Dermalogica announced next steps in the development of its new Entrepreneur Accelerator program with a pair of events during Global Entrepreneurship Week, a worldwide initiative held Nov. 14-20 this year. The FITE Entrepreneur Accelerator, which supports entrepreneurship in the salon industry, will be co-created between Dermalogica’s global social impact initiative FITE (Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship), global financial dignity and economic empowerment nonprofit Operation HOPE, and the Small Business Administration. It is set to impact over 100,000 women and girls over the next three years.

 On Nov. 14, Dermalogica co-founder and Chief Visionary Jane Wurwand spoke at the White House on the power of women’s entrepreneurship. The White House Council on Women and Girls, in partnership with the Small Business Administration, convened stakeholders to gather around the importance of investing in pathways from vocational training to entrepreneurship. Wurwand, in a focused discussion with Small Business Administrator Maria Contreras Sweet, spoke about her own journey as an immigrant who bootstrapped a company and grew it to scale, explained why the salon industry is so powerful (it puts more women into business than any other), and illustrated that purpose-driven education is not only key in creating the next generation of entrepreneurs, but can be a global economic game-changer. Wurwand closed by announcing that the FITE Entrepreneur Accelerator will go live in the spring of 2017, offering free online education on the business skills needed to run a successful salon. By putting the curriculum online, entrepreneurs can link up, share their challenges and successes, and learn from each other.

On Nov. 16, Dermalogica and the International Dermal Institute hosted a special Future Industry Entrepreneurs Day at the company’s corporate headquarters in Carson. The monthly event series targeting undergraduate cosmetology students offered creative workshops on how to start, build, and run a small business, as well as special presentations from Wurwand plus John Hope Bryant, Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman and CEO. More than 150 students came from all over Southern California to attend.

 Wurwand welcomed the students by sharing her mother’s best advice: learn how to do something. Wurwand, who credits esthetics training for giving her the confidence to get a job anytime, anywhere, explained, “When you learn a skill set, and it can support you financially, you have the opportunity to live the life you want.” She continued, “Entrepreneurship is an additional skill set – one that requires understanding financial literacy and how to run a business. We want to help you unlock the next step by bringing financial literacy and entrepreneurship training to become successful entrepreneurs.”

Bryant took the stage and showed students a photo, asking them to guess what it was. The crowd agreed: a parking lot. “That was my home,” he corrected. Bryant explained that he was not born poor, but lost his wealth because he mismanaged his money. He advised the students, “Looking at this audience, I see people who are going to create jobs. But if you don’t understand money, if your outflow exceeds your inflow, your overhead will be your downfall.” 

Students were advised to visit dermalogica.com/fite to learn more about the FITE Entrepreneur Accelerator, and look for a December announcement regarding the program’s first community college partnership. After the presentations, students crowded around both guest speakers sharing how inspired they felt, and passionate about being part of the skin care industry.