Exquisite Henna Art

We interview young entrepreneur, Nayab Hussain, about her new Henna Art business.

Tell us a bit about your business, Exquisite Henna Art.

Henna-art; a simple word to describe a beautiful form of art.

But for me, henna art isn’t just about the designs! It is a cult for me, a culture in which I have indulged since childhood.

And today, with many years experience in the field, I am a freelance henna artist, who devotes her time and effort into creating spectacular henna designs on skin, candles, cakes and chocolates!

Where did you get the idea to start it?

I have always adored the beauty and creativity of henna art.

And whilst at the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy, all I wanted was to become an entrepreneur, a successful entrepreneur in henna art.

Hence, I took the decision to start-up as a freelance henna artist.

How did you know there was a gap in the market you could fill?

Manchester is full of creative henna artists, however most work only for their friends and family.

I understood the gap to be a lack of henna artists available for people from the westernised culture. And created a strategy, in which I have successfully achieved my objectives and filled the gap in the market.

What were you doing before you set up Exquisite Henna Art?

Before setting up Exqusite Henna Art I was doing my A-Levels in Media, Sociology and English language/literature at Bury College.

Have you always wanted to be your own boss?

Yes!

Being my own boss is something I have dreamt of achieving since a very young age. I have always wanted to be able to run my own company which goes from strength to strength, success to success.

What have you enjoyed most about setting up your own business?

Being a creative person, I have absolutely loved getting the photoshoots done for my business, showcasing the different types of designs on models, and objects.

I aim to complete another photoshoot this summer, taking creativity in henna art to the next step up.

I have also enjoyed being able to meet customers from different ages, and ethcinities who all share my passion of henna art.

What were the major challenges you had to overcome when starting up?

For me the biggest challenge has been financing my business.

When I first started up I had absolutely no capital to be able to start.

Borrowing money from friends and family helped me get my feet of the ground, but as I was hardly heard of, getting my business brand out there required a lot of marketing for which I got a part-time job as a waitress.

Even though there was hardly any profit coming in, I tried to keep my costs as low as possible in order for me to gain a consumer base, and sometimes worked for free, as more than profit, what I required most was my brand name to be reaching my target consumers.

How have you been marketing your business?

I have used social media as my biggest platform to market my business.

The likes of Facebook and Twitter have made a huge impact in helping me to reach my target customers.

Moreover, I have used gumtree, and various other directories to reach customers nationwide. I also have a website, which has immensely helped.

What are you plans for the future?

For the future, I aim to expand my business by having henna art salons around Manchester, and hopefully expanding throughout the country.

I have also recently become the very first henna artist assoicated with a spa in the area of Heswall, Birkenhead.

Any tips for budding entrepreneurs out there?

My tip for budding entrepreneurs is to never give up, and appreciate all the failures and let-downs that they experience on their way up.

Every successful entrepreneur has had a taste of failure, but never gave up.

It happened to me, and it will happen to you.

But how strong you want to acheive your dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur is what ensures that when success comes, it comes to stay.

Check out Nayab's Facebook page for more info on what she's up to.