Mecca Brands founder Jo Horgan never set out to be a pioneer. The British-born, Perth-raised English literature and communications graduate was working in the marketing department of L’Oreal when she felt there had to be a better way to sell cosmetics.

“I loved cosmetics – I thought there was a real space for them that should be fun and entertaining. And yet when I went to a department store I found it exhausting, going from one counter to another to be presented with only one-20th of the offer from one beauty consultant,” Horgan recalls. “What I wanted was not being served by the established model.”