She gladly supports various charities – personally or through her company. She assumes that everyone has something to share with others, and that those who have succeeded in life are particularly obliged to do so.
She is sincere, spontaneous, open to dialogue. She is equally passionate about her recently read book and the new cosmetics she has just finished working on with her team.
She is an individualist, but when the topic concerns a company, she most often says: “we”. Success is always attributed by her to the harmonious work of all those involved in a given project.
She is a demanding boss, but publicly praises her employees – nice words of gratitude and appreciation are given at every press conference. This is very unique behavior, but it shows that she is a leader with class.
She is always interested in how the market receives Oceanic’s products. The consumers’ opinions are the most important for her. She enjoys positive reviews – they’re the best reward for the time of sacrifice and uncertainty as to whether IT will catch on.
The company has won so many awards over the years that there is almost no room for awards in the Oceanic conference room. She has its favorites among them – the ones that were the most difficult to win, where the competition was extremely tough, and the bar was set high.
Failures? With time, they get more distant and you look for reasons only to avoid repeating the same mistake a second time.
Dorota Soszynska is a Francophile. She speaks fluent French, and like French ladies, she has an excellent sense of style. She loves the south of France, where she has her second home, but she always talks about Poland with great pride. She talks about how much we have achieved during thirty years of freedom, how much our country has developed, when first the green light was given to the free market and then, we became part of the European community. Therefore, she cannot understand the people who are trying to dismantle the democratic mechanisms and call the obvious successes into question.
She remembers the communist era when every entrepreneur was suspect. Her father-in-law, Zenon Ignacy Soszyński, a true entrepreneur, experienced this for himself.
First, the communist authorities deprived him of his property. He left the country with nothing, so he started his business from scratch in France and then, in Morocco. When he returned to Poland in the times of Gierek, then, as a welcome Polish businessman with foreign currency, again his dream of own business in the homeland did not come true, because after some time he was accused of financial speculation. That was the final straw, and he left the country forever. His son Wojciech and daughter-in-law Dorota stayed in Poland and decided to continue his work, despite everything.
They worked hard all these years, but also felt joy that the company under their management was developing dynamically. The couple managed to create one of the biggest cosmetic companies in Poland. The wife, a pianist by profession, perfectly found her way in business. She could notice opportunities which, for some reason, others had missed earlier.
This was the case, for example, with cosmetics for allergy sufferers, the specialty of Oceanic company. In the 1980s it wasn’t a very “trendy” topic yet, but she found research that it was a disease of modern civilization, and that the cases will increase in numbers.
So they decided to invest in the company in this segment, which turned out to be right on the money.
Over the years she and her husband worked out a proven model of work in one company. Above all, they respect their own competences. They have a clear division of roles: Wojciech is responsible for issues related to the business development, and Dorota – for the creative part.
What both of them have in common is that from the very beginning they knew that the brand should be the most important for the producer. Not the products themselves, but the brand. The trust in it is a real protection that works out especially in difficult moments.
When the couple stays in France, they do not cut themselves off from business. After all, we live in the 21st century: e-mails and instant messaging work, so you can manage your business from a distance. At the same time, they are confident that they have chosen the right managers who are keeping the right course for the further development of the company.
Dorota loves to create. She loves the moment when an idea appears and then, the hard work begins, and it leads to a happy ending. She is skilled in looking for inspiration, sensing the trends, seeing changes.
She likes to surround herself with young people. What she shares with them is constant curiosity about the world, the ability to ask a question: what if? This always leads to a discovery of what is worth getting interested in business wise, what direction to go in.
Dorota Soszyńska was the first owner of a cosmetics company who started a blog. However, when the world moved to Instagram for good, she also created an account there.
Influencer? She is followed by about 10 thousand people, and she proves that even when you are a serious businesswoman, you can perfectly adapt to the social media world… This is a chance for her to show what’s new in Oceanic. She is the best ambassador of her brands. She enjoys recommending and talking about products. She also shows how the process of creating cosmetics looks from the inside. Her followers were already virtually both in the Warsaw office and in the factory in Trąbki Małe. She has a good sense of Instagram as a medium.
She shortens the distance. She talks to her fans. She tells jokes, answers many questions. She initiates interesting discussions. She lifts the veil of privacy a little bit, but on her own terms, without crossing the border of intimacy.
I think Dorota inherited these deposits of energy from her mother. Krystyna Szawłowska is a legend of Oceanic company. – Busy, committed, empathic, always open to fresh ideas and curious about what is happening in the cosmetics industry – this is what is said about her by those who have had the pleasure to work with her. Women in this family have the inner strength and strong character in their blood.
Dorota’s daughter Nicole slowly becomes the new pillar of the company. The parents never pushed her for “compulsory” succession. They knew how important was the experience which the children gain outside the company. This is the best way to build, strengthen, teach and make it possible to return to the family business of one’s own free will and with a head full of new ideas.
Dorota Soszyńska is strongly committed to the current issues of the cosmetics. She participates in discussions which are important for the market. She speaks in an interesting way, that is why the media are happy to quote her. She is an important benchmark for many startups. During last year’s Love Cosmetics Awards gala, she received a real ovation after her speech addressed to young entrepreneurs from the cosmetics industry. In an interview for the MamStartUp.pl portal the owners of one of the new companies said: “We were very impressed by Dorota Soszyńska, the Oceanic’s creative director. Her words were extremely inspiring and important to us. Wise. Life-affecting. We would like to achieve as much – and at the same time remain normal and committed to what we do – just like Dorota.”.
Dreams? A lot has already come true in her life. The most important thing never changes: family, love, health of the loved ones.
Professionally, she still has many plans. However, she hopes that her daughter Nicole will take control of the company in a while. Then, a new era for Oceanic will begin. A new generation, a new opening, a new energy. One thing is certain: her parents will always support her when she needs their knowledge and experience.
It is important that there is an intergenerational transfer of experience, values and emotions. We need mentors. Dorota Soszyńska is one of them. She is a personal brand. She has earned it hard and that is why she receives the Love Cosmetics Awards 2020 #Impacful Personal Brand prize from us.