Habits and Hustle

Episode 529: Anastasia Soare: The Discipline That Built a Billion Dollar Brand and Why Obsession Beats Balance

February 17, 2026

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  • Anastasia Soare's success was fundamentally built on identifying a neglected area (eyebrows) in beauty and applying a scientific approach (the golden ratio) to create a unique, in-demand technique and category. 
  • Obsession and intense self-competition, rather than seeking balance, were crucial drivers for Anastasia Soare's relentless work ethic and continuous reinvention of her business. 
  • Opportunities, such as the rise of Instagram in 2012, only translate into massive success when the entrepreneur has already done the foundational, hard work (like developing products and techniques) to be prepared for that moment. 
  • Anastasia Soare intentionally raised her daughter strictly to ensure she earned her authority and confidence within the company, avoiding the pitfalls of being known only as "Anastasia's daughter." 
  • True entrepreneurial success requires immense resilience, the willingness to fail repeatedly, and a mindset where solving daily problems is the core function of the business. 
  • Focusing intensely on mastering one craft and striving to be better than one's past self is crucial for building a lasting, successful brand, contrasting with the modern tendency toward superficial, scattered efforts. 

Segments

Immigration and Early Work Ethic
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(00:04:55)
  • Key Takeaway: Survival under the Romanian communist regime instilled Anastasia Soare’s foundational work ethic and dream of moving to Los Angeles.
  • Summary: Anastasia Soare lived under a communist regime in Romania where survival was difficult, including experiencing regular electricity shutdowns in winter. Her dream was always to come to the United States, specifically Los Angeles, influenced by movies like ‘Pretty Woman.’ Her husband defected first, and after two and a half years of waiting for paperwork, she was able to join him.
Developing the Golden Ratio Brow Technique
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(00:06:30)
  • Key Takeaway: The realization that eyebrows dramatically affect facial emotion, combined with knowledge of the golden ratio from art school, led to the development of her signature brow shaping technique.
  • Summary: While waiting to come to the US, she earned her aesthetician license in Romania, initially focusing on facials and waxing upon arrival. She noticed that the prevailing fashion of pencil-thin brows made her look perpetually surprised in photos. Recalling art lessons on the importance of eyebrows in portraiture and Leonardo da Vinci’s use of the golden ratio for proportion, she began developing a technique to create facial harmony through perfectly shaped brows.
Creating the Beauty Category
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(00:08:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Makeup application is fundamentally an art technique using light and dark shades to create an illusion of perfect facial balance and proportion.
  • Summary: Soare connected her brow technique to the broader use of makeup, viewing it as an art class where shading (contouring) minimizes features and light colors enhance them. She created a system to provide answers to why makeup is used, focusing on creating an illusion of perfect balance on the face. This scientific approach to beauty helped her create an entirely new category in the beauty industry centered on eyebrows.
Early Momentum and Celebrity Validation
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(00:16:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Gaining early clientele among 1990s supermodels, facilitated by an agent connection, provided the initial momentum and validation for her specialized brow services.
  • Summary: In the 1990s, when supermodels dominated magazine covers, an agent friend began sending top models like Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell to her. This led to working with actresses like Michelle Pfeiffer and Jennifer Lopez starting around 1992. This celebrity validation was crucial because, at the time, American aestheticians were rare, and the field was not considered glamorous enough by locals.
The Shift to Product Development
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(00:15:26)
  • Key Takeaway: The need to solve the customer problem of makeup washing off after service drove the authentic transition from service provider to product developer.
  • Summary: While working in a rented room, Soare mixed aloe vera with eyeshadow and Vaseline to temporarily shape brows, but clients complained their brows looked different after showering at home. This immediate feedback loop highlighted the necessity of creating proprietary products to maintain the desired look. This led to the development of her first product line, which she began selling in her salon before expanding to Nordstrom in 2000.
The Pivotal Role of Instagram and Daughter’s Influence
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(00:30:40)
  • Key Takeaway: The introduction of Instagram in 2012 was the pivotal moment that allowed Anastasia Beverly Hills to rapidly educate consumers and scale, especially after her daughter launched the contour kit.
  • Summary: The period around 2012, marked by the rise of Instagram, was the most significant catalyst for business growth, as the brand was prepared with products and techniques to educate consumers instantly. Her daughter developed the contour kit, which sold out in two hours, signaling a successful expansion into makeup beyond just brow products. By 2016, revenue had tripled from the $100 million generated by brow products alone in 2012.
Discipline Over Balance and Competitive Drive
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(00:43:33)
  • Key Takeaway: True success requires obsession and discipline, rejecting the concept of ‘balance,’ driven by a competitive spirit focused on self-improvement.
