Lisa McGowan, better known as Lisa's Lust List, recorded an eye-watering turnover of €10million last year alone - but what exactly is the secret to her success?
The 52-year-old has become one of Ireland's most successful entrepreneurs after winning the Best Dressed Lady at the Galway Races in 2016 in her 40s and has since grown her social media following into a lucrative business opportunity.
Lisa is a mother, a divorcee, and a six-figure earning businesswoman, and believes the key to her success could be reaching the often 'overlooked' age demographic of women in their 40s and 50s.
Her hundreds of thousands of followers are no doubt driving the sales behind her three businesses - Lisa's Lust List, Lisa & Co, Lisa & Co. Cosmetics - which encompass fashion, cosmetics, and wellness products.
In 2024, the turnover of Lisa's Lust List increased by 67 per cent to €2.5million, while Lisa & Co. Cosmetics recorded €3.3m turnover, and her fashion and lifestyle products range Lisa & Co recorded a turnover of 'close to €5m' - totalling over €10 million.
Her most popular product is the Skin Luxe CC Cream, which once sold 10,000 bottles in a few hours and is currently stocked in 12 Dunnes Stores outlets around Ireland.
While Lisa attributes the sales to the product itself ('If it's a good product, it will sell), she also attributes her booming business to her close connection to her followers and understanding the needs of thousands of Irish women her age.
Speaking to Business Plus, she said: 'It's not something I set out to do originally until people started messaging me, saying: "Thank you so much, I lost myself after having children and you're helping me come back from that"...
'And, you know, there is more disposable income for people in their 40s and 50s than there is with teenagers, so it's a cohort that shouldn't be overlooked.'
Despite her business empire, she only employs one person, her son Darragh, and runs all her social media accounts herself, treating her followers like her close friends.
Lisa said: 'I personally answer every message that comes in. No one else has my passwords. I'm potentially overdoing it, because I reply even on weekends or holidays.
'But they are absolutely the secret to my success. Without my followers, I would be nothing.'
