The Genius Work Hack Miranda Kerr Swears By To Run Her Business (& Life) Like A True Boss

For years, Miranda Kerr dominated runways around the world, making her mark as the first Australian Victoria’s Secret Angel and the face of major international luxury brands. And while many of her former years consisted of juggling modeling gigs and photoshoots, the past decade has thrown some new priorities into the mix. As the co-founder and CEO of a rapidly growing beauty brand, Kerr now also has to manage her role as "boss" — and it's not always easy. In fact, the mogul admits she has to rely on an entrepreneurial productivity hack or two to stay on top of her game.

For the past decade the Australian model has led the charge at KORA Organics, the certified organic beauty brand which has rapidly become the darling of the industry, thanks to its steadfast dedication to natural products that are as effective as they are clean. It seems KORA Organics' mission is catching on with consumers, who are embracing the brand's formulas that include hero ingredients like Noni, rose quartz, and silver ear mushroom. Products like the Noni Glow Face Oil, Enriched Body Lotion, and Turmeric Brightening & Exfoliating Mask are quickly becoming cult favorites and clearly spreading like wildfire in popularity. The brand, which enjoyed success in Australia in its early years, is now available in 26 countries (including the U.S. and Canada) and in more than 2,500 stores.

In just taking a glance at Kerr's day-to-day life and her journey with the brand, it's clear she takes her role as co-founder and CEO seriously. The model, who owns 95 percent of KORA Organics, invested her own money into the company from the start and, since day one, the Australian model has had her hand in every aspect of her passion project. “I'm involved in all areas of the business — the day-to-day operations, product development, marketing, packaging, customer service, and even photography,” she explains. “I just love it all.”

Considering Kerr has two small children (son Flynn is eight years old and son Hart will celebrate his first birthday in May) and another on the way, this balancing act is no small feat. For this reason, the model-turned-beauty-mogul has her day-to-day schedule down to a science. Read on to see what the KORA Organics founder’s life looks like now and how she stays on top of her business … which seems to be growing by the minute.

The Zoe Report: What does your nine-to-five life look like now?

Miranda Kerr: Well, it's interesting because we have an office here in Los Angeles and one in Australia. When we first set up the LA office I wanted to make sure that I went in regularly. I deliberately put my office very close to where [my son] Flynn goes to school. So I would drop him off and then I’d go into the office and make sure I was around to pick him up later in the day. Then you know, I’d take him home and handle any conference calls or meetings from there.

But, when I got pregnant with Hart, that all changed. I was breastfeeding and whatnot so I started working from home a lot more and would do conference calls while he was napping. I started taking more meetings from home. It’s interesting because I really love to be able to have the mum-work-life balance. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to work from home if I need to.

TZR: How do you stay focused and organized? Is there a day-to-day strategy you follow?

MK: I plan out my work schedule a month in advance, and I try to stick to it as much as possible because I feel that planning is so important. That’s not to say you can’t be flexible within those plans — I understand that life happens. No two days are really the same, but I try to stick to a regimen to make sure things run smoothly.

TZR: What’s your shut-down time? When do you switch out of work mode?

MK: It’s important for me to be present with my family when Flynn gets home from school. It’s not always easy to switch off, but I’m conscious of that shift. Most days I pick him up around 4 p.m. and that’s when family time starts. When both Flynn and Hart go to sleep that’s when I start on emails again and am reachable.

TZR: What’s been the most challenging part about transitioning to the role of business owner?

MK: One of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome was (and still is) getting our product certified. All of our products are certified by COSMOS, which is the leading international certification body. It’s the most heavily regulated ingredient system — no toxic and synthetic pesticides, herbicides, chemicals are used in the ingredients during the manufacturing process. They also are super strict about the packaging we’re allowed to use. All the components need to be approved by them. It’s an incredibly important part of our company because we want our customers to have that assurance that what they are paying for is a true certified organic product.

TZR: What’s the best business advice you’ve received thus far in regards to KORA Organics?

MK: When Sephora approached me about launching in America two years ago, I sat down with my team and crunched all the numbers. I realized it was going to be a substantial upfront investment for the raw ingredients, packaging, and additional staff to handle the account. It was a lot of money for me to personally invest (because I wanted to make sure it was my own), so I was a little hesitant at the time.

It was my husband [Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel] who encouraged me to take the next step. He said, “You have an incredible product and if you don’t do it people will never know.” He let me know that he understood it was scary to take that step, but you have to do it on your own as it will make it more rewarding. You’re watching something grow from a little seed to a big, beautiful tree.

TZR: How would you describe yourself as a business woman?

MK: I’m very detail-oriented and full of intuition. I know the vision that I have — it’s very clear. I also think I’m flexible, but I know exactly what I want. Because I’m very much involved in every area of business, I guess I do expect a lot from others, but that’s because I expect a lot from myself. I love being able to challenge people to grow even more than they think they’re able to — and I give them that platform to do so.