SUCCESSFUL and inspiring management is the key to success in business, the founder of cosmetics firm Lush has said.

Mark Constantine, who founded Lush in 1994, was guest speaker at the Poole Business Lunch Club.

His presentation was focused on whether the economy really affects business. He discussed what makes a successful entrepreneur and said many people, like him, had overcome obstacles in their early life which gave them the drive to succeed.

He spoke of growing up without a father figure and how early memories had given him a strong desire to succeed, as well as shaping his creativity when designing products.

He also told how he became reacquainted with his father shortly before his death – and how the Lush product Dear John had been inspired by him.

Founded by Jobshop UK direc-tors Tracey Wood and Frances Miles, the Poole Business Lunch Club has been running for 14 years and Mr Constan-tine’s talks have become an annual tradition.

Ms Miles said: “We have always received fantastic feedback for our business lunches and events, and will continue to bring the most topical, inspiring and thought provoking speakers to events planned for 2015.”

Mark Constantine started supp-lying Anita and Gordon Roddick’s Body Shop chain in the 1970s. He and Mo Constantine founded Lush in 1995 as a retailer of eth-ical and cruelty-free cosmetics.

Last year, Lush won a High Court victory over online giant Amazon, which it accused of infringing its trademarks.

The case hinged on the fact that visitors who typed “lush” into Amazon’s search box were directed to other brands.