Q: Please elaborate on your company portfolio
Brau is a premier brow and lash studio that sits at the intersection of art with beauty. We specialise in semi-permanent makeup services such as Nanoblading and Lip Blush, as well as brow and lash grooming services such as HD Brows, Brow Lamination, and Lash Lift treatments. Our treatments are delivered through highly skilled master artists from around the world who have carefully honed their craft through many years of practice. We adopt our unique approach to provide customised results that meet each client’s beauty goals delivered.
Q: What were the challenges you faced as a woman entrepreneur while setting up Brau, and how did you circumvent them?
When we started Brau, there were some aspects of the business that I didn’t know much about such as construction and trade licensing, to mention a few, there weren’t many sources that could direct us. We overcame those challenges by being humble, being open to learning new things, asking the most basic questions, documenting every note, researching, and meeting people in the industry that we could learn from, and that helped overcome most of the challenges I faced.
Q: How do you see the personal grooming sector for women growing here in the UAE and region in the next five years and how do you see your brand growing alongside?
The beauty industry is one of the oldest industries in the world, and will always be in demand for the foreseeable future. However, the science and technology that dictate trends has advanced rapidly and presents tremendous opportunities for entrepreneurs to provide new treatments and deliver a better customer experience. This is an area that we are paying special attention to when we are planning for our growth.
We are very grateful for the daily feedback that we receive from our customers at both of our locations: The Springs Souk and at Mall of the Emirates, along with the customer affinity that we have been building over the past 2 years, and our plan is to grow the brand so we can make our services accessible to more people in our region.
Q: As a successful woman entrepreneur in the UAE, please share some tips for women entrepreneurs planning to make an impact here in the region.
Don’t be afraid to take the leap, when you leave a stable job to venture out on your own, you will hear a lot of resistance from your family and friends telling you it’s not a good idea because of timing, the economy, the idea, etc. and its normal because they worry about you. It’s important to block out the noise, keep going and stay confident in what you’re trying to achieve.
Don’t overcomplicate things, I truly believe that you need to be naïve to start a business and stubborn to keep going. To start you need thorough market research, a solid business case, and a well-defined concept & brand, and if you are 40 per cent sure that’s good enough.
I’m a big believer that comfort and growth cannot co-exist. As an entrepreneur, I don’t think a day has passed where I felt comfortable, it can be exhausting, but this is the most effective path to growth. l
