On B.B.B HotSeat: Mai Lieu

Another Sunday, another interview for my lovely readers. 

Today, we will get to know about an inspiring woman who is not only an entrepreneur but also an inventor too. Yes ladies, today we have on B.B.B HotSeat, the lovely inventor, of the wonder product CreaClip, Mai Lieu. 

You might have seen my review of CreaClip and participated in the giveaway for the same. Now, let's get to know a bit more about the 'brains' behind this fabulous invention.

B.B.B: What/who inspired you to start your own brand CreaClip?

Mai Lieu: I was an award winning, celebrity stylist for 15 years and I always found my clients would always trim their own bangs in between haircuts, and I would have to fix them. So I was inspired to invent a product to help my clients at home! When I was a child I had horrible bangs cut way too short, this would empower moms at home to cut their children’s hair also!

B.B.B: Why was it important for you to become an entrepreneur?

Mai Lieu: My intuition was telling me I needed to follow my dreams, and that this invention would help so many families . Therefore I just had to take the risk and start my own business.

B.B.B: Who are your main competitors? How do you compete against them?

Mai Lieu: I don’t have any competitors simply because there’s no other invention out there like it. The only other home haircutting device is the Flowbee however this product creates different haircuts.

B.B.B: How has your experience in running the business been different from what you expected?

Mai Lieu: No it’s exactly how I expected. My parents both have their own business and I grew up around it. I guess it’s very comfortable for me to have my own business. There are many benefits that I love, for example I could work any time of the day. I have the flexibility to travel when I need to.

B.B.B: What advice would you give to somebody else who wanted to start a similar business?

Mai Lieu: To get a lot of books and do your research. I did lots of research online before I started my business. There’s lot of free information, just google any thing you need to know. The more you know the more confident and empowered you are.

B.B.B: What is the most important thing for young women going into business to keep in mind?

Mai Lieu: Surround yourself with positive support. When things get tough, it’s always helpful to call someone, sometimes a “you can do it” is all you need to hear.

B.B.B: What are your future plans with CreaClip?

Mai Lieu: I’m expanding my company now as CreaProducts and where I have many products under the whole brand. I continue to launch products every year. I have a new product ready to launch in 2012, CreaNAILS be sure to check it out!

B.B.B: Last words for BEAUTY, BRAINS AND BRAWNS and my readers?

Mai Lieu: When you start a business it’s important to invest the time and money into your personal growth. I’ve been to many seminars that taught be the tools to think positive and set intentions. Kind of like the movie “The Secrete”. When you have fears and voices in your head saying “this is too hard, I can’t do this” this could influence your decisions and may cause you to give up. This is why I feel it’s important to practice awareness and not let limiting beliefs hold you back in following your dreams.

Thanks for your time and effort for this interview Mai. Wish you more success for all the future endeavors with CreaProducts.

Happy Sunday to all :-*

On B.B.B HotSeat: Susan Skoczypiec

Hi beauties! Today is Sunday and so I bring to you another Sunday series interview.

 
Welcome Susan Skoczypiec (Sue), the sole proprietor of Nature's Brilliance By Sue. 

You might have seen my reviews on  Nature's Brilliance By Sue products on B.B.B. Today let's be a part of the journey that Sue has taken to be an entrepreneur and reach this position. :) 

Let’s get started with the interview,

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Thank you for your time and effort for this interview Sue. I was really touched by your gesture of providing a handwritten interview. Wish you more success with Nature's Brilliance By Sue. 

To my readers, I hope you enjoyed the post as much as I did.

Next interview next Sunday!  :)

On B.B.B HotSeat: Chetana Sagiraju

Hi guys! As promised, I am here with my new interview series starting from the very first day of the New Year. :) 

 
Welcome Chetana Sagiraju, the master brains behind Stylecraze.com.

Firstly I would like to say, I just loved my experience of shopping twice at StyleCraze.com. I really appreciate all the hard work that you guys are putting in.

