Back in April of 2013, we shared the entrepreneurial story of Satya Ishaani Pandey, who founded an online store for organic cosmetics in 2012. The venture, then called Glam Girl Naturals, was focused on enhancing its clients’ natural beauty with chemical-free products.
There were some growing pains for the young business owner. “My top challenge has been … getting noticed in the beauty world,” she said in her 1,000 Stories profile. “Marketing is a lot more challenging than I anticipated.”
Pandey, however, has made headway in the crowded cosmetic marketplace. Her New York City-based business now has customers from all over the United States, as well as from Canada, France, Japan, Australia and more. The company has also garnered the praise of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for its cruelty-free practices.
This past August, Pandey took a major step, renaming her company Be Natural Cosmetics , inspired by her desire to set her company apart from competitors. “We found out about a few companies with similar names to ours, which lead to confusion for our customers,” she says.
And with the new name came a new website, which features a blog section that Pandey uses to promote the benefits of vegan life while rallying against animal testing practices in the cosmetics industry.
The rebranding effort isn’t the only change her company has undergone — Pandey says new products are on the way as well, thanks in part to input from her clientele.
“[Our clients’] feedback prompted us to discontinue [several items] because they were technically non-vegan,” she says. “We plan to bring out better items in their place in the next year.”
In addition to the excitement of managing a growing business, Pandey says she’s thrilled to have learned so much about both her product and the entrepreneurial process. “Whether it’s business strategy, marketing, creative aspects for our online boutique, or colors that are in trend or classic, there’s been so much to learn,” she says.
There have been challenges — Pandey says she especially grappled with doubt, from both herself and others — but she wouldn’t trade her experiences for anything.
“If I were to turn back time and go back to when I first conceived this idea, I wouldn’t change anything — I would just better prepare myself for the challenges, and remind myself that it would all work out eventually.”