Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in beauty and cosmetics but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Pinki Patel, founder of Vasanti Cosmetics, located in Ontario, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Vasanti Cosmetics is a line of skin care and cosmetics dedicated to making beauty feel good and comfortable. When beauty feels good it’s inclusive, it’s cruelty-free, and it doesn’t weigh you down. We founded this company in 1998 as a result of not being able to find beauty products that worked on our skin tones. There was a lack of choice, and visiting makeup counters became intimidating. This motivated us to give beauty a happier meaning, and we have not looked back since. Vasanti Cosmetics believes in joyful beauty, the kind that makes you smile because it truly works and allows you to look like you and feel like you.
Tell us about yourself
Picture this: You make a big move to Chicago and land your first job there at a high-end beauty studio, owned by an affluent ex-model. It’s your second day on the job and you’re stoked to meet the beloved owner of this company. Your ambitious self is getting ready to greet her, but then the unexpected happens – she arrives and without any hesitation she points at your face and blurts out “Who’s this?! Get some concealer on her!”. In a panic, makeup artists hurry over to use the darkest shade of concealer on your dark under eyes. After all their efforts, you’re standing there – shocked – with layers of white ashy concealer on your brown skin and no clue what just happened. This is the first time anyone has pointed out your dark circles, and now you can’t stop obsessing over them. You’re desperate for a solution, but every concealer you tried just didn’t work. This is what sparked it all.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Helping people find solutions for their beauty concerns and having them feel like they have been and thought about. Also, being able to bring value for quality and luxury formulas to the market. Product Development has always been my true passion and the reason that keeps me going with all the challenges that come with entrepreneurship.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Trying to balance everything and not living in the moment.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
1. Persistence pays off. Don't accept no or it's not possible for an answer. No one should ever limit your possibilities .
2. Surround yourself with talent and people that are smarter than you.
3. Be yourself and always come back to why you started in the first place.
Anything Else?
Business is about risk and to be successful you have to take chances. If an idea doesn't work out how you planned, fail fast, learn from it and move on. Stay true to what you believe. We have believed in cruelty free, clean and vegan well before it was a trend and believed that everyone should be included.
Where can people find you and your business?
https://www.instagram.com/vasanticosmetics/
https://twitter.com/vasanticosmetic
https://www.facebook.com/vasanticosmetics/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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