Let’s get started with the interview.  

B.B.B: What/who inspired you to start your own brand StyleCraze.com ?

Chetana: Actually it’s a long story. Being an Amateur artist, I was always experimenting with different brands & materials. And it was always very difficult for me to find the right brands & especially the right shades.

I used to frequently visit Shoppers stop, Lifestyle and Kathiawar stores (Hyderabadi folks would know this store :) ) for picking up these shades & noticed that the right shades were always out of stock & the waiting time was unbearable – more than 2 months for even stuff like Bourjois Lilas Dór blush or a Chambor Whitening Cleansing Foam.
 

And I also noticed that the Beauty Advisors were not trained properly to cater to the requirements of sophisticated shoppers. The following is a personal experience at a store:

I asked the BA for a Bourjois Little Pot Eye Shadow and she gave me a Smoky Eyes Eye Shadow. I told her that this is not the product that I was looking for but she insisted that this is indeed the same as the Little Pot Eye shadow and the previous one was discontinued. I was aghast at this answer as there was no way that the historic little pot eye shadow would be discontinued :) Also instead of helping people find the right product for their skin tone & needs, I have seen Beauty Advisors pushing products that were in stock to get their commissions. Hence shopping lost its charm.

At the same time I was keenly following all the online Beauty blogs for more than a year & realized that more & more people were keenly reading Product reviews before purchasing and realized Educating & making people aware of their own unique needs and helping them find their products is the right way to do things. 

And hence StyleCraze.com started so that – you never have to compromise on your required Brands & Shades.

And it is Bloggers like you who are working towards helping people find themselves that actually inspire us to do our jobs well.

B.B.B: Why was it important for you to become an entrepreneur? 

Chetana:  I had not dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur. But the need to help people find the products that suit them, make them look beautiful & feel confident is what has driven me to start StyleCraze.

It is not important for me to succeed as a person but it is very important for StyleCraze to be successful as we stand for a cause – to help people find themselves. 

B.B.B: Who are your main competitors? How do you compete against them? 

Chetana: Rather than focusing on competitors, we prefer to focus on our customers. A minute lost in thinking about our competition is a minute lost in helping our customers.

And we obsess over our customers like nobody else does.

I would like to give just one example to illustrate this with your permission:

A Customer (name not revealed – but if she sees this, she can mention it in the comments below) had asked us for a Vaseline Body Moisturizer about a month back when we didn’t have Vaseline on the site or in our stock. Any other site would have said, we do not have the product in stock – rather we bought it from the neighbouring store the same day & got it up on the site the next day. Similarly we got a few Lime Crime lipsticks imported from the US just because she asked. We have this attitude to put our customers over all else. A lot of people who have shopped with us can identify with this story as we cater to custom needs – be it a brand or a shade with negligible waiting time.

B.B.B: How has your experience in running the business been different from what you expected? 

Chetana: We have got an overwhelming response for the site. We have not advertised till now but the positive Word of Mouth flows when you have a good product or service. 

B.B.B: What advice would you give to somebody else who wanted to start a similar business? 

Chetana: Know your customers & hire the right people for the right jobs. Everything else will fall into place. 

B.B.B: What is the most important thing for young women going into business to keep in mind? 

Chetana: Have a positive attitude & never give up no matter what.

B.B.B: What are your future plans with StyleCraze.com? 

Chetana: We certainly want this to be a surprise as we intend to not just satisfy but delight our customers. 

B.B.B: Last words for BEAUTY, BRAINS AND BRAWNS and my readers? 

Chetana: I see the Bloggers and StyleCraze as compatriots in the battle to help people find themselves.

Really love what Beauty, Brains & Brawns is doing for its readers and I wish you all the success in your future endeavours.

Thank you for your time and effort for this interview Chetana and thanks for the sweet words for us bloggers. Wish you more success with StyleCraze.com. :)

Oh and a very Happy New Year to all my lovely readers :D
Next interview next Sunday! :)