Gotta get out of this job... gracefully

Gotta get out of this job... gracefullyGotta get out of this job... gracefullySuper Bowls over and you know what that means, Readers? Spring trainings coming soon Why not get your career in shape with one of the jobs above (and if those jobs arent for you, change your preferences.)Its a great issue we have for you this week, folksJust in time for Valentines Day, (yeah, thats next Tuesday, guys, dont forget) weve got Ladders.com Interview with Marla Malcolm Beck, CEO of high-end luxury store bluemercury, below. Marlas been a personal friend for years, and she shares her thoughts on turning her $100k+ corporate job into an entrepreneurial career, and what $100k+ positions shes looking to hire.Dont forget to buy your spouse a Valentines gift at her store Marla recommends lemon and sage body creme for the Mrs., and black pepper bodywash for the Mr. Or if any of you ladies who read Ladders.com want to feel sorry for your, alas, very single weekly career correspondent, Marla suggests the M olton Brown shaving cream for me. ??We also learn How to leave your job with grace from our good friend Bill Arruda, founder of Reach, the worlds first human branding consultancy (now for those of you who find that too highfalutin, I gotta tell ya, Bills insights into managing your career, and understanding the way your success is perceived, are good, smart words of wisdom.)You know, its common for folks to forget that departing well is just as important as arriving welland I suppose we at Ladders.com are as guilty of that as anyoneso its wonderful to have Bill around to remind usNow lets go find you a job you can say goodbye toInterview with Marla Malcom Beek, Founder and CEO of bluemercury, inc.Just this week, we grabbed a few minutes with Marla Malcom Beck, Founder and CEO of bluemercury, inc. Marla is the entrepreneur and self-proclaimed cosmetics junkie behind bluemercury, one of the nations fastest growing luxury apothecary and spa chains. Read on to hear what our own Marc and Jennifer learned from Marla about abfluging a business, finding success, and what to get your valentineTLC What were you doing before bluemercury?MMB I started out as a consultant at McKinsey Company, straight out of undergrad and, after doing that for a couple years, decided to go back to business school. After business school I had the opportunity with a DC-based investor and entrepreneur I joined his team as VP, Strategy and Ops. When he decided to retire, rather than look for a job, I decided to start my own company.Id always been a skin-care junkie so I started bluemercury, a retailer of luxury cosmetics and spa services. I was and am truly passionate about the products. When I started the company, it was with a spa and retail cosmetics store in Georgetown. We now have 12 locations, and are scaling to 25 at the end of this year, and 45 at the end of next. Obviously, were in super growth mode and looking for qualified staff.TLC How did you end up with bluemercury doing high-en d womens cosmetics?MMB Ive always loved cosmetics and its a huge industry. Up until very recently, cosmetics didnt have many channels of distribution. It was mainly department stores and shopping in a department store can be an uncomfortable process, because the stores are set up brand by brand, not by schriftart or product.Our staff at bluemercury are trained in all brands, so we look at it from a true customer perspective. This is a revolutionary change in the industry - products are now sold based on what the customer wants, not brand.TLC Your brand is very exclusive and high-end, but also based on personal recommendations. How do you select the products your feature?MMB Most of the brands we work with have entrepreneurs behind them. For example, Laura Mercier, who was painter in Paris, experimenting with painting faces and decided that she didnt like the current makeup. So, she created her own line The brands we work with are smaller and have real people behind them.TLC Did you r time at McKinsey and a successful investment company prepare you for the role of an entrepreneur?MMB Working at McKinsey gives you key analytical skills, such as how to model cash flow and project out your companys revenue given different strategies. When you first start a company you dont have a lot of extra people around to do those sorts of things Also, because bluemercury is dealing with a lot of industry change, the strategy planning helped. The other thing I learned at McKinsey was how to manage projects. Especially with bluemercurys growth, project management is a huge skill we require in all employees, regardless of job title.What McKinsey and professional services dont teach you are the day-to-day nuts and bolts of running a business. For this, I really needed to leverage the experience and knowledge of other entrepreneurs.TLC You actually started off online, then moved to brick and mortar?MMB We realized pretty quickly that, in our industry, to be successful online you n eeded tremendous scale and a way to attract people to website. While our competitors could raise $10 million dollars for advertising, bricks and mortar was an inexpensive way for us to get traction. The sale of skin products, makeup, and hair care is also very touchy-feely. People want to see and feel the products before they make the first purchase. The category leant itself to retail.TLC Valentines Day is next week - what should our audience be thinking for gifts as they look at bluemercury?MMB Think about what the person theyre buying for is like. If someone loves baths, we recommend the Fresh baths. Who doesnt need a break in their life these days? If youre buying for someone hip and edgy, bliss is a spa in NYC that does fantastic product development - like the lemon and sage body cre8me. We also have Molton Brown, which is a great gift line. They have a black pepper body wash thats beautiful, and a shaving cream thats phenomenal. We also do heavy-duty gift consulting on our 1 -800 number on the website.TLC Who are you hiring this year at the $100k+ level and what kind of people do you look for to work for you?MMB One position were focusing on this year is a VP of Marketing, with direct mail and database management experience. Well also be looking for a VP of Construction to help us construct new stores and manage the process from start to finish. Theres also a CIO - were looking for a lot of positions Not just yet, but by end of year, well be actively trying to fill them.Were looking for people that are entrepreneurial and hard-working, with a high energy level. A passion for the products also helps to make it fun. If you have an affinity for it, youll quickly ?get? it. Were also looking for great project managers, people who have experience taking something from start to finish. This is not a company full of meetings and committees, were a company full of entrepreneurs.TLC Thats great stuff. What advice would you have for our readers on achieving their own success in life and finding their perfect role?MMB They have to find an industry that they love first and foremost, even before job function. Some people say its the other way around, but that wasnt the case for me. I found an industry I adore and laugh because I dont feel like Im going to work.Also, be an expert at something, whatever that is. If youre interviewing for a job, show that youve been an expert at it already. And it doesnt happen overnight, you build that expertise over time. This is true for individuals and companies - bluemercury tries to be an expert at giving skin care and personal care advice, and thats how we view our company.Thanks Marla