How I Survived Selling My Company
Toni Ko founded the cosmetics company NYX in Los Angeles in 1999. She set her targets on a gap in the market between low-end drugstore cosmetics and pricey brands sold in department stores. NYX took off during the advent of social media—and during the recession. She executed its sale to L’Oréal, for an estimated $400 million, in July 2014. But the sale of her life’s work left her feeling completely untethered.
I STARTED the company when I was 26. By the time I’d sold it, I was 41. I had lived my entire life single, focused, and working. I thought: “I’m going to sell the company and have work-life balance!” And I would travel.
