Estee Lauder started out selling skin creams concocted by her uncle, a chemist, in beauty shops, beach clubs and resorts. The business grew and eventually controlled 45% of the cosmetics market in U.S. department stores...

"But early on, there wasn't a burgeoning business, there weren't houses in New York, Palm Beach, Fla., or the south of France. It is said that at one point there was one person to answer the telephones who changed her voice to become the shipping or billing department as needed."