Since 1974 Fides Baldesberger, owner and CEO of Rubis, has directed a small Swiss tweezer company to the successful, global business it is today.
Rubis makes high-quality, strong, and precise cosmetic tweezers considered the “best of the best” or the “Ferrari of cosmetic tweezers”.
Fides herself has been named Entrepreneur of the Year twice (Veuve Clicquot 1988/Ernst & Young 2001). TTT pluck some advice from the expert;
What makes Rubis unique to the market space?
The uniqueness of the Rubis implements is a combination of best Swiss quality, a quality you can depend on, a continuous search for new designs and forms, best surgical steel and last but not least, a product that is based on traditional craftsmanship. It is as if the latter gives the product a soul.
What inspired you to start working with Rubis?
I had, or better chose to take over this company from my father who was a shareholder of the company, but never was operative in the business. I am the first of the family who is an operative CEO.
I was tempted to make and form tweezers out of steel and create a great and wonderful cosmetic tweezer for women with the same precision, design, and steel as was already available for our electronic or medical tweezers.
What were you doing before you started working with the business? how did you get here?
I come from a completely different background. I studied art history and gemmology and was working as a gemmologist at the Diamond Exchange in Antwerp as well as in Asia. After my father passed away, I took over the factory.
Have you included any female focussed workplace policies or initiatives to help women in the workplace?
The ratio between male and female workers is quite balanced. Therefore, no special implementations are needed. However, I am quite flexible if it comes to part-time jobs, so they can provide as well for their families and children.
Where do you see the brand going now? new markets? new products?
Rubis is a typical Swiss company with over 90% of exports. We only serve the high-end market since Rubis is the best you can get. The world is enormous, and we still have plenty of room to conquer new markets. From Iceland, where Rubis is already known to Congo where we just started to sell.
Now more than ever, people are looking for more reliable and high-quality products. The environmental trend can be felt here as well.
As long as a company remains innovative, has interesting product developments as well as lively, contemporary communication, a company will always grow.
What piece of advice would you give someone entering the beauty market space?
The Beauty market is not an easy one and is dominated by big global beauty brands, yet there are always possibilities. If you have enthusiasm and endurance in your backpack, you will make it
Rubis tweezers and scissors are available at Look Fantastic and Cult Beauty.
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