  • Summary: Soare explicitly states she does not believe in balance, asserting that achieving incredible success requires obsession instead. She is extremely competitive, but her primary focus is competing against her past self to ensure she consistently delivers the best product and service. This mindset, forged by her difficult upbringing, fuels her resilience and constant drive to reinvent.
Hiring Philosophy and Earned Authority
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(00:50:43)
  • Key Takeaway: In hiring, Anastasia Soare prioritizes strong work ethic and discipline over superficiality, ensuring that even her daughter earned her executive position through rigorous experience.
  • Summary: When hiring, she looks for discipline and a strong work ethic, as unreliable employees can ruin the entire day’s schedule. She was intentionally very tough on her daughter, even firing her for being late, to ensure her authority was earned, not assumed due to nepotism. Her daughter worked in every department to fully understand the business operations before taking on her leadership role.
Parenting and Earned Authority
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(01:03:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Strict parenting ensures children earn authority and find genuine purpose in their work.
  • Summary: Anastasia Soare was very tough on her daughter, Claudia, to ensure she earned every position in the company. This approach was intended to help Claudia find purpose and confidence by achieving success through her own efforts. The dynamic was necessary because of Anastasia’s existing celebrity status in Los Angeles.
Immigration and Romanian Hardship
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(01:05:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Romania under the Communist regime suffered severe economic hardship, including electricity rationing and food scarcity, despite personal wealth.
  • Summary: Despite having a relatively nice life due to connections, Anastasia witnessed widespread poverty in Romania, where basic necessities like electricity were often unavailable (shut off from 6 PM to 10 PM). The president’s aggressive debt repayment strategy destroyed the economy, and speaking out against it could lead to jail time. This environment shaped her survival work ethic.
Life in Los Angeles vs. Romania
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(01:07:48)
  • Key Takeaway: The weather and connection to people are the primary factors keeping many in Los Angeles despite its growing issues.
  • Summary: After the 1994 earthquake, Anastasia considered moving back to Romania but realized after a week she could never live there again due to the environment and lack of connection. She spends time in Paris for European headquarters but prefers LA’s weather, which she notes is the main reason many residents stay despite increasing taxes and safety concerns.
Entrepreneurial Mindset and Grit
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(01:11:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Entrepreneurship is not glamorous and demands constant problem-solving and the ability to recover quickly from failure.
  • Summary: Anastasia believes that not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur because the lifestyle is hard and has been glamorized incorrectly. Success requires getting good at failing often and starting again until one wins, embodying the ’eat what you kill’ mentality. Her personal success stems from her mother instilling the belief that she was smart enough to learn anything.
Focusing on Exceptional Craft
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(01:14:02)
  • Key Takeaway: Focus only on what you are exceptional at; trying to be good at everything leads to mediocrity.
  • Summary: Anastasia advised her daughter that she does not need to be good at everything, reinforcing the importance of focusing on one’s exceptional skill. Trying to be too many things causes efforts to dissipate, whereas mastering one craft provides a strong foundation. Her goal was always to be the best at eyebrows, practicing until her nose bled.
Hiring and Learning from Others
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(01:17:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Young employees should exceed their job descriptions and actively seek knowledge by asking questions and observing mentors.
  • Summary: Anastasia notes that finding people with the necessary grit is difficult, but she looks for young people willing to work hard and learn. She cleaned stations at her first job to observe how senior stylists interacted with clients, emphasizing that asking for help or admitting ignorance is vital for growth. The answer is always ’no’ if you do not ask the question.
Key Career Catalysts
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(01:19:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement and word-of-mouth connections were instrumental in launching Anastasia Beverly Hills and other businesses like Sprinkles.
  • Summary: Oprah Winfrey provided massive media exposure, and Anastasia’s daughter was crucial in building the brand together. Anastasia inadvertently launched Sprinkles by recommending the red velvet cupcake to Oprah when the yogurt shop next door closed. She also connected the producer of ‘The Secret’ to the author, leading to that book’s massive success via Oprah’s show.
The Power of Connection and Growth
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(01:26:03)
  • Key Takeaway: A successful business philosophy involves connecting others for mutual success and maintaining a constant desire to grow and hustle.
  • Summary: Anastasia enjoys connecting women in business, believing that if everyone’s business thrives, the community does well. She plans to restructure the company and expand beyond the current 50 countries, aiming for every woman on Earth to own one of her products. She believes being a hustler is essential, and this tenacity can be taught by modeling hard work.