Beauty Store Business

AUG 2016

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34 August 2016 | beautystorebusiness.com a happy industry, a beautiful industry. Why not surround yourself with beauty if you can?" This idea carries over to the prod- ucts themselves, which are, in their very nature, attractive. "It's light—positivity shining everywhere," Gevorkyan says. "If you implement beauty, that creates attrac- tion. I created a product, and people come to the product." CozmoLight's bright lights helped him instantly garner attention at shows, bringing customers and clients to him—rather him having to attract them with excessive marketing. In other words, the product speaks for itself. "From there, you open a conversation. This is a lead. Anyone that holds it, has it." For this reason, Gevorkyan's goal is to continue being different—after all, it's vital to his success. "What I've noticed so far [about the industry] is a lot of similarity. A lot of growth within the industry, within the same vision. Beauti- ful stuff, but the same stuff. Just a lot of it," he says. "I would like to see a lot of new things for the industry." At the very least, he hopes CozmoLight can be a part of accomplishing this. But getting there, he says, begins with knowledge. KNOWLEDGE IS KEY As an entrepreneur, Gevorkyan's key to success—aside from a great idea (backed by great technology)—is the tireless acquisition of knowledge. For Gevorkyan, who was accepted into the Pepperdine University MBA program without attend- ing college, this knowledge must go beyond traditional education. Whether it be the study of technology, industry data or old-fashioned foot-to-pavement surveys, knowledge, he says, is key. Gevorkyan always makes it a point to conduct his own research—as he did when first developing CozmoLight. "I did market research on my own—took it to salons. I didn't tell people I was [working on] a business. I just tested it," he says. He also read a lot. "Thousands of hours. I just wanted to gain another level of knowledge. You can smell somebody if they're just pretending." Once he was satisfied with the results of his research and the belief that he had indeed devel- oped a good idea and a good product, Gevorkyan's next move was to take a risk and invest. Although new to the beauty industry, he was very experienced with network- ing and promoting at trade shows. "I've been [attending] trade shows since I was 11 or 12 years old," Gevorkyan says. "I have very good trade show experience. Marketing, branding—push, push, push." It may seem like everything hap- pened easily for CozmoLight, and even Gevorkyan says he didn't encounter any challenges. But the success has come from Gevorkyan's own attitude, which turns challenges into opportunities. "[Sure, there were] people in the begin- ning who got jealous. But that's not an obstacle—it's like, even better! It's all learning experience," he says. "There's no competition in knowledge." BLAZING A TRAIL "It's all about innovation," says Gevorkyan, whose unique philosophy and approach clearly has had a lot to do with the company's steady rise. For him, one's ability to stay innovative and creative stems from sustaining a clear connection to one's vision and one's self. "You build your product within yourself," he says. "You build your own foundation. They don't teach you this in school." This philosophy is also reflected in Gevorkyan's mission to always continue evolving—both his own vision and that of CozmoLight. "It's like a flower that's bloom- ing, and it's still continuing to evolve," he says. Part of the company's evolution, he hopes, will be in continuing to influence the industry and change the way lighting influences art. "I want to be a trendsetter. I'm not afraid of competition. I'm not afraid of the future. I don't think about them, and I don't look after them," Gevorkyan says. In the future, Gevorkyan sees Coz- moLight's temperature feature being a game-changer for other industries, as well. In fact, the tattoo industry has already taken notice. "Tattoo artists are raving over it," Gevorkyan says. "To cre- ate a tattoo, you have to create various lights to see how the colors are going to saturate." With his lights, these artists can see the color temperature—which is groundbreaking. Additionally, CozmoLight technology might be especially appealing to profes- sionals in Hollywood. "If you are doing production, this is a big one," Gevorkyan says. Part of his vision is for this technol- ogy to saturate the market in a way that changes how production takes place— bridging the gap between makeup artist and photographer, art and science. "That information alone connects the makeup artist. [Imagine asking the pho- tographer], 'What color temperature are you going to be shooting under?' They have a product they are going to be using to benefit their shot. That's one of the most useful pieces of information ever. They can now converse with the pho- tographer or cinematographer," he says. One of his next innovations includes developing a ring light for iPhones. "I have the product already, but I'm work- ing on packaging," he says. "I think that's going to be like candy for everybody." This new venture could also lead Cozmo- Light to explore the at-home market. "I see a huge opportunity in this market," he says, noting that he's explored work- ing with Costco, and seeks to explore options with Apple in the future. Ultimately, Gevorkyan's goal is to take CozmoLight to the global beauty market. "As long as you have the vision for it, no matter what it is, it will come." ■ Malena Jaime is a writer and editor in Orange County, CA. "[The beauty industry] is positive. I chose a happy industry, a beautiful industry. Why not surround yourself with beauty if you can?" Follow the Light @cozmolight CozmoLight cozmolight.com PROFESSIONAL

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