Very few people are sure of what they want to pursue when they’re just 16 years old. Deepica Mutyala, beauty blogger, entrepreneur, and the driving force behind Live Tinted, did. Her self-assuredness led to consistent growth, starting from a video where she covered her dark circles used a red lipstick.
She then went on to launch Live Tinted, an inclusive digital community that explores beauty in all its diverse shades, in 2018. Mutyala has recently launched her first product, the Huestick, which is essentially a corrector, blush, eye-shadow, and lipstick wrapped in one. You could also call it a beauty lover’s magic wand.
Here’s what she has to say on what keeps her going on the most chaotic days:
On a typical day:
It’s chaos. Just kidding! In all seriousness, with every new product launch I’m learning more and more to let go a bit. It’s great, but also challenging, part about growing a company. You recognise that as you build, your role is to delegate duties to the team and make sure they have the resources to do their job well.
On discovering her purpose:
I feel very lucky that since I was 16 years old I told my family that I wanted to build my own beauty brand. Every step I took since that age has led me to where I am.
On the career advice that has stayed with her:
I remember someone I used to work for told me there was no such thing as a work, life, balance. Because of that, I thought being a workaholic was a normal way of life. I really want to challenge that with my company. I’m not saying we are fully there yet, but a big goal of mine as a leader is to make sure my team works really hard during their work day, but that they have a sense of balance to be able to live out other parts of their life. More the concept of working smart, not hard.
On her favourite thing about what she does:
Living out my purpose. I truly feel like I was meant to be doing exactly what I do.
On her favourite travel destination:
Bali. It was so beautiful and I truly felt at peace there.
On being a planner or being impulsive:
I’d say I’m somewhere in between. As an entrepreneur, you have to feel comfortable with the thought that no matter how much you plan there will be curve balls thrown your way.
On non-working weekends:
It’s changed significantly this year. I’ve found love in being by myself. There is a stillness to it that calms me. I used to think as an extrovert, I had to be around others to be happy, but I’ve learned that making time to be alone helps recharge me.
On the book that moved her:
I recently got a sneak peek at my friend Jay Shetty’s new book Think Like a Monk that’s releasing soon. His perspective on life has really evolved my own.
