An organised life with Lara Worthington from the base
Name: Lara Worthington
Occupation: Founder of THE BASE
How did ‘The Base’ come about?
The Base started with an idea that grew over time. I have always been around beauty & makeup artists through out my modelling career from the age of 15, and I have learnt so much from everyone in the industry, however I always wanted to start my own thing. I wanted to create a collection that was for everyday. I didn’t want to change peoples routines, I just wanted to add new products that worked as a base - the essentials. Things that could easily slip into your day to day life.
What gave you the confidence to start The Base & how did you know the time was right?
I think it came at just the right time when I was about to move overseas, and I wanted to own what I was doing. Emotionally, I always had a lot of people working around me like managers, agents etc & I was used to being the ‘face’ of other brands, but when I went home, I wasn't feeling fulfilled & felt like something was missing. I said to my boyfriend at the time (husband now), “I want to create something that I own & can work at, grow & learn from.”
Now…I do the production, the development, I go to the factories, I come up with the ideas, on everything, I do the social media - I’m extremely hands on and I think it’s a great way to start a business, you can eventually out source when the time is right. I don’t know everything - and I think there are a lot of people out there who are extremely good at their job. It’s all about knowing your own & other’s strengths & weaknesses. Being around a good team of people is great and The Base Team is slowly growing
What has been your highlight & your most challenging moment to date as a business women?
Highlight wise - I think the e-commerce side of the business & the customer relationship is the most filling. With online now I get that direct customer experience, and for me it gives me so many ideas for new products etc based on their reviews & feedback. I love hearing what they like & dislike, and for me that has been the most amazing thing. Personally getting a direct customer relationship that I feel like you don’t get that with retail stores.
The hardest side to date, has been getting my head around the business side of things. Having that all in tack, and not going over budgets etc (which I always do!). There are so many moving parts to be across but it’s great to learn all the bits & pieces along the way.
What is the one piece of advice you would give budding entrepreneurs thinking of starting a business?
I think everyone is always asking ‘“where do i start?” For me I literally just started. And i think having the confidence in your idea & to just begin is a very powerful & important thing. We are also very lucky now to have social media & those kind of outlets to showcase small businesses, which can help get your brand off the ground a lot quicker compared to 10 years ago.
And my other piece of advice would be… do what you love, it should never feel like work.
How would you describe your personal style in 3-5 words…
I would say since becoming a mum, it’s a lot more casual, very tailored & minimal.
How do you stay organised in between juggling travel, modelling, work life & motherhood / family life?
You have to have a really supportive husband! My husband and I work really well as a team, we juggle our children & our work but our
number one thing is our children. And with both our schedules, no matter what, we are never apart from our family for more than 2 weeks. It’s too hard for the boys & us. He is really supportive & he is really good with the kids and that makes it so much easier & fulfilling for us as a family & for me. The nicest thing is to have support from your husband & your family.
What are the top ways you organise your life?
Co-ordinating my schedule with my husband to fit around our family
Team wise with the time difference - my warehouse & my team usually communicate a lot via email, Skype & a few good apps.
I’m also constantly keeping up to date with emails, work deadlines etc on my iPhone & Laptop
What beauty favourites do you always carry with you at all times?
LB Cream, Mascara, Brow Gel, and Eye Lash Curler & Dior Lip Sugar Scrub. And to be honest.. I carry a lot of baby things! I often forget about myself these days!
Where to from here? What are your goals for The Base?
The plan has always been to slowly grow The Base. My business is actually 60% US, 30% Australia & 10% UK so I plan to slowly grow it across the US & follow through from there - for example we are going to go into Selfridges, Space.NK & places like that which I really love. Overall though, just keeping on the trajectory of going at it slowly, not overexposing the brand too much. And product wise I have always wanted to launch x1 or x2 products per year to keep up with newness. It’s something for me to be inspired by each day and to create new products I love & hopefully my customers do too.
Photography by Hannah Roche / Makeup by Filomena Natoli / Hair by Travis Balcke / Shot at La Porte Deux
FOLLOW LARA & THE BASE
THE BASE Website / THE BASE Instagram / LARA'S Instagram
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