Leading the beauty biz
Beauty Launchpad has always rooted for women entrepreneurs. In this issue, we bring you the success stories of two young and dynamic women who believe in dreaming big and thinking out-of-the-box. — By Kanishka Ramchandani
Vandana Bhardwaj goes big with Marie Claire
Vandana Bhardwaj made a big splash in the beauty industry when she launched Marie Claire Paris Salon and Spa in India earlier this year. Roberto Bre, Global representative of Marie Claire, was present at the event, where Vandana announced opening 100 Outlets over the next five years via franchising mode. Hailing from the picturesque town of Solan in Himachal Pradesh, Vandana is a model, a business woman, a social entrepreneur and vegan activist. Beauty Launchpad engages Vandana into a tete-a-tete about her business plans for Marie Claire.
What inspired you to get Marie Claire Salon in India?
Marie Claire is a popular brand worldwide and the magazine is well-recognised in India. We are a salon and wellness academy and we thought why not approach them. We had meeting with them and they were also quite inquisitive. It took one year to convince them as this was a different vertical for them. They had to study the entire business concept before they agreed. We provided them our goals for 10 years; discussed the loopholes that they could face are and we as a company can face; and also discussed the pros and cons in detail. We have taken their license for 20 years for India and we are giving them certain percentage of what we are getting.
What kind of business plan have you put in action now?
We are freezing the master franchises in all major states and cities in India. After that we will roll o ut unit franchisees. We opened our first salon in Bangalore. We plan to launch three salons in Hyderabad on the same day in October.
Who can approach you for franchisee?
Any entrepreneur who wants to enter the salon business can approach us. We give them all the information and knowledge as well as training. In unit franchise, which is very new and fresh, they don’t understand what is licensing franchisee. So, we give them proper training for three days, which helps them to understand the inner working of a franchisee.
How much time does the master franchise takes to break even?
It depends on how quickly the master franchise is able to open more salons. It takes a minimum of two years cause in a year master franchise can open only 7 to 8 salons max.
How has the response been so far for the Bangalore salon?
It has been great! The best part is that customers liked the quality of the salon and didnt’ find it expensive. I am happy that they are happy!
What marketing plans do you have for Marie Claire?
or and branding exercises. Consumer satisfaction is our priority, which will result in word-of-mouth publicity. I might sound old school but that’s how I see it.
Aishwarya Sawarna Nir talks about Global Beauty Secrets
Aishwarya is a second-generation businesswoman. Her family has been in the business of healthcare for the last 12 years. After a stint with the media, Aishwarya joined the family business. That’s when sheG discovered that women are largely looked upon as consumers of beauty products. The fact that women across the world are creators of beauty rituals is totally ignored. That’s how Global Beauty Secret was born. Backed by latest scientific know-how, innovation and technological excellence, this new skincare and haircare brand unravels the beauty rituals from the kitchens and courtyards of women with unique cultural legacies around the world. Aishwarya is also into social work and loves to write poetry. Beauty Launchpad asks some key questions to this enterprising young woman about her plans for her brand. Global Beauty Secrets is rooted by three key elements – ‘Global, Natural and Woman’ and the same is aesthetically embedded in the brand logo.
Where did the idea of starting a skin care line come from?
I always wanted to foray into consumer business and felt that as a women, beauty comes naturally to me. I also am passionate about skincare products that I use. I knew that if I were to make something, it would be in beauty.
What research did you do before starting the line?
Everyone is now talking about natural, organic and herbal. I visited a beauty store and found that the shelves were full of the same kind of ingredients. I realised that there are so many beauty secrets that women themselves have created – from Cleopatra to Noor Jahan. We all have a treasure of family beauty secrets that we was passed on to us by our grandmothers
Getting the ingredients and grandma’s secrets and making them into consumer goods; how did the whole transition take place?
It was not possible for me to reach out to women individually in various countries and figure out what they are using. Whatever the women use is reflected in the popular tradition in each country. Like in India we have the Panchamrit ritual, in Turkey there’s the hammam, etc. In India, milk is used as a toner, while in Egypt honey and castrol oil were used on hair. I started putting it all together and reached out to my manufacturer and told him that I want to develop a product like this.
Can you take me through your production process?
Some of the ingredients that we have like Adzuki beans and the Turkish Rasoul cannot be found India. The Rasoul is only found at the foothills of the atlas mountain in Morocco. In the product development process, my entire focus is on the culture because I want that when the consumer opens that mono-carton the magic of the culture reaches to them.
What’s your vision for the brand?
My vision for Global Beauty Secrets is that I want it to be as diverse and beautiful as the world around us. There should be no barriers or boundaries, only the magic that we have weaved in our distinct cultures.
What’s your marketing strategy?
I want to go heavy on digital as my consumer wants a lot of context. We have written so many stories at the back of our packs. I want to drive more context to my consumer through e-commerce. That’s my marketing strategy.
How is the brand positioned?
We are available on Nykaa.com right now. We will be on Myntra, Flipkart, and Amazon soon. We will be also available offline through select retail outlets. Getting our own store is in the pipeline. Since our story is, so new I want to have proof of concept that people love the story and they want more. In terms of positioning, we are placed between premium and prestige segments.