What it’s really like to run an independent beauty brand
If you’ve never heard of Bahi Cosmetics, then you’re seriously missing out.
Fans of the brand swear by its serums, lotions, and soaps as miracle products for all of their skin-related ailments. When the Maryland based beauty brand has one of their highly anticipated restocks the hype shows. Customers who want to get their hands on a Sunflower Sweets Serum (their bestselling product), or one of the many other skincare goodies, have to be quick because products sell out within minutes EVERY TIME.
We sat down with Emmanuelle Bahi, the 22-year-old founder of Bahi Cosmetics, and talked about what it’s like to be the head of a company that has such crazy growth.
How do you go about choosing your team? How many people work for Bahi currently?
Bahi currently has 12 employees. 5 on customer service & 6 on production. We started being this big starting June 29th. I conducted an interview and after many trials & errors with many, I found an awesome team.
What do you wish you had done differently since you started Bahi?
I wish I had started with the people I have now. I wished I had believed in myself and that I could accomplish things at a faster rate than others. I wish I had the help I have now. I went through so many growing pains and I’m truly happy that now I’ve learned from them… although it took me nearly a year.
Can you describe the moment you realized that Bahi was a big deal?
It took a software crash for me to realize that Bahi had a bigger potential than what I had imagined. It all happened in a period of a day. A SINGLE DAY. I never expected it to grow so fast but then again I made good products… and they worked. I nearly lost my mind that day. Texted my friend Danny going insane because there were so many orders and I didn’t know how I was going to complete them. He was happy for me because I was finally receiving my big break. Bahi was a big deal to people.
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How does social media fit into your business practices?
Social media is truly how people got to know about Bahi. It helped me market my brand and get the amount of sales I needed. Later on, Bahi was just known for the good products it carried and built its own reputation on social media.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to start their own business?
Starting a business takes more than just having the funds. It has to be something that you’re truly passionate about. You have to be able to view it as your child.
Why?
Because there are times where you will struggle the hardest you’ve ever struggled to bring up that child. Owning a business is not an easy task. You will go through trials and errors and hope to learn from them. There are times where your business will bring joy and happiness and there are times where you’re gonna want to cry and give up everything… but you have to push through. That’s the beauty of it.
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Where do you see yourself and Bahi in 5 years?
That’s a very hard question because I’m just enjoying the ride as I go…. but I’m seeing stores , possibly an agency & I’m also seeing Bahi being branded differently.
Follow Bahi Cosmetics on Twitter and head to Bahi.Care to cop their new products.
