Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in beauty and cosmetics but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Maithe Bizabishaka, founder of Maisha Beauty Products, located in Laval, QC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Maisha Beauty products is a vegan beauty brand created for melanin queens and lovers of nature. Our customers are black, matte, and mixed beauties who love quality vegan products designed especially for them. Our particularity is that we focus on the efficiency, durability, and simplicity of our products. We create them regarding the needs of our community. At Maïsha Beauty Products, we sincerely believe that using natural and eco-friendly products is the safest and most effective way to look and feel great. All products are easy to use, effective, and made of healthy ingredients in order to release the beauty of our customers.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Maïthé Bizabishaka; I am a 28-year-old mompreneur who lives in Montreal, Canada. I am from Burundi and came to Canada when I was seven and a half years old. I graduated from Laval University with a multidisciplinary bachelor's degree by combining my studies in biochemistry, management, and communication. This allowed me to launch my business, Maïsha Beauty, five years ago. Since then, I have only been so happy with this decision. I always knew I wanted to start my own business, but I didn't know in what field yet. It was when I entered the modeling industry in 2014 that I really started to have a vision for my future. I also did various training related to product formulation, business management, makeup artistry, and entrepreneurship. To tell the truth, I am constantly following 1 or 2 training courses in order to improve my knowledge and follow the evolution of the entrepreneurial environment.
At the beginning of Maïsha, my products were not mostly natural, but it was in 2019, when my son was born, that I decided to make this change. I then redid the entire brand image of the company in order to orient myself towards clean cosmetics. I changed everything, from the branding to the formulas, the website, and the packaging. My new role as a mother has made me pay much more attention to the products I use and their composition. I will say that my main motivation each day is to do what I do now.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I will say that it was having my products in Europe and Africa. The fact that I can now have an international audience it's really a major accomplishment for me. Bringing Maisha to the world was a goal, and we are getting there!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The first challenge was creating a bond of trust with my customers. The cosmetics industry is very dense and coming with a new brand on the market requires a solid strategy. I knew the value of my products, but I had to pass on this trust to my target customers, whom I then had to retain, which brings me to the second challenge, which was consistency. Once my customer was reached, we had to keep this contact between us by offering new products on the market that would ensure that I kept their trust. So being a business owner requires you always to stay active.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Educate yourself as much as you can. It can be on marketing, communication, branding, anything. But you have to take formations and always search for what you can improve.
- Trust yourself. You are the one who knows the idea behind your project. Don't be afraid of words you may receive or difficulties. Trust yourself and just make the move.
- Be patient. Sometimes things don't go as fast as we want, and it can be frustrating. But you have to make a smart move and be patient.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://maishabeautyproducts.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maishabeautyproducts/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maishabeautyproducts/
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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