Taking An Exit Doesn't Always Mean Good Bye

Leslie Blodgett at work

           Two years ago, when Leslie Blodgett, CEO of Bare Escentuals,  first received an acquisition offer of $1.7 billion from Shiseido, Japan’s  largest cosmetic company,  she was well aware that the deal hinged on her remaining in her role.  But she also knew that after 16 years as CEO, she wanted to pull back for awhile to focus again on the creative end of the business.  After convincing Shiseido executives that her COO could handily step into her shoes, she literally “pulled the title executive chairman out of a hat,” and the deal was signed; she reports to the COO of Global Business at Shiseido.

High Tech "Pipe Cleaners and Popsicle Sticks"

Ayah Bedeir Playing with her kit    Photo courtesy of Zack DeZon

   After an accomplished educational background in computer engineering in her native Lebanon, Ayah Bdeir felt she was on the wrong track.  “My parents and teachers always encouraged me to take more and more science because I was good at it, but I really didn’t enjoy it. It seemed too abstract for me; too many equations and formulas.” But then she was accepted in the US as a graduate student in the Media Lab at M.I.T.where she had a light bulb moment: she discovered a world where she could combine her technology skills with the creativity she feels she had suppressed for so long.

Guest Blog: How to Get Started with Public Relations

Marcy Fleisher is the founder and president of Fleisher Communications Group, a firm based in Columbus, Ohio that specializes in Earned Media.  FleisherCommunications Group represents a diverse clientele including a leading green energy firm, a leader in the health care technology field, and various professionals  who turn to Fleisher  for their PR needs.  Prior to starting her own firm, Marcy  spent more than 15 years as a TV reporter, earning a number of awards including an Emmy.  She can be reached at marcy@teamfleisher.com. Here are her tips for starter uppers: