There is no doubt that Megan Cox was born to be an entrepreneur. It started showing at a very young age.
Born and raised in Bedford, Indiana, Megan began her first venture at the age of 9, in third grade. Her recess-run craft store was a success, complete with documented pricing. It wasn’t until a teacher intercepted the price sheet, and a trip to the principal’s office, that Megan learned a valuable lesson: Always abide by governing laws when running your business. This lesson has stuck with her ever since.
While most of her friends in Indiana were either fully invested in athletics or dedicated to their academics, Megan devoted her time in her various “businesses.” One such business involved buying chickens, and building coops, with the help of her dad, Greg. Megan raised and bred the chickens and would sell the eggs. Unfortunately due to roaming coyotes, the business was not sustainable.
Another venture included picking walnuts to earn money after school. Megan would pick walnuts in her own neighborhood, and eventually in surrounding neighborhoods. After hulling, she’d rake in a cool $0.11 per pound. All her hard work turned into an extra $300 of spending money.
Megan always determined and headstrong, she had big ideas for where her next venture was going to come from. After high school, it was clear Megan was destined for great things She went on to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It was there that Megan really blossomed as an entrepreneur and found her passion.
After being a cross-country runner in high school, Megan found herself overwhelmed at MIT and wanting to dedicate herself to something new and challenging. She joined the dance and cheerleading team. Megan spent her free time between classes honing her dance and cheer skills and developing her passion for cosmetics.
With her new love of make-up, Megan began getting eyelash extensions while at MIT. But the extensions were trouble from the beginning – they were expensive, time consuming, and when they fell out, they caused damage to her natural lashes. Megan knew there was a better way, and using sense of entrepreneurship and her chemistry background, she developed a serum from all-natural ingredients specifically designed to help regrow her lost lashes. This is where Wink was born.
Busy with cheerleading and dance, Megan was now captain of the 20-person team and choreographing routines. For the first time in MIT history, the cheer team was eligible to compete at NCA nationals. While choreographing routines for nationals, it was her boyfriend that encouraged her to think about making Wink into a business. Megan’s lashes were getting her constant compliments – the same attention she got from wearing lash extensions.
Megan’s close friends tried the serum, and it worked! Their lashes were fuller and longer. Even the number of lashes increased! Despite the amazing results after trying Wink, Megan wasn’t confident that Wink was ready to be manufactured and sold. Instead, she decided to join an different incubator startup in Miami to gain more experience.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the positive experience that Megan was hoping for in Miami. She found herself homesick and overworked. On top of her busy schedule, Megan wasn’t able to dedicate any time to her real passion – Wink. After six weeks and encouragement from her family, Megan moved back to Indiana and fully committed herself to Wink. With a small amount of investment, Wink quickly had packaging and distribution. Wink had finally arrived.
Always, driven and determined, Megan never let anything stop her from achieving her dream. She completed her degree, and launched her first cosmetics company all at the same time. We couldn’t think of a better person to develop and create the product and the brand, than this driven hard-working woman!
