In this rapid‑fire "6 questions in 7 minutes" interview, Professor Pete Alexander talks with Connor Reilly, the CEO of Luxie Beauty. Reilly explains that his company’s mission is to empower people through beauty, and he stresses that business is a long‑term marathon where plans often don’t work out as expected. He advises leaders to stay authentic—embracing their true personalities—and to maintain consistent, credible positioning. Reilly highlights his mentor, Claudia Poschia (former CEO of Laura Mercier and board member of Innospec), for her clear, fundamentals‑focused guidance. He shares a formative early job as a golf caddy, describing how it taught resourcefulness, perseverance, and exposure to successful people. The episode closes with Reilly’s contact information (luxebeauty.com and his Instagram handle) and a plug for the Winning at Business and Life podcast.
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This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, please tell me who you are and and what you do.
Hi, I'm Connor Reilly. I'm the CEO of Luxie Beauty.
Connor, it's great to have you on the show. Question number 2: What's the best thing about working in your industry?
I love working in beauty. Fundamentally, what we do is empower people to express themselves, and that is so much fun.
Mm, I can hear the passion in your voice. I love it. Question number 3: I have a fictitious book with all the answers for business. What chapter would you think most companies should read?
I think everyone needs to read the chapter that it never works out. Business is long, it's tedious, it's a marathon, not a sprint. It will not work out the way that you think it will, and it will take so much longer than you think it will. The people, the people in business that can understand that thrive.
That's so funny because just the opposite, I can imagine if they are thinking, "It's got to go this way. It absolutely has to go the way that my business plan said." That just creates total stress if you're not flexible. Am I right?
Totally. There's so many people that say, "Yeah, I started this business. I'll probably exit in a year or two." And it's like, don't buy a house.
It's spoken by true— no truer words said than that. I love it. Question number 4. Other than other than the generic work harder, have a great attitude, and care for customers, what advice or insight would you give to other business leaders?
I'd say stay authentic. If you're a curmudgeon, be a curmudgeon. If you're a happy-go-lucky person, be a happy-go-lucky person. Follow your heart, follow your gut, realize that your instincts, they may not be right, but they're your own and you should embrace them.
I love that. You know, the authenticity, I know that for me, when I'm talking with somebody that is authentic, they're more credible to me. Is that what you have found as well?
Yeah, and I think that credibility is really important, and especially in this day and age where, you know, all the marketing hype is just hype, and at a certain point you have to draw a line in the sand and say, hey, this is where I stand. It may not be popular, it may cost the business, it may succeed, sell the business, it might be sort of difficult to distinguish exactly what that positioning will, will, will bring. But if you can authentically say, this is where I draw the line and this is where, how I'm going to react, everybody knows. And I think consistency and authenticity go a long way.
I couldn't agree with you more. That's great insight. Thank you. Question number 5, what other business leader like yourself would you like to acknowledge and invite to be on my podcast?
Well, I can't say enough good things about her. She's my mentor. She's made such a huge impact in my life. That's Claudia Poschia. She was the CEO of Laura Mercier. She's on the board of Innospec, which is a huge company, and just has such an amazing ability to look at the fundamentals of a brand, look at the fundamentals of a business, and really call things out in a way that's easy for me to understand. So I just, I think she's fantastic.
Wonderful. I'll reach out to her. Thank you for that referral. And our final question, question number 6, please tell me about your first job.
So I was 14. I lived kind of close to a golf course and I became a caddy. And I remember walking from the house to the golf course and then carrying these bags around on Friday, sometimes Fridays if I got out of school early and then Saturdays and Sundays. It was, you didn't, there was no wage, there was no set wage. So you had to kind of like work your way into the rotation. You're carrying these bags around, it's hot, you're sweating. I think we were getting paid as caddies about $25 a round back then. And it was interesting though, because I learned how to be resourceful. I learned how to never give up. Nothing's worse than when you're a caddy, you're on the 12th hole and you just, you can barely put one foot in front of the other. In front of the other, but you know, you're thinking, hey, this is the commitment I made to this round. So that was such a fun job. And I got to kind of rub shoulders with these people that seemed pretty successful to me, you know, and that was kind of interesting. So there was a lot of great conversation, lots of fresh air, lots of hard work, lots of sweat. I remember one time losing somebody's putter. That didn't go so well for me, but Other than that, it was, it was really kind of a fantastic first experience.
Oh, and I love the story that you took us on there. That was just, you tell it really, really well. So much. And Connor, thank you so much for being on the show. How can people find you?
Luxebeauty.com is a great place to learn about the company and MrConnorReilly on Instagram.
Perfect. This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. For more insights and ideas, please go to LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook or iTunes and search for the Winning at Business and Life podcast. Thanks for listening.
