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 Aradhna Juneja, Co-Founder of Palma de Salus, a brand born to support your health with high-quality ingredients that go the extra mile. Currently known for their sophisticated sanitisers that are hand-crafted with an effective formula that keeps each client hydrated. Created from luscious avocado and jojoba oils, this hero product is the brand’s commitment to healing and support through the power of nature.
Despite the challenges, Juneja found a gap in the market and created a niche product that strikes the right balance between functionality and luxury. With more products in the pipeline, the brand is constantly innovating to see what to create next.
Emirates Woman sat down with the brand’s co-founder to find out more about her career and how she found inspiration to create this wellness brand in the region.
What was your favourite subject at school?
My favourite subjects at school were Biology and Chemistry. I was always very fascinated by science and how things came to exist.
What was your first job?
My first job was working alongside my high school’s administrative department to create a new question bank for an updated curriculum for the next generation of students. It was an inciteful learning experience as I saw firsthand the changes in our education system and how it was incorporating technology.
Can you talk us through the inspiration behind your brand?
The inspiration behind Palma de Salus was to create extraordinary everyday essentials. Looking around, I saw noteworthy scientific products with useful medicinal benefits but I did not see them being showcased in people’s homes or existing in discoverable places. I also did see a lot of products that were sold at very high price points that did the bare minimum. We wanted to combine science with luxury to produce products that do their job well and look great at the same time.
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What are the key elements of your role?
The key elements of my role as a co-founder are managing a team that deals with sales channels, content and influencer marketing, product development of new products, brand awareness events, and handling production and manufacturing.
Talk us through your daily routine.
My daily routine is waking up in the morning to feed my dogs and then having a cup of coffee. Every morning I try to organise my task list for the day to see what has been achieved the week before and what is something I would want to focus on for the week. In the evenings I try to go for a walk, workout or do fun activities I enjoy such as horse riding.
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What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?
Just stay focused on your path and don’t let rejection get in your way. I have realised being resilient and mentally strong really helps in the long run because there will be a lot of people that won’t believe in you.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
To keep going and not take no for an answer.
And what is the worst?
The worst advice has been to possibly launch campaigns before we got our branding and content in line with our vision for the brand.
What has been the biggest challenge you had to overcome?
The biggest challenge is tackling two very different markets for our brand, getting the right marketing materials, and partnerships with the right retailers and influencers. Everything has to be thought of strategically and we always need to have a plan for the next six months to a year.
What are your goals for 2022?
My goals for 2022 would be to release a few new products by the end of the year, create a strong online community that believes in our mission and to raising brand awareness for Palma de Salus in the US, UK and the UAE.
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