Karthika Nair ventured into business around two years ago. Having quit a high-paying job and with no capital to rely on, the risks