Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Faye Zandi, Founder of Zandi Land Products, located in Golden, CO, USA.

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

Zandi Land's skincare for down there and anywhere else you wax or shave was created by salon professionals as a better solution to the redness, irritation, and ingrown hairs people experience when they wax or shave in sensitive areas on the body. Whether you remove a little bit or take it all off, our system is designed to give you exactly what your skin needs to stay smooth and bump-free after any type of hair removal. Our unique Deck Scrub formula uses physical and natural chemical exfoliation to gently exfoliate with bamboo stem and pumice, Canadian Willow Herb to soothe and exfoliate, and Vitamin E and Shea butter to keep things soft. Deck Polish follows with a soothing algae blend, jojoba, and natural astringents to hydrate, illuminate and keep the nasties that cause ingrown hairs at bay. If you deal with additional challenges, like hyperpigmentation or scarring, you can customize your post-wax and shave regimen with our Deck Glow brightening serum. Our products are now recommended by thousands of professional waxers around the world who retail our product line. So the proof is in the pudding; Zandi Land Products #KeepYourKittyPretty and keep you ready for your next wax or shave.

Tell us about yourself

I started in the beauty industry at the age of 16, gaining my cosmetology license through a local vocational program during high school, then worked my way through college as a single mother to receive a finance degree. After a very unfulfilling stint in corporate finance for a large aerospace company, I left and decided to pivot and go back to my passion for beauty and personal care. I decided to open a salon of my own and grew that business to 2 locations, 50 employees, and $4 million in annual revenues. All of this was an amazing achievement, but I knew there was something else destined for my future.

As a salon owner, I was looking for a product to retail to our clients post Brazilian wax, but the only things on the market were harsh chemical serums or oily sugar scrubs that shouldn't be near your bits and pieces. I knew there had to be something better that would actually keep all these kitties pretty! So I went to work with a chemist and created our Zandi Land Deck Line, specifically formulated to help with the redness, irritation, and ingrown hairs people experience in sensitive areas on the body where they wax or shave. I knew this was my future. After leaving salon life to pursue our growing product line, I found a huge passion for developing amazing product formulas and growing our online community. As an eternal entrepreneur, I thrive every day on creating new ventures that allow for personal success for myself and my teammates. I love creating excitement in others to drive new ideas to fruition and using my background in both the beauty industry and finance to fuel projects to the top.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is growing our community of professional retailers carrying our products to over 2000 salons, spas, and waxing studios throughout the world while staying authentic to our purpose-driven brand in creating quality formulations with great ingredients. Seeing posts of our products on professional estheticians' shelves every day is the best feeling! I feel so lucky that I get to spend my days supporting fellow women-owned businesses in increasing their revenues and helping them to provide their clients with products that give them the best results and happy, healthy skin!

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

Any company is only as good as the team behind it, and without a great team, even the best business owner with the best ideas will fail. And while every day as an entrepreneur brings its own unique challenges, one of the hardest things about being a business owner is the weight of being a good leader to your team. We have a small team, and we all work remotely, so it's important to keep people connected in a way that feels authentic and energized, which means being a leader on days even when you don't feel authentic and energized. It means being vulnerable enough to be a good leader when you don't know all the answers and allowing your team the space to not always know all the answers, and taking that journey together. Being an effective leader to a close team might be one of the most challenging parts of being an owner, but it is definitely also one of the most rewarding.

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

  1. Don't overthink it.
    You have a great idea but also might be able to think of a million ideas not to start your business. There might already be competitors in the space or bigger companies already doing what you want to do. You might not have the funding you wish you did, or it might not feel like the perfect time. But if you have a passion for your idea and are ready to put in the work, really put in the work, you can be successful. All it takes is that one way you do it better, that one way you improve on the idea, or that one way you bring a different energy to your project.
  2. Don't skip the boring stuff.
    Starting a successful business means putting in the work beyond just the part you enjoy. You might think financials are boring, and cash flow spreadsheets might not get you all hot and bothered, but they are one, if not the most, important part of starting, running, and growing a successful business. Understanding and keeping up-to-date business financials through every stage of your business can make or break the trajectory of your company. So even if you don't enjoy it, do it! Or find someone who does to help you.
  3. Don't underestimate the power of real relationships.
    Whether relationships with your employees or with your customers, don't underestimate the transformative power that developing genuine relationships can have in your business. We have built our entire business on building individual relationships with our customers, who have, in turn, grown our business organically for us. When people feel that you really care about them, their needs, and your relationship, that comes through in all that you do and returns tenfold. Not only is it great for your business, but these kinds of relationships also feed your soul in a way that just making money definitely can't.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website(Shop): https://zandilandbeauty.com/
Website(Blog): https://zandilandprofessional.com/blogs/insider-info
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zandilandproducts/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faye-zandi-b3846710/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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