So Money with Farnoosh Torabi

Episode 1895: The Secret to Selling Anything – How Eyebrow Queen Anastasia Built a Billion-Dollar Brand

Release Date: October 22, 2025
Guest: Anastasia Soare, founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills
Host: Farnoosh Torabi

Episode Overview

In this episode, Farnoosh Torabi interviews Anastasia Soare, the pioneering founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills and author of the memoir Raising Brows. The conversation is a deep dive into Anastasia's extraordinary journey from communist Romania to building a billion-dollar global beauty brand, her lessons on money, resilience, risk, negotiation, and entrepreneurship, as well as the cultural power of eyebrows and beauty. Listeners walk away with actionable inspiration for business, lessons in financial literacy, and the mindset required to scale groundbreaking ventures.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Transformative Power of Eyebrows

• Self-Esteem and Beauty Standards: Farnoosh opens up about her personal journey with her brows, introducing the cultural significance and self-esteem aspects of eyebrows, which resonates with many women. Anastasia reinforces why brows matter for facial harmony.

  • "[Brow] is one of the most important features in our face that brings an illusion of perfect balance and proportion...the human eye is encoded to recognize that beautiful proportion." — Anastasia (07:16)

• Supporting Young Girls: Anastasia offers caring advice for Farnoosh’s young daughter dealing with eyebrow-related teasing, recommending a gentle, professional approach.

  • "She is eight. She needs to look like she is eight...they will do very little. But thank the entire Persian community in Beverly Hills...they supported me over the years..." — Anastasia (07:16)

The Immigrant Entrepreneur's Journey

• Coming to America from Communism: Anastasia describes the intense culture shock and emotional struggles of immigrating to the US, having left behind a huge support network in Romania.

  • "I left my family...I felt so lonely. I didn't have the support of the community...I cried every day...But after six months, I realized I have to leave my ego at the door..." — Anastasia (09:27)

• Learning the Language of Money:

  • Anastasia started from zero: no credit cards, no idea how the capitalist financial system worked. She sought out knowledge by inviting others to teach her and wasn't afraid to admit what she didn’t know.
  • "I wasn't afraid to say, I don't know, can you teach me?...I had to learn the alphabet of finance in the United States." — Anastasia (10:52, repeated as a motif)

Craft & Innovation: From Technique to Empire

• The Brow Technique, Inspired by Art and Science:

  • Anastasia developed her now-famous brow shaping technique using principles from Leonardo da Vinci and the golden ratio.
  • The Three Points:
    • Start: above the nostril
    • End: corner of nose through corner of the eye
    • Arch: middle of the nose through the iris
  • "I simplify everything...unite those three points thinking that the inner part should always be lower...to create this beautiful arch...we are trying with the products to create at least that." — Anastasia (13:23)

• First Business Leap & Product Development:

  • After earning a reputation with clients (including celebrities), Anastasia innovated by creating brow products, mixing her own formulas in her salon and going to Italy to find manufacturers.
  • "I rented a room...I was using aloe vera with eyeshadow and Vaseline to create this pomade. I went to the art store and bought a brush...This is how I used to service my clients." — Anastasia (14:35)
  • "Then probably my first Oscar moment...was in 98 when I was on Oprah show. I shaped her eyebrow live. That, I mean, it was five minutes on syndicated television..." — Anastasia (16:15)

• Creating a New Service Category:

  • Anastasia pioneered the brow-shaping service as a standalone business, leading to the proliferation of brow studios globally.
  • "I went in a small village in France and was a store with eyebrow shaping only...I never realized that I created so many jobs..." — Anastasia (17:47)

Risk-Taking, Resilience, and Business Mindset

• Calculated Risks, Not Recklessness:

  • Anastasia attributes her entrepreneurial spirit to her mother, who ran a business illegally in communist Romania. She stresses resilience, planning, and not taking "no" for an answer.
  • "I was able to take risk, but calculated risk...I always have plan A and plan B. If plan A didn't work, I will immediately go to plan B without wasting time..." — Anastasia (23:27)
  • "Without risk, you cannot grow at the end of the day." — Anastasia (26:00)

• Negotiation Strategy:

  • Negotiation was vital from the very start, as was an insistence on mutual benefit.
  • "I start making products. I was the one doing eyebrows and negotiating. Even 5 cents will make a difference. I always keep in mind everybody needs to make money...Let's see where we could come in the middle..." — Anastasia (26:46)

