Taking Note: Trish McEvoy

The first time I heard of Trish McEvoy was in the early 1990’s. I was on a ski trip in Aspen and had ventured into the Cos Bar looking for something that would remedy the havoc the altitude was wrecking on my skin.

A team of Trish McEvoy make up artists were visiting. An hour or so later, I walked out the door with my first set of make up brushes, a black patent planner full of eye shadow and blush and a lesson as to what to do with it all. It was a bit of a defining moment for me. Until then I had never had a real “how to put on makeup” lesson and I had never, ever used any brush except those little spongy ones that came with the package.

So I was excited when I learned that in addition to Carla Harris, Trish McEvoy was speaking at the 85Broads breakfast two weeks ago.

Trish’s story started with a brief stay in the corporate world. She left what might have been an easy ride up the ladder because she knew early on that it was not for her. It was an environment that as she simply put it, she “hated”. But she knew what she liked and what she was good at. That was teaching women how to put on makeup.

She held true to that passion and talent, growing the list of women who came to her to have their make up done and cutting up paint brushes when she could not find the exact shape she desired. She was creating the brand of Trish McEvoy before there was a brand.

Today the business is estimated at $70 million and in addition to revolutionizing the way women would include the make up brush as part of their routine also boasts one of the first ever medical spas run with her husband, Dr. Ronald Sherman.

As Trish told her story it did not appear to me that it started with a clear vision and a specific business plan. Instead she paid attention to what felt true for her, listened to her instincts about her direction and the marketplace and let the Universe lead the way. Corporate life was not for her but because of her passion and talent the work and the opportunities kept finding her. It was from that the vision crystallized. It got me thinking that maybe the best of all plans are those with open endings.