It was finally happening. After a series of adventurous (and occasionally disastrous) launch attempts by other distributors, we had reached that glorious turning point. The stars aligned, the cosmos gave a nod, and I—brand new to the role of manager at 28 years old—was handed the opportunity (read: challenge) to lead the Pierre Fabre Sifar Cosmetics distributor business.
My mission? To find the dream team that would finally make this elite body care product a success.
With a budget the size of a French macaron…
The Mentor with the Harvard Mug
Luckily, I had one powerful ally: Mr. Müd. A visionary. A pharmacist. A proud Harvard Business School graduate with an even prouder Harvard Business School mug that followed him everywhere. He was also the mastermind behind our multi-focused company, which included one of the country’s first biotech ventures and several high-end distribution businesses. My boss and, whether he meant to be or not, my mentor.
He was famous for going home with a hundred creative ideas in the evening and returning the next morning to challenge the team with a totally new direction. One day, he summoned me into his office looking like he had seen the ghost of Steve Jobs.
“I was at a funeral yesterday,” he announced dramatically. “And I realized… naming a company after yourself? A terrible idea. If you die, the company dies with you. We are changing the name!”
With that, he launched a name contest. The rules? Keep Sifar (our umbrella brand), make it sound international, and it must pass the Müd test. “Give me something green… and creative,” he said. “Deadline: one week.”
Thus began the birth of Mepharma. It sounded clever, vaguely French, slightly medical.
We had a name. Somebody found it—not my first choice, but most importantly, it passed the “Müd test.” We were ready to go!
No Smoking, Just Hiring
Then came the moment of truth: recruitment. This was not your typical hiring spree. I wanted people who would grow with the brand, believe in the product, and bring energy into the room—even if they couldn’t bring years of experience.
And because our concept was health and wellness oriented, I decided to add a rather unusual line to our job ads:
“Only apply if you are a non-smoker.”
To my amazement, every applicant ticked that box. All non-smokers! Not a single cigarette in sight. At a time when smoking was totally “in”—what a success!
Then somehow, mysteriously, every one of them started smoking—within two weeks. One even swore it was “just social.” Another said it was for “networking purposes.”
Non-smokers… until they got the job…
Apparently, I had recruited a team of health-conscious chameleons.
Assembling the Dream Team
Despite the smoking setbacks, the team came together—diverse, passionate, and unconventional.
• A young bartender who wanted a professional breakthrough.
• A journalist with sharp storytelling skills, married to a woman 20 years his senior with a child to care for.
• A veteran pharma rep—seasoned and steady, perhaps not the first pick for others, but exactly the grounding presence our unconventional team needed.
• And finally, our beauty consultant—the daughter of Mr. Wise’s neighbor. Recently out of high school, high BMI (but graceful and glowing), and full of charm. Mr. Wise? The infamous ancient GM of the company and advising coach at the time.
They had one thing in common: ambition. And that was all Mr. Müd needed to hear.
“Design a bonus plan,” he said. “Something that would make them chase it like a mink coat.”
(Mink coats were the big dream back then. Long before sustainability and animal protection went mainstream. I was never a fan, but thought Mr. Müd must have got that one right.)
The Big Day
Training day arrived. Monsieur Petit and Mademoiselle Blonde—our glamorous French partners—were landing to help coach the team. I got to the hotel by 7:00 AM to finalize everything.
And then—like a whirlwind—Mr. Müd stormed through the lobby, past me, eyes tense, giving me a look that said, “I hope this isn’t a disaster.”
He rushed into the meeting room. And stopped.
Half an hour later, when the team arrived, he called me in. His expression had shifted.
“I’m relieved,” he said. “You recruited a good team. I saw their innocent faces, their enthusiasm. I’m pleased. You really were on top of everything; you had even arrived earlier than me. And yes, I’m pleased with you too.”
Looking back, it wasn’t just the résumés, the resources, or even the rigid planning that shaped our success. It was the courage to lead with instinct, to laugh through the chaos, and to believe in people’s potential before they believed in themselves. That launch was the result of all these efforts. And in the end, after just three months, we had not only reestablished the brand successfully, but we had also surpassed Mr. Müd’s decades-old Insülin business—outperforming expectations and setting a new benchmark in the market.
Such a breakthrough didn’t go unnoticed. As for how Mr. Müd chose to reward these efforts? Let’s just say it was in a truly unexpected way… Curious? Stay tuned for the next stories.
Until then: Here are the takeaways I wish someone had given me on day one:
Key Takeaways (for Every First-Time Manager)
1. Don’t hire for CVs—hire for energy. Especially when budget is tight.
2. Set a strange standard. “No smoking” turned out to be a surprisingly effective filter (even if short-lived).
3. A team doesn’t need to be perfect. Just committed.
4. Every mentor is a character. Learn from their wisdom, ignore their eccentric mug.
5. The best reward plans have a little humor. (Yes, even mink coats.)
Leading for the first time means uncertainty. You will get things wrong, make odd calls, and find talent in unexpected places.
If you enjoyed this article, you can dive deeper into real-world leadership lessons and behind-the-scenes stories in my book Labyrinth of Management—available now on Amazon.
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