BEAUTY IN A JAR
Shahnaz Husain talks to MoneyQuin about her entrepreneurial journey and the challenges in “selling a civilization from a jar”…
When it’s Shahnaz Husain, we don’t waste time on introduction. We just follow as she talks MoneyQuin through her rise from the little verandah of her New Delhi home in 1971 to high profile beauty shops across the world.
MoneyQuin: Who is a “beautiful” woman?
Shahnaz Husain: Beauty is not only of face and form. It is made up of so many different facets that sometimes even physical beauty can cease to matter. A person with a spiritual quality and inner beauty can fill you with peace and love, while a person with a dynamic personality and personal qualities can win admiration as a woman.
A beautiful woman is not like a painting on the wall, to be admired from afar. She is a real and vital person. Through her interaction with others, she leaves behind the lingering fragrance of her personality.
MQ: What has it been like to be a woman entrepreneur in India? Has gender bias affected you anytime through your entrepreneurial journey?
SH: When I started my first herbal salon almost four decades ago, women were just stepping out of their homes into the career world. There were hardly any first generation women entrepreneurs. So, I had to overcome social and economic hurdles.
But largely, gender bias did not affect me, because I was in the beauty field which involved women. In fact, it was an advantage.
MQ: You’ve now been around the world, launched stores in lots of foreign countries. How easy or difficult is it to run a business in India as compared to India?
SH: For me, it was easier to run the business in India, because Ayurveda is a concept that is a tradition in India and people already have great faith in it.
Entering the international market was not easy. With beauty empires pumping billions of dollars into a hysterically mad cosmetic industry, selling youth and dreams in bottled jars……….there to sell a civilization in a jar was not easy.
MQ: When one is Shahnaz Husain it’s not easy to keep record of the compliments that you get. Yet is there just ONE compliment that you have not been able to forget?
SH: One of my greatest achievements is also the greatest compliment and that is being invited to attend U.S. President Barack Obama’s Summit for Entrepreneurs. It was the greatest honour to be selected as the pioneer and leader in my field, as well as to represent my country.
MQ: We all know so much about you already. But our young readers want to know how this idea of being on your own, and running a beauty business strike you?
SH: I was married at the age of 15 and by the time I was 16, I was a mother. Then the mental upheaval began. I was always interested in beauty and in making others beautiful, so I decided on beauty as a career. My husband was posted in Tehran at the time, as head of foreign trade with the State Trading Corporation of India. I was not a college graduate, but gradually, I worked my way to leading institutions like Helena Rubinstein, Christine Valmy, Swarzkopf, Lancome and Lean of Copenhagen.
I came back to India and started my first herbal salon in the verandah of my home in New Delhi, in 1971, in a very small way. I implemented my ideas of natural beauty care.
MQ: Was it a cakewalk arranging the initial capital for the business?
SH: A business enterprise, no matter what the scale, is never a cake walk. I did not have a large capital to invest in the enterprise. I borrowed Rs.35, 000 (less than $1000) to start my business.
MQ: How did your family and friends and others in the business react to your decision to start your own business?
SH: I have been lucky to have the support and understanding of my family. My father really inspired me to follow my dreams. Also my family’s encouragement, support and understanding made me what I am today.
MQ: Tell us of some challenging moments in your entrepreneurial journey.
SH: Entering the international market was the biggest challenge. There were financial constraints and closed doors to deal with. To stand up alone and sell India’s ancient civilization in a jar was not easy.
MQ: Did you ever feel like shutting the business for whatever reasons maybe boredom, family pressure, future prospects etc.?
SH: No, the question of shutting the business never arose, because our enterprise has been a phenomenal success story.
MQ: How do you describe the beauty business in general? What’s the one unique strategy you adopted to stay ahead of competition?
SH: The beauty business is booming in India. Today, awareness of beauty products and treatments, fashion and grooming is at an all time high. This trend stems from the high degree of awareness and consequent demand for "looking good."
The one very unique thing I did was to encourage housewives to open salons in their own homes. I trained them and gave them the Shahnaz Herbal franchise. This was the beginning of our franchise system, which is at the core of the success of the Shahnaz Husain brand.
MQ: How has the client profile changed over the years?
SH: With the recent trend towards fitness and youth, more and more people in the older age groups are going in for beauty care. Also, today’s Indian woman is financially independent, has personal disposable income and is willing to spend on beauty products to improve her appearance. The Indian woman wants to exercise this awareness and independence.
MQ: You have inspired a lot of entrepreneurs not just in India but across the globe. What’s your advice to the budding women entrepreneurs?
SH: An entrepreneur, in the true sense of the word, is someone with independence of spirit, total faith in one’s own abilities, creativity, innovativeness, an ability to adapt and adjust to the changing demands of the market and trends. You may start in a small way, but you have to think “big.” In fact, in seizing opportunities and looking forward to challenges lies the secret of a successful entrepreneur.
MQ: What is that spirit which keeps you going?
SH: I always say that beauty is not merely my career. It is the sole purpose of my existence. I have followed my dream of taking Ayurveda to every corner of the globe with a crusader’s zeal.
MQ: Your valuable suggestions for budding entrepreneurs in the sense of human qualities, business-raising funds, brand building, quality of service.
SH: I would say that budding entrepreneurs should do well to remember that the customer is extremely value conscious. So, in order to think big and make the enterprise count among the leading ones, quality of products and service are of utmost importance. Also, offer something unique.
MQ: What differentiates a winner from an also-ran in entrepreneurship??
SH: A winner is a leader in particular business segment or field. It’s the expertise, professionalism, creativity, innovativeness, desire to excel, courage, relentless determination to succeed and the ability to work hard that differentiate a winner from an also-ran. For me, the personal touch has worked.
