Friends - Lucas Nanini
Entrepreneur and Innovator. Paris
We met Lucas during lockdown through mutual friends, and we instantly sensed his warmth and generosity. He’s a deeply connected and thoughtful person, embodying the word "entrepreneur" in every sense. We hit it off right away.
How would you describe yourself, and what drives you?
I would describe myself as a serial innovator, whether by myself or within the largest beauty companies, I'm driven by the need of making things work better for people.
What pivotal moments have shaped your journey so far?
I would say there were 3
My first assignment in China when the job was to reinvent laundry for low-income markets. I was leading packaging innovation for a global program that was a first, and for which I was an intern
When I left corporate, the day of lockdown to focus on my startup, a baby care company in the US
Nowadays, slightly north of 40, with 1000 ideas running through my head and wondering how I can help more people fix more things (need to launch a new brand? Need to go back to corporate? Do more investing/business angel activities?)
What is your relationship with Rosie Lee?
Mark and I met during COVID around a discussion group called Kouch Culture, dissecting weekly signals pertaining to digital and human connections. Mark and I think VERY differently, and I loved how I could think while he would speak and be like “hmm indeed, that also makes sense”
Later, Mark/Russell helped my Brand Noleo on a small piece of communication work about what our brand stands for.
I just love how relevant they are and how curious they are across industries.
What has come out of any relationship and collaborations?
First and foremost a sounding board on things where I'm not skilled i.e. “creativity”. I'm more of a process/research/business person and having someone without those limits is refreshing.
Also, we are constantly talking about new ways to partner but like many things, it is about the right project at the right time.
What does being unorthodox mean to you in your work?
I always give 3 pieces of advice to innovators/entrepreneurs:
listen to customers
don't over engineer your product
don't fit in a mold… perfectly
This is the roughness, the asperity that gives someone an edge and the reason potentially to invest in them. If you are like everyone else, you'll produce like everyone else, this will limit creativity and how problems can be solved.
What beliefs have guided you through tough decisions?
As long as your decision is in line with value you put on top of everything, there shouldn't be any regrets - you will either win, or fail & learn. But you won't regret it.
What challenge in your field of work is often overlooked?
Emotional attachment to ideas.
Time always plays against you.
People won't work 24/7 like you do.
How do you balance creativity with structure / order with chaos?
I do two things:
I look at things on multiple levels. Top layers should always have some sort of structure. We go from A to B, from a need to a solution. Then the sublayer would have increasing level of chaos. The idea is the chaos shouldn't impact to the extent of jeopardising a project.
I build diverse teams BUT I rally them around a unique mission. Not a unique objective, a unique mission. Why? Because when shit hits the fan, it's not about finger pointing, it should be about holding each other's hand and bringing mess into structure.
What cultural shifts are you noticing in your field of work?
I work in the beauty/luxury industry. People don’t look like me. They don't think like me. They don't perceive things like me. This is all the more true in that I moved quickly up the career ladder and age is also playing a role in terms of difference here.
If you could master any skill instantly, what would it be?
Actionable empathy. In my work, understanding the pain point is pretty easy, but finding an efficient way to execute it is much harder.
Also, I would love to be able to make people project into the future more easily. Eg: I'm doing a quick prototype to explain a concept, say it's an innovative shoe and to demonstrate the design feature, I use clay and paper just to prototype an innovative lacing mechanism. Afterwards I get “oh but it's paper, it won't be strong enough”. People can't project beyond the actual object they see.
What’s one experience everyone should have at least once?
Go work in China, you are not ready…
What has inspired you lately?
I started playing chess. It's strange, but being a scientist, I can't comprehend why such a simple game is equally so hard. It has shown the limit and power of the human brain, helped me understand internal politics, and made me realise how important it is to better learn how to educate other people.
I also got inspired by many friends recently writing books/podcasts. I love giving back but never had the confidence or commitment to do it. With ChatGPT, this is something I'm considering more and more.
What advice would you give to young people starting out in their career?
Get 1 hard skill and 1 soft skill that you are the master of.
Learn to tune your language up and down to adapt to various audiences.
You are not entitled to success…
Build a solid network around mission and values.
How can people connect with you, get involved or take part in any of the projects you’ve highlighted above?
If anyone has a project that can disrupt the beauty industry (fragrance, skincare, cosmetics) or the education industry, come and talk to me. We could work on project together or work on advising/investments together.
Bonus Question from Jammz: If you weren’t in your current line of work, what would you be doing?
If I weren’t in my current field, I’d be deeply involved in education or public engagement. I’ve always had a knack for breaking down complex ideas and presenting them in a way that resonates. My time abroad opened my eyes to how outdated education systems can lead to poor decision-making. That realisation sparked an interest in education reform and even politics.
Right now, I’m focused on building financial freedom through work I enjoy, while supporting education through teaching and mentorship. Ultimately, I’d love to reach a point where I can travel and teach freely, purely to share knowledge and inspire growth.
What question would you like us to ask the next person?
Are you happy with where you are today and if not, why are you falling short off your goal?
Find Lucas here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasnanini/