The world of beauty has ever changing trends as do the needs of the customer, however I believe that with regards to skincare there are fundamental aspects that form a solid foundation upon which you can grow and adapt to meet the needs of the market. I am activity involved in the beauty space on social media where trends often emerge first as well as keeping a close eye on industry experts, discussion groups and forecast reports.
What is your approach to building and leading high-performing teams, and how do you motivate your team members to achieve their best potential?
Having built teams for startups and small businesses I feel there is a very different requirement than when building a team for a large corporate. Finding people who share your values and passion is of the utmost importance and also finding those that thrive on change and are happy to be flexible is crucial, as no two days are ever the same in a small business.
From a management perspective, I feel a good manager should have great communication skills, they should be able to set measurable targets, whilst giving their team members some autonomy to use their own judgement and to utilise the skill sets that you have employed them for.
Keeping your team passionate, involved in the journey, whilst celebrating and rewarding their efforts is a great way to keep them motivated.
How do you approach managing the financial challenges of starting a new business, particularly in a product-based industry where unit costs are high for small volumes?
I think the key to this is to always keep your eye on the bigger picture. When you start a new business the financial side can be very challenging and especially when you are in a product based business as unit costs are high for the small volumes you need and you can’t benefit from economies of scale. I therefore constantly look at ways to improve this in the future whilst maintaining the highest standards and quality. I think building good relationships with your suppliers is key too. I also love looking for innovative ways to do things differently and more efficiently to assist my financial goals.
Can you share an example of a major decision you had to make that had a significant impact on your organisation? What was the outcome, and what did you learn from the experience?
Whilst I was creating Anara Skincare there were a number of major decisions I made that impacted timings for launch and costs involved, however in order to build the business I had dreamt off these were non-negotiable elements for me. Specifically these decisions were related to getting official certifications from The Vegan Society and Cruelty Free International/Leaping Bunny. Gaining these reputable and internationally recognised certifications was of great importance to me and to the customer proposition of my brand. I had made the decision not to launch until I got these in hand. The processes and paperwork involved is quite significant for a small business however it’s something I am immensely proud of and it was completely worth the wait.
What role does innovation play in your business strategy, and how do you foster a culture of innovation within your organisation?
Innovation is at the heart of Anara Skincare. Our entire range is ingredient centric and each and every ingredient chosen to be part of our product range has a wonderful story and reason for inclusion. The exploration and research of the ingredients and how they work in harmony with one another was a very long and detailed process and I believe this is what makes our products special and unique. Every new product will follow this same process of innovation and exploration and speed to market will never be the important factor. The skincare market is such a crowded market and to have a chance of getting any visibility I believe this part is crucial.
How do you handle ethical dilemmas and make difficult decisions when they arise in your role as a business leader?
I think if you stay true to your values and never lose sight of your end goal the dilemmas and decisions become somewhat easier to overcome. I am a firm believer of following my gut instinct when making decisions and to date that has always been the right path for me and is one that I will always follow.
Looking to the future, what are your top priorities and goals for your business, and what strategies do you plan to implement to achieve them?
As my business is less than 6 months old, my short to medium goals are to establish the brand on a strong footing and to build loyalty with my target customer. I would like as many people as possible to have the Anara Experience and to truly feel the love and passion with which the business has been built. My desire for my brand is a build a lifestyle business that delivers radiance and happiness to your life (that’s the meaning of the word Anara).
I will therefore carefully select the partners to work with and the marketing/advertising channels to pursue. There are also a number of other products that I would like to add to the range in the future and development for some of these has already started.
www.anaraskincare.com
www.instagram.com/anara.skincare
BEYOUROWN MEETS ARATI NAR
The world of beauty has ever changing trends as do the needs of the customer, however I believe that with regards to skincare there are fundamental aspects that form a solid foundation upon which you can grow and adapt to meet the needs of the market. I am activity involved in the beauty space on social media where trends often emerge first as well as keeping a close eye on industry experts, discussion groups and forecast reports.
What is your approach to building and leading high-performing teams, and how do you motivate your team members to achieve their best potential?
Having built teams for startups and small businesses I feel there is a very different requirement than when building a team for a large corporate. Finding people who share your values and passion is of the utmost importance and also finding those that thrive on change and are happy to be flexible is crucial, as no two days are ever the same in a small business.
From a management perspective, I feel a good manager should have great communication skills, they should be able to set measurable targets, whilst giving their team members some autonomy to use their own judgement and to utilise the skill sets that you have employed them for.
Keeping your team passionate, involved in the journey, whilst celebrating and rewarding their efforts is a great way to keep them motivated.
How do you approach managing the financial challenges of starting a new business, particularly in a product-based industry where unit costs are high for small volumes?
I think the key to this is to always keep your eye on the bigger picture. When you start a new business the financial side can be very challenging and especially when you are in a product based business as unit costs are high for the small volumes you need and you can’t benefit from economies of scale. I therefore constantly look at ways to improve this in the future whilst maintaining the highest standards and quality. I think building good relationships with your suppliers is key too. I also love looking for innovative ways to do things differently and more efficiently to assist my financial goals.
Can you share an example of a major decision you had to make that had a significant impact on your organisation? What was the outcome, and what did you learn from the experience?
Whilst I was creating Anara Skincare there were a number of major decisions I made that impacted timings for launch and costs involved, however in order to build the business I had dreamt off these were non-negotiable elements for me. Specifically these decisions were related to getting official certifications from The Vegan Society and Cruelty Free International/Leaping Bunny. Gaining these reputable and internationally recognised certifications was of great importance to me and to the customer proposition of my brand. I had made the decision not to launch until I got these in hand. The processes and paperwork involved is quite significant for a small business however it’s something I am immensely proud of and it was completely worth the wait.
What role does innovation play in your business strategy, and how do you foster a culture of innovation within your organisation?
Innovation is at the heart of Anara Skincare. Our entire range is ingredient centric and each and every ingredient chosen to be part of our product range has a wonderful story and reason for inclusion. The exploration and research of the ingredients and how they work in harmony with one another was a very long and detailed process and I believe this is what makes our products special and unique. Every new product will follow this same process of innovation and exploration and speed to market will never be the important factor. The skincare market is such a crowded market and to have a chance of getting any visibility I believe this part is crucial.
How do you handle ethical dilemmas and make difficult decisions when they arise in your role as a business leader?
I think if you stay true to your values and never lose sight of your end goal the dilemmas and decisions become somewhat easier to overcome. I am a firm believer of following my gut instinct when making decisions and to date that has always been the right path for me and is one that I will always follow.
Looking to the future, what are your top priorities and goals for your business, and what strategies do you plan to implement to achieve them?
As my business is less than 6 months old, my short to medium goals are to establish the brand on a strong footing and to build loyalty with my target customer. I would like as many people as possible to have the Anara Experience and to truly feel the love and passion with which the business has been built. My desire for my brand is a build a lifestyle business that delivers radiance and happiness to your life (that’s the meaning of the word Anara).
I will therefore carefully select the partners to work with and the marketing/advertising channels to pursue. There are also a number of other products that I would like to add to the range in the future and development for some of these has already started.
www.anaraskincare.com
www.instagram.com/anara.skincare
