Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in beauty and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sithara Gajapala, co-founder of Eleadora Beauty, located in Bloomington, IN, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Eleadora Beauty is an online and (hopefully soon!) in-store retailer of skincare and haircare products handmade by small, minority-owned businesses. Our goal is to be the next big beauty supply store but done right, with social responsibility and sustainability measures built into our business model from the start.

Tell us about yourself

My name is Sithara. I’m a Sri Lankan-American, I’m 20 years old, and a senior in college at Indiana University. I was first motivated to find Eleadora during the Black Lives Matter protests that followed George Floyd’s murder back in June 2020. I wanted to create a more tangible way for customers to support minority-owned small businesses. And I am still working to solve this problem now.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment so far is being able to do it all while I’m still in school. Education is a huge value for me, especially since my parents immigrated to the United States for the sole purpose of giving my younger brother and me the best education possible. I’m proud to say I go to a top 10 business school, graduating a year early, working a part-time job while building a social venture. I hope to inspire other college students that they don’t have to drop out in order to work towards a goal like having a startup.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things is time management. As someone who is constantly doing five things at once, it’s important to make a to-do list for each day to demonstrate the progress you’re making. It’s easy to get lost in all the work you’re doing and not realize how far you’ve come, which can be extremely demotivating.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Start somewhere. The first thing you should do is write down your idea and research the hell out of it. You should know what the competitive space looks like—and know how your solution is better—before you move any further.
  2. Customer interviews. Hammer down what you think your target market is. Write down assumptions you’re making, and turn them into interview questions. Ask these questions to people in your target market as much as you can. Get at least 20 interviews to really understand where your customer is coming from and what they don’t like about the current solution.
  3. Put feelers out. You will wear multiple hats as an entrepreneur. That doesn’t mean you’re going to be good at all of those things. Reach out to your network to see what they’re good at, and learn as much as you can from them. Better yet, outsource the parts of your business that you can’t tackle by yourself. You may find your next business partner!

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Entrepreneurship is often perceived as something that can’t be learned, as something that is innate. The entrepreneurial mindset absolutely can be learned. It’s the way you look at everything going on around you: trying to find ways to improve what’s already out there. So next time your coworker complains about something that may seem trivial, think about why and what could be improved. If it doesn’t exist, it’s yours!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://eleadorabeauty.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eleadorabeauty
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eleadorabeauty/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eleadora-inc/

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.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.