Adrienne Furrie has a deep love for the beauty industry, spending over two decades in it and founding her own business while leading several companies along the way.
But despite the challenges of running her venture, her passion for the industry, along with three driving factors, keeps her determined to move forward.
From childhood curiosity to beauty industry success
Growing up in Calgary, Furrie has a vivid childhood memory that marked the beginning of her journey into the makeup and fashion industry.
When she was younger, she remembers a beautiful purple pencil crayon.
She decided to try using it on her face because she wanted to see how it would look on her.
“It obviously didn’t work very well, and it kind of hurt to drag this really hard pencil across my skin,” she recalled.
The way you could use different colours to make something unique and special interested Furrie, especially ones that had sparkles in them—she says she always loved sparkly things.
“I’ve always been really fascinated with the interplay of colour on our skin,” said Furrie.
The pop icon Madonna played a significant role in how Furrie appreciates and views the art of makeup and fashion.
“It’s fascinating how she could transform herself into whoever she wanted to be that day and didn’t need to apologize for that,” said Furrie.
While growing up, Furrie didn’t think she had any family members who shared her fascination with makeup and fashion. Still, as she’s gotten older, she realized her mom had influenced her interest.
While her mom, who studied art history, had influenced her taste for makeup and fashion, it was drastically different from her aesthetic of beauty.
“I always wanted more, heavier, darker, louder, and crazier makeup. She was much more conservative, softer, and more understated,” said Furrie.
Building a business while navigating leadership challenges
Ever since her love for makeup and fashion was discovered at an early age, Furrie has been working in the industry for over 20 years.
Her experience spans beauty, fashion, image styling, and entrepreneurship.
Furrie would then work in leadership roles at MAC from 2002 to 2003, as well as at a private apparel manufacturer company owned by her family friend’s father and eventually own her first-ever makeup business.
Alison Mair, a principal and marketing consultant at Ali & Able, had Furrie as a client in 2020.
She shared her experience on LinkedIn after getting to know her as a client and person. Mair had only positive things to say about her teaching skills.
On a personal and professional level, Mair believes that Furrie “has an undeniable gift of makeup mastery” and that she does make things better.
“Work with her once -you’ll want to keep her around. I would highly recommend Adrienne for any beauty gigs – photoshoots, fashion shows, weddings, classes, and tutorials,” said Mair.
But in her previous roles, Furrie said she started to realize that leadership might not be the best fit for her.
“Job leading, being responsible for other people, I found it challenging,” said Furrie. “I still continue to find that challenging now.”
She doesn’t believe she’s a natural manager and finds it ironic that she built her business in a way that still puts her in that position.
Today, as part of her business, Prete Studio, she is in charge of a team of five people whose goal is to satisfy their clients’ wishes.
Furrie explains that when building a business, it will eventually grow, and you’ll need to start hiring people. “A big part of your daily work shifts to managing other people.”
While the majority of women-owned businesses, including SMEs and large companies, in 2024, fluctuated by an average of 19 percent. Most women entrepreneurs are self-employed, accounting for almost 40 percent of self-employed Canadians, according to Canadian SME.
Passion for makeup and fashion drives career growth
Andrea Williamson, a teacher at the Visual Arts Centre and a previous client of Furrie’s from 2011, also shared her experience on LinkedIn, disagreeing with Furrie’s assessment of her leadership skills.
Williamson believes that Furrie was her “life coach” on her makeup journey, and that her positive attitude played a significant role in it.
“She has whipped me into shape while being personable, hilarious, and understanding,” said Williamson.
She also observed significant developments in her art career that she links to the coaching she received from Furrie.
“I have noticed my art career has taken several leaps since I’ve been coached by her that I do not believe would have happened without her,” said Williamson.
For Furrie, creative control, money, and the people she works with—both full-time employees and contractors —are the reasons she’s okay being a leader in her business.
Furrie feels good so far about her business, but is always looking for growth opportunities. She believes her business is not perfect, but she’s proud of what has been accomplished so far.
She is currently trying to find the right balance between focusing on her business and her family.
“It’s why I continue to operate out of the house—I want to be around my family. It’s a choice, a conscious choice,” said Furrie.
In the next five to 10 years, Furrie sees her business growing, broadening her knowledge of beauty services and what her clients want, as well as returning to producing products again.
She aims to explore the industries of nails, brows, and skin products alongside other complementary beauty services. Given the beauty industry’s highly competitive nature and her studio being new, she is focused on staying aligned with current trends and clients’ demands.