Jo Malone: five things I’ve learned in business and how to be a success

Jo Malone CBE left school with no qualifications and severe dyslexia, before building her empire Jo Malone London (which she sold to Estée Lauder in 1999). After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, she made a triumphant return in 2011 with Jo Loves. Celebrating 25 years at the top of the beauty industry, Malone reveals what it takes to succeed

1 Resilience is the key

Nothing ever goes 100 per cent anyone’s way, so when tough times come, resilience allows you to dig deep. I needed more resilience building Jo Loves than anything I’ve ever done. I wanted to quit every day, but now I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I was in Marbella recently where I was a guest speaker alongside Barack Obama. How did I get there, Jo Malone, a girl from the council estate? Resilience.

2 A weakness can be an asset

My dyslexia wasn’t diagnosed until I was in my teens and, in many ways, I’m glad. I struggled to tell the time and even now when I read certain letters they run around the page. Dyslexia has helped with my entrepreneurial way of thinking. It makes me think logistically and strategically. When you lose your fear, over say dyslexia or anxiety, it stops having a hold on you.

3 Don’t be defined by others

I know I rub people up the wrong way, but I can’t change someone’s opinion of me. Be who you want to be and define yourself and your dreams by your opinions of yourself. There will always be someone who doesn’t like you for whatever reason.

4 Silence is a great negotiator

Both in business and in a relationship – I’ve been married for 34 years so I should know. Sometimes, when you have a situation where people are at each other’s throats, silence is a great negotiator. Calm the situation down. Leave it 24 hours then go back to it. Silence can cause uncertainty on the other side and lead them to move towards you first.

5 It’s OK to make mistakes

I guarantee you will make mistakes. They will take you where the landscape is different and your perspective can be challenged. When I left Jo Malone London, I thought I had made the biggest mistake of my life. But if I hadn’t done that I’d never have launched Jo Loves. If you make a mistake, never blame someone else. It’s your responsibility, take it on the chin and learn from it.

Maria Coole is a contributing editor on Marie Claire.

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Yes, predating t’internet, when 'I’ll fax you' was grunted down a phone with a cord attached to it; when Glastonbury was still accessible by casually going under or over a flimsy fence; when gatecrashing a Foo Fighters aftershow party was easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy and tapping Dave Grohl on the shoulder was... oh sorry I like to ramble.

Originally born and bred in that there Welsh seaside town kindly given a new lease of life by Gavin & Stacey, I started out as a junior writer for the Girl Guides and eventually earned enough Brownie points to move on and have a blast as deputy editor of Bliss, New Woman and editor of People newspaper magazine. I was on the launch team of Look in 2007 - where I stuck around as deputy editor and acting editor for almost ten years - shaping a magazine and website at the forefront of body positivity, mental wellbeing and empowering features. More recently, I’ve been Closer executive editor, assistant editor at the Financial Times’s How To Spend It (yes thanks, no probs with that life skill) and now I’m making my inner fangirl’s dream come true by working on this agenda-setting brand, the one that inspired me to become a journalist when Marie Claire launched back in 1988.

I’m a theatre addict, lover of Marvel franchises, most hard cheeses, all types of trees, half-price Itsu, cats, Dr Who, cherry tomatoes, Curly-Wurly, cats, blueberries, cats, boiled eggs, cats, maxi dresses, cats, Adidas shelltops, cats and their kittens. I’ve never knowingly operated any household white goods and once served Ripples as a main course. And finally, always remember what the late great Nora Ephron said, ‘Everything is copy.’