Welcome to the Emirates Woman weekly series ‘How I got my job as…’ where we speak to some incredible entrepreneurs and businesswomen both based in the UAE and globally to find out about their career paths that led them to where they are now; what their daily routines look like; the advice they’d give to those starting out; and the hurdles they’ve had to overcome.
This week we chat with Dr. Tara Lalvani, a dental surgeon-turned-entrepreneur, who amid the pandemic created a solution to make women’s lives easier on a daily basis.
After finding a gap in the beauty market, she used her expertise to create a luminous system that compactly organizes your makeup to ease any added hassle.
Emirates Woman sat down with Dr. Tara to find out her inspiration behind starting the brand and what led her to create an innovative product in the market.
What was your favourite subject at school?
Science. The possibilities are endless, it’s always been an exciting and interesting subject for me as it helps you understand the world and my career has continually been driven by my love for science.
Can you talk us through the inspiration behind Beautifect?
I was looking for a product, not a business. Beautifect was born out of my own need for something better. I was frustrated at having to stop what I was doing to go and get ready, leave my kids, my husband or just simply drop tasks to allow time to be tied down to a dressing table or stand at the bathroom mirror. I thought, there must be a better way than this? I simply couldn’t find a solution and not being one to shy away from a challenge, I set out on a mission to create a product that solved this daily issue and empower women to have it all. In this modern world everything is on-demand, why isn’t our makeup? Using the latest advances in technology I was able to create a product that truly delivers and makes your life so much easier.
What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
My husband is a great inspiration, as an extremely successful entrepreneur himself, I was surrounded by his energy and drive to push new products that make a difference. I believe in pushing yourself and stepping outside of your comfort zone. I want to empower women within their daily lives and truly make a lasting difference and change the beauty landscape.
What are the key elements of your role?
I design and create all of our products so I am constantly looking for ways to improve our catalogue and also develop products we already have using the latest innovation. Driving the brand forward with meetings, global calls and events whilst managing my team daily so we can reach our goals. Evaluating risk and prioritising opportunities and mostly keeping on top of my vision for the brand.
Talk us through your daily routine.
No day is the same, but I always make sure I start it in the best way I can. Typically my alarm goes off at 7am, I have a healthy breakfast and get ready for the day with my Beautifect Box. The convenience added to my morning has made my daily routine a whole lot easier. I usually have an early call so I will make sure I’m prepped for this and go over any keynotes. Beyond this, it can be filled with meetings, events, travel, logistics, or conference calls. My diary is very full but I do try and have some downtime at the weekends with my family. You have to make sure you look after yourself to avoid burnout and ensure you can perform to the best of your ability.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?
Believe in yourself firstly, if you don’t, how can you expect others to? Be prepared to invest a lot of time into your goals, time is something you can’t get back so you need to spend it wisely. Be prepared for a lot of hard work so make sure you absolutely love what you do.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
Whether you believe you can or you can’t, you’re right. It’s all about your mindset. It’s up to you to decide that you can. If there isn’t an obvious solution, go find one. There is always a way, you just have to work smarter and harder.
And what is the worst?
Follow the hype. Hype can breed misinformation and distract you from your own goals and visions.
What has been the biggest challenge you have had to overcome?
In terms of business, launching in a pandemic had many challenges. Creating brand awareness for something never seen before was challenging with being online only. Not being able to have customers interact physically with a new product in a store meant they couldn’t see the industry-defining lighting in the way I had imagined.
What are the future plans for your brand?
To continue to expand our digital and physical footprint. We are growing globally and I want to spend some more time focusing on these international markets. The demand is high and Beautifect is the go-to brand for good quality beauty tools that truly make a difference. I want to make sure these are easily accessible globally and continue to develop leading tools. We have some very exciting launches coming up this year, it really is only the beginning.
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