Tom Pellereau, winner of the UK's 2011 season of The Apprentice and business partner of renowned entrepreneur Lord Sugar, who co-owns Pellereau's company AvenTOM, was invited to share his secrets at the Society of Cosmetic Scientists' Christmas lecture, which took place at the Royal Society of Chemistry on Thursday 7 December.
Pellereau explained how he rigorously applies a development system of his own devising, which means little is left to chance; from identifying the problem through to detailed financial modelling and even improvement after launch.
From the original curved Stylefile idea to his current StylePro makeup brush cleaner, Pellereau provided his experience of solving common beauty 'pain points'.
The development story of the StylePro, for example, was littered with problems, roadblocks and setbacks, according to The Apprentice star. He also told delegates that the most important ingredient in his inventing was "pure bloody-mindedness" to get the problem solved and the product sold.
When asked what’s next, he posed the question back to the audience, “what was the next problem they had for him?” He didn’t leave empty handed.