Ori Leslau of Confetti Group: The Calculated Risk Test That Drives Global Personal Care Expansion

All of us know that we have to take breaks in our day to take care of ourselves. “Selfcare is healthcare”, the saying goes. At the same time, we know that when you are a busy leader with enormous responsibility on your shoulders, it’s so easy to prioritize the urgent demands of work over the important requirements of self-care. How do busy entrepreneurs and leaders create space to properly take care of themselves? What are the self-care routines of successful entrepreneurs and business leaders? In this interview series, we are talking to busy and successful entrepreneurs, business leaders, and civic leaders who can discuss their self-care practices and self-care routines. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Ori Leslau.

Ori Leslau is a consumer goods entrepreneur and current Founder and CEO of Confetti Group who invest in and operate personal care brands globally. Ori’s investment thesis is future-looking yet prioritises short term profitability, sustainability and building brand-rich IP which is designed (in his own words) ‘to outlive him’. He lives by the quote ‘never leave for tomorrow that which can be done today’, believes firmly that brands (in any category) present a unique opportunity to start and maintain a lifelong relationship with a consumer and that relationship must never be taken for granted. He was born in London UK, lived in the UAE between 2010 and 2014, and is a huge sports fan.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! It is an honor. Our readers would love to learn more about your personal background. Can you please share with our readers your personal backstory; What has brought you to this point in your life?

First of all, thank you very much for having me! I was born and raised in London UK to a British Father and an American Mother and I have two younger brothers. At an early age I developed a passion for sport and a dislike for academia, almost simultaneously! Sport gave me the opportunity to express myself while studying made me feel trapped. I also suffered with ADHD which made keeping my nose in the books a little tricky. What I was lucky enough to identify at this age however was that whatever I was going to pursue in my life and career, I wanted the opportunity to express myself and put my own stamp on things. At 13 years old I had a small business bootlegging tapes and recording songs from the radio and selling them on to friends (and even my school teachers!), at 14 years old I started a business with a friend selling t-shirts which we would import from Turkey by the pallet, and it was during these experiences that I realised the selling process was one I was particularly drawn to. The psychology behind the sales process fascinated me, and convincing people to part with their money in exchange for goods was something I was gaining a knack for. At 18 years old I skipped university and applied for a job in sales for Pentland Group who at the time owned Reebok, Speedo and Lacoste footwear. After a few promotions I applied for a job with Lornamead in Dubai, which was owned by a close friend’s family and they owned the iconic British heritage brand Yardley of London which I was lucky enough to work on until the business sold to Wipro Consumer Care a few years later. I was in Dubai, with a black book of contacts I had inherited during my time working there, and myself and a few Lornamead colleagues agreed to set up a distribution business licensing IP and importing goods from Western consumer brands across personal care, dry snack foods and confectionery. I sold my share in that business three years later after realising that I was building great distribution footprints in the region for all of my client’s brands but only benefitting from a trade margin, and I wanted more. In 2016 I founded Confetti Group, and anchored its launch with a women’s deodorant brand Confetti London which we conceived from scratch. Today Confetti Group has a presence in 29 countries globally and counting, owns a growing portfolio of category leading brands and has just completed its record year of business with more than 100% growth in revenue and profit. We have offices in London, Lagos, Dubai and Mumbai.

What is your “why” behind what you do? What fuels you?

I believe that no matter your background, sales as a function remains the most valuable part of any business, and if you are blessed with the rare ability to sell then the sky’s the limit. I wanted to test myself and prove that I can mix in with the very best sales people out there. I have several charitable endeavours very close to my heart which I support personally and via my businesses. How successful we are, directly impacts the degree to which we can support these endeavours. Of course, I am also financially very ambitious and ultra-competitive!

How do you define success? Can you please explain what you mean from a personal anecdote?

Success is expending your energy on a worthy cause, loving what you do and doing what you love and surrounding yourself with people who exude positive energy and allow you to be your most authentic, outstanding and vulnerable self with no judgement.

My dream was always to have total financial independence. Having achieved this position is a very freeing feeling and allows me and my family to pursue all of our dreams without being answerable to anyone.

What is the role of a growth mindset in your success? Can you please share 3 mindset mantras that keep you motivated, sane, and propel you forward?

I have run many marathons and the best lesson I ever learned was never to think about the finish line, just focus on the next milestone.

1. Health is wealth — train regularly, drink water, get outdoors — be consistent!

2. hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard — be consistent!

3. No regrets — you never lose if you learn.

4. Good isn’t good if it can be better, and better isn’t better if it can be best.

You are by all accounts a very successful person. How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

By trying to encourage other young aspiring business people from all walks of life to pursue their goals and find the success they crave, hopefully helping them make fewer mistakes along the way than I did. Confidence is half the battle (maybe more) and I want to empower others to be as great as they can be. I am involved with and support some incredible charities run by truly inspiring people to help alleviate poverty in some of the world’s poorest places.

Can you share a mistake or failure which you now appreciate, and which has taught you a valuable lesson?

Never micromanage your staff. Instead empower and invest in them to be the best they can be. Historically I have been guilty of micromanaging (out of fear that we weren’t doing a good enough job) but actually empowerment is an incredibly positive and powerful tool to get the most out of your team and those around you. Help your team members become experts in their craft so they can tell you what to do!

You are a successful leader. Which three-character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Confidence — ‘If you know too much you won’t take the risks required to build great businesses. Had it not been for the confidence I had in myself I would not have started a business in my mid-twenties. I certainly didn’t have the expertise or experience at the time but I just kept telling myself ‘You’ll figure this out’.

Propensity for risk — From a young age I have always had a natural propensity for ‘calculated risk’. Look at what the worst possible outcome could be, build in some downside protection, and then off you go!

Intuition — my father is a successful business man and I believe I inherited my business IQ and intuition from him. Although he works in a different industry to myself, I think the ability to identify and capitalise on an opportunity is something that can be applied across sectors.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

Our men’s fragrance brand Riggs London is the fastest growing fragrance business in the Southern Hemisphere and its unique range of outstanding fragrances supercharge men daily to be the best version of themselves!

- Confetti London, our women’s fragrance brand is designed to uplift women and celebrate their individuality

- A new high end fragrance line which I think is going to really mix things up in the high-end fragrance world….

- A disinfectants range for the family, helping people make daily hygiene something all the family can enjoy and become part of their daily routine!

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview about Self-Care. Let’s start with a basic definition so that we are all on the same page. What does self-care mean to you?

Ultimately, we are accountable primarily, and most importantly, to ourselves. Self-care to me means a few things; creating a positive internal dialogue which motivates me, steers me away from trouble, gives me confidence and helps me strive to be the best version of myself every single day.

As a successful leader with an intense schedule, what do you do to prioritize self-care, and carve out regular time to make self-care part of your routine?

Every day without fail I partake in some form of exercise, whether it be a run, lifting weights with a friend (which I highly recommend as its fun, you push each other, have banter etc.), going for a walk. It is imperative for me to maintain my mental and physical health. A cold shower I find gets my heart and lungs in check and gives me an energy boost.

Will you please share with our readers 3 of your daily, or frequent self-care habits?

- Exercise daily, without fail.

- Foster a positive internal dialogue with yourself and pat yourself on the back from time to time!

• Surround yourself with people who exude positive energy, love you for who you are, don’t judge and truly want the best for you. Don’t waste your time with those who don’t.

This is the main question of our interview. Based on your own experiences or research can you please share 5 ways that taking time for self-care will improve our lives?

- Avoid self-flagellation. I have been there and negativity breeds negativity. When you make a conceited effort to change that dialogue and start seeing the world more positively the things around you will start to change.

- It’s easy to punish yourself for the mistakes you have made. Work harder to gain the learnings from the experience and it will serve you well, I promise. Reflect on your failures with a positive mindset.

- Never take life too seriously. Take time to enjoy where you’re at — your friends, your successes and your loved ones. Make time for the people in your life — we are not here for long and no matter how financially successful you are, none of it comes with you. Life is but a collection of memories of things you saw, things you created, and how you felt in that moment.

- Putting your lungs through a good workout releases endorphins in your brain in a way nothing else can. If you want to kick the blues, run up a hill and don’t stop until you get to the top. Listen to a Rocky soundtrack, it often helps!

- Surround yourself with people who inspire you every day.

Sometimes we learn a great deal from the opposite, from a contrast. Can you please share a few ways that NOT taking time for self-care can harm our lives?

Trials and tribulations provide us with the opportunity to learn about ourselves, our strengths and our weaknesses. But if we don’t look after ourselves and take time out to gain perspective we will never learn and we will never grow.

What would you tell someone who says they do not have time or finances to support a regular wellness routine?

No one is ever too rich or too busy to take care of themselves. Without health what do we have? Find the time!

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)

Bernard Arnault without a shadow of doubt. Formidable operator, family man, wealthiest man in the world currently.

What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?

Follow Confettigroup.co

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.

About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher, and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness, and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.