Breakthrough Deals and Selling with Heart

• Nordstrom & Sephora Pivotal Pitches:

  • Nordstrom, not Sephora, was the initial big retailer. Anastasia recalls pitching to a skeptical boardroom, demonstrating her technique, and winning buy-in through live results.
  • "I had to pitch myself...nobody knew what I was talking about...I asked, can I do your eyebrows? I did one eyebrow...everyone was like, whoa. In two minutes...That was a sold moment." — Anastasia (27:33)
  • "With eyebrows, it's an instant gratification. The reveal." — Anastasia (30:31)

• Pre-Social Media, The Hustle Was Real:

  • Long before Instagram, Anastasia built her clientele and reputation through relentless networking, magazine appearances, and word of mouth.
  • "I will be everywhere: parties; I will hand my credit card; social media didn’t exist...I never stop selling...I believed in it." — Anastasia (30:42)

• Selling Ethos:

  • Farnoosh asks if Anastasia is better at brows or sales. Anastasia responds:

  • "You have to believe in...To sell something, you need to believe in it. If you don't believe, it's very hard." — Anastasia (31:44)

  • "I never take no as an answer...Every sale pitch that I do, I have the client in my mind...This is who I sell. And I know by selling you this product, it's going to change your life..." — Anastasia (32:14)

Legacy, Family, and Financial Values

• Partnering with her Daughter:

  • Anastasia now runs the business with her daughter Claudia, who brought the brand onto Instagram early and now oversees several key operations.
  • "She learned...the foundation...But I learned a lot from her is the social media...I'm so proud of her." — Anastasia (33:11)

• Purpose, Not Just Wealth:

  • Despite her wealth, Anastasia is motivated not by money, but by innovation, customer impact, and continuous learning.
  • "I still work like I can pay my rent next month...I want to learn every day. I want to innovate more. I want to offer my clients something that maybe they don't even know they will love..." — Anastasia (34:40)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Getting Her First US Credit Card (23:27)

  • "They didn't want to give me a credit card...I didn't take no as an answer. I sat there until I convinced the manager to give me a $500 credit card." — Anastasia

• On Pioneering the Brow Industry (17:47)

  • "Now you could say I'm an eyebrow artist, and you could make a living out of that. In 1990...they didn't believe I could pay the rent doing eyebrows." — Anastasia

• Boardroom “Aha!” Moment (28:11)

  • "I did one eyebrow. Everybody at the table was like, whoa. In two minutes...that was a sold moment." — Anastasia

• On Client Transformation (32:14)

  • "I will never forget, like shaping a client's eyebrow, feeling imperfect and giving her the mirror. She felt so beautiful, so powerful. To me, that was everything." — Anastasia

Notable Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:26 | Anastasia describes learning money basics after arriving in the US. | | 07:16 | The beauty and importance of eyebrows, advice for Farnoosh’s daughter | | 09:27 | The emotional challenges of immigrating to America | | 12:06 | The genesis and development of the brow technique | | 14:35 | Innovation, early celebrity clients, and homemade brow products | | 16:15 | Pivotal moment: Shaping Oprah’s eyebrows on live TV | | 17:47 | Creating a new beauty industry category | | 23:27 | The immigrant approach to risk and business | | 26:46 | Negotiation lessons: “Even 5 cents would make a difference” | | 27:33 | The Nordstrom pitch: conversion through demonstration | | 30:42 | Early marketing hustle before social media | | 31:44 | Sales philosophy: belief as the key to selling anything | | 33:11 | Claudia Soare’s impact—embracing innovation and social media | | 34:40 | Motivation beyond wealth: Impact, innovation, meaning | | 36:13 | Celebrity stories: Oprah’s graciousness and iconic moments |

Closing Reflections

Anastasia’s journey is a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and the power of believing in your product. Her story dismantles the myth that success comes from bold, reckless risk and replaces it with the wisdom of calculated steps, humility, curiosity, empathy, and hustle. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, beauty lover, or someone learning a new "alphabet" in life, there is something in Anastasia’s experience for you.

Standout Quote:

"I never take no as an answer...I have the client in my mind. They are the most important. This is who I sell. And I know by selling you this product, it's going to change your life because you will feel beautiful."
— Anastasia Soare (32:14)

For more, check out Anastasia’s memoir: Raising Brows, and visit Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Studios or products online.