Carolyn Aronson, a former stylist and salon owner, has worked tirelessly to make her dreams and dreams come true. It’s a 10 Haircare was founded in 2005, and Aronson announced full ownership of the company in 2017 after purchasing his partner’s stake. From its inception, It’s A 10 Haircare was born out of Aronson’s vision of a product for everyone that provides complete salon-quality results in just one bottle. She started with her star product, Miracle Leave-In, and the line quickly rose to fame through professional hairstylists who shared the cult-favorite product with their customers. Since then, more than 10 million copies of Miracle Leave-In have been sold annually.
It began entering the international market just three years ago and is currently sold in over 100 countries. The brand’s overseas sales increased 80% year-on-year and accounted for 10% of overall sales, with triple-digit growth expected in this market this year.
She turned her success with It’s a 10 Haircare into It’s a 10 Enterprises, becoming a globally recognized name within the beauty industry and beyond. The portfolio includes It’s a 10 Haircare. That’s 10 tools. That’s 10 EX10SION. Rewind It 10 is a new celebrity-backed men’s grooming venture. She also recently acquired Nisim, a company specializing in hair growth. In 2024, the company plans to rebrand as Arise Haircare. This is Aronson’s first brand acquisition, which makes it even more monumental.
She arrived on the beauty scene at a time when most beauty brands were still dominated by men. Aronson, who is Latino, has broken barriers as an owner, founder, and CEO. Today, she continues to dominate a male-dominated industry. She started in beauty and has now expanded her expertise to the worlds of yachting, real estate and aviation. Aronson is a master at creating businesses who entered a field as a beginner, learned everything there was to know, and hopes to inspire others.
BeautyMatter spoke with Carolyn Aronson, founder and CEO of It’s a 10 Haircare and BeautyMatter 2024 NEXT Entrepreneur of the Year finalist.
The most common trait among entrepreneurs is passion. What drives your passion as an entrepreneur?
My passion is being creative, building things, and seeing them become reality. I love rebuilding things and building from scratch, whether it’s building a brand, business, home, building, yacht, airplane, etc.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Became sole owner of Its a 10 Haircare in 2017.
On the contrary, failure is part of being an entrepreneur. What is the biggest mistake you have made?
There’s no such thing as a “best mistake.” The best thing is when you learn from your mistakes (of which there are countless) and avoid them next time. After 22 years of making hair products, I’ve learned a lot and gotten better at avoiding mistakes. But as an entrepreneur, they never completely go away.
Over the past decade, the word “entrepreneur” has been glorified and glorified. In reality, it is very difficult and involves many ups and downs. What keeps you going?
I love building things…usually working on multiple projects at once. It’s so rewarding to see your vision become a reality.
Being an entrepreneur isn’t something that can be taught in a classroom. What is the biggest learning you have learned from being in the field and running a business that you wish you had known?
What you can’t teach in a classroom is good intuition, and what I wish I had known years ago is how important it is to have an agent and a detailed contract before you start doing business with someone.
The dark side of entrepreneurship can be loneliness, isolation, and burnout. How do you take care of yourself?
Spend time with friends and family. I have five children and a wonderful network of friends and family to support me in life. I enjoy spending time with them. I usually do it in beautiful places around the world, going on adventures, and sometimes floating in the ocean. That’s how I find solace.
What is the best advice you ever received that guided you?
Some of the best deals are the ones you don’t make. Over time, you will find that forcing a trade is not a good idea. They usually don’t work anyway. If things don’t come together somewhat organically, walk away. If that’s what it’s meant to be, trust me, it’ll come back to you later. Otherwise, it was for the best.
