In this Business Blast Podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Edwina Culego, the international business development manager for UBM Fashion and founder of the vegan makeup line Essentials by Edwina. Edwina shares a pivotal personal story of moving from Malmö, Sweden to New York at age 19, emphasizing the value of stepping out of one’s comfort zone. She highlights the vast opportunities available to businesses that expand internationally and advises entrepreneurs to understand trade advantages when entering new markets. Her core business philosophy centers on taking risks, learning from failure, and persisting despite setbacks. When reflecting on advice for her younger self, she stresses the importance of shedding fear and embracing mistakes. At 30, with a six‑month‑old baby, she defines happiness as peace and freedom. Edwina recommends the book Breakout by Joel Osteen, noting its focus on risk‑taking and faith‑guided growth. Her favorite quote, “Cheap things cost,” reinforces a commitment to quality over shortcuts. She concludes by directing listeners to her Instagram (@adwinakulego) and personal website (www.adwinakulego.com).
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Welcome to the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with the support you need to finish your book. Best part is, after you finish your book, they take care of the entire publishing and marketing process 100% for you. So if you want to become a successful author, make sure to check out authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Edwina Culego with us. She manages international business development for the largest fashion trade show in the US called UBM Fashion. She is also the founder of Essentials by Edwina, a vegan makeup collection. So welcome to the show.
Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited.
Of course, we're excited to have you on. Let's dive into the first one. The first one I have for you is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Wow. Good question. You know, when I was 19 years old, I decided to leave my home in Malmö, Sweden, where I was born and raised, and moved to New York. And I think that that is one of the best things that I could have done, just getting out of my comfort zone, going out on my own, exploring. And, you know, I was able to build my life in New York and a career here. So, and during that time when I was leaving, there were a lot of, you know, people that were saying, are you sure you want to move to such a big city? You know, there's so much going on. And I'm so glad that I listened to myself and that I was able to, to take a leap of faith that has led me to wonderful opportunities.
And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Um, that there's so much opportunity internationally for any business person, and knowing your way around international business, international trade, knowing some of the advantages that you can take, um, as an international brand entering a new market, um, there's tremendous opportunity outside of your home market. Market that every business person should consider.
And what is your best piece— it could tie in— what is your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry-specific.
Um, I would say, I mean, definitely to take risks. I have learned the hard way, and sometimes I've failed miserably, but you know, it keeps you going as a business person, and it's not always going to be It's not always going to turn out the way you want to, but there's always a lesson in failure. Always. There's always something that you can get, something that you can learn from falling down in business. So definitely, you know, be a risk taker. Sometimes it works out tremendously and just keep going.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
To be less fearful. You know, I I would tread very carefully when I was younger, and sometimes I wouldn't take certain risks because I was afraid of the outcome and what people would think, what people would say, how it would make me look. So I would say, be, you know, go out there and make the mistakes and not worry too much about the outcome.
And kind of going a little bit down a different path, in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
The key to happiness for me at this stage in my life, at 30, after having a baby this year who's 6 months old, I would say peace. Peace and freedom. You cannot put a price on those things. And I think that having, having peace, having freedom to move around, to do the things that you want to do, it's something that I think everyone strives for subconsciously or consciously. So that would definitely be it for me.
And then what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Oh my God, I've read so many books. The best book, that's a tough one. Wow. I would say one of the, one of the best books that I've read recently is actually by Gerald Austin. And it's called, I think it's called Breakout. And it basically just talks about coming out of your shell, taking risks, and allowing your faith to kind of guide you through life. And I mean, I don't know if it's the very best book I've read, but it's definitely the best book I've read in a long time. And it actually was recommended to me at a time where I really needed to break out. So I would say Breakout by Joel Osteen.
And then what is your favorite quote and why?
My favorite quote is— well, one of my favorite quotes is, "Cheap things cost." And that's actually something that my mom would say to us when we were younger. And to me, at this stage of my life, it means not to take shortcuts and to do the work that you need to in order to get good results. Cheap things cost was for her and to us was always like, you know, you can go the cheap way, but you get something that's cheap, it might break down on you. It's better to invest in something that has quality. So quality over quantity.
Yes, I love it. Thank you so much for coming on. The last one I have for you before we let you go is where is the best place for people to find you online?
To find me online? I spend a lot of time on Instagram. I love Instagram @adwinakulego. Otherwise, I'm also very active on my website, www.adwinakulego.com.
Perfect. Thanks again for jumping on.
Thank you. It's a pleasure.
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