Tell me a bit about your job background. I began distributing niche makeup products brands like Watosa from Japan & Dollface Beauty Cocktails from the States. It was a real way for me to get into the business enterprise and study from the bottom up, without huge startup costs associated with product-based industries.
How did you build a beauty brand from your bedroom into the success it is today? With a complete great deal of creative thinking and careful budgeting. I sourced packaging from factories with overrun stocks that they could give me in the hundreds rather than the thousands, I had developed my sister do the design and I took stock formulations from private label manufacturers. I also needed to learn how to make a press package and cold-call beauty editors to get the term out there.
- A little goes an extended way
- 5 Tips to Get Longer Lashes and Fuller Eyebrows
- Basil and other herbs
- 1 ripe banana
- Are there any products I would need
- Leave it on for 15 minutes
Blogging and sociable media were actually non-existent then. When I acquired my first order from a merchant in Covent Garden, it was for 5,000 systems. It had been then, which I approached a friend to invest in the business so that I could mass-manufacture all the merchandise, which gave me a more substantial profit margin. Things just naturally became popular from there. What advice would you give to anyone who wants to create their own beauty range?
Ensure you have enough capital to set aside, as well as a crisis fund as makeup products is an extremely product-intensive business (i.e. capital-heavy). Due to all the competition that’s out there today, it has become a volatile business extremely; retailers are demanding shorter sell-through timelines, and you therefore have to have your emergency fund to see you through tougher times.
Jelly Pong Pong has extended internationally – inform me more about this. Jelly Pong Pong is currently in Sephora Asia, which gives us an opportunity to grow and find out about beauty preferences here. Although I am Malaysian, Jelly Pong Pong has never been sold in this area before, and our products and colors reveal that.
Being here, speaking to merchants and end consumers allows me to create a more powerful brand that gets to a wider audience. What opportunities do you think international beauty markets represent? The capability to grow and to prolong the reach of your brand away from a safe place. You now have the opportunity to understand how to appeal to a completely different group of consumers, along with their unique buying patterns.
How has the beauty industry transformed since you first started and exactly how have you modified to suit? Believe it or not, it used to be difficult starting a beauty brand quite. I was in the business to create 1 never,000 SKUs, and this holds true to today. What inspires you when you are creating your quirky products?