovery of streak-free instant tan, products that beautified our frizzy hair, natural but fabulous bronzers, lotions that didn’t irritate our sensitive skin…was revolutionary. Over the years, we have learned to master all of the complementary redhead techniques.
Since there was no place for us to turn to for advice, we created HowToBeARedhead.com for redheads throughout the world to celebrate a redhead’s beauty, in both the fashion and beauty sector. All featured products on HowToBeARedhead.com have been tested on a redhead for a minimum of 10 days and receive the “redhead friendly” stamp of approval. We hope redheads can finally take a sigh of relief knowing there is a [finally] a community that provides top beauty and fashion advice for redheads that can be trusted while also empowering them to live confident lives. We have coined the phrase “Rock it like a Redhead” as the tag line for their article posts and social media photos to proclaim that it’s all about rockin’ your red hair with certainty and spunk.
Tell me about your new book? What’s next for how to be a red head?
S: The How to be a Redhead Book is hitting shelves on April 12th! We’ll be touring the country promoting the book from April to November.
