Off the Beaten Path?

I had a great visit late last week with Sue Katz from Libertyville, Illinois based Amazing Cosmetics. The eight year old company has grown at what she characterizes as a comfortable pace since introducing its popular concealer in 2000. The line that started with a cover up now includes about 50 SKUs, a size that Katz says lets it stay true to its commitment to complexion perfection. What’s next? Katz said Amazing Cosmetics is opening in two doors in Denmark and cutting the virtual ribbon on a new Web site in the very near future. You can read more about Amazing Cosmetics and a number of other Midwest U.S. beauty brands in the February issue of GCI magazine.

In a world cut down to size by the Internet and easy communication, how big a factor is location to the success of a beauty brand? If location is no longer a factor, what are the biggest challenges in starting up a cosmetics company today? Share your story here!