Lindsey Vonn planning to start cosmetics firm
For most of her adult life, this was the time of year when Lindsey Vonn would be in South America training for the upcoming ski racing season, so being a retired downhiller feels strange for the most successful female ski racer of all time.
One of her ex-coaches has been texting her photos of former teammates training in Portillo, Chile, where the U.S. Ski Team holds annual September training camps in the Southern Hemisphere’s winter.
“I’m like, ‘Can you please stop torturing me?’ ” said Vonn, who was in town to speak at Denver Startup Week, an event designed for entrepreneurs to network and hear speakers share their business acumen. “It’s more weird now because I’m in Colorado and not in Portillo — I’m not antsy and looking forward to the winter. It’s just a totally different feeling. My life doesn’t revolve around winter anymore.”
That’s not to say Vonn has no competitive outlet. She is in the process of creating a cosmetics company with the help of Chase Ink credit cards as a “partner.”
Vonn said the name of her company will remain “top secret” until the line is launched next spring, but it will include five beauty products plus perfume.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I retired, but now I’m focusing all of my competitive energy and drive into starting my own business,” said Vonn, 34. “I’ve never started my own business, I don’t really know what to do, so it’s been really helpful having Chase Ink help me and support me. … It’s a learning process, but beauty is something I’ve always been passionate about.”
Vonn was a fierce competitor on the slopes, winning 82 World Cup races and three Olympic medals, but early on she developed an eye for glamour. She was a regular on celebrity red carpets and was one of the first female ski racers to wear makeup when she competed. It was always a good bet she would be interviewed on TV after she raced.
“Just because you’re an athlete doesn’t mean you can’t be feminine,” Vonn said. “It doesn’t mean you can’t put your best foot forward. To me, putting on makeup is like putting on my game face. When I have my makeup on,
I feel like I’m ready to attack the world and anything is possible.”
Vonn said she was deeply involved in testing her cosmetics and the perfume scent.
“I literally smelled different scents until my nose was raw, but I’m really excited about the perfume,” Vonn said. “I wanted it to be for strong women, that when they walk in the room, people notice them — it just accentuates their strength.”
Last month, Vonn announced her engagement to P. K. Subban, an NHL defenseman who was traded over the summer from Nashville to the New Jersey Devils. Vonn and Subban spent much of the summer moving to New Jersey, and her home in Vail is for sale. The move to greater New York is convenient for her business dealings, but they’re not making wedding arrangements just yet.
“He’s focused on hockey and I’m focused on my business,” Vonn said. “Once that settles down, after his season, maybe we’ll start thinking about a wedding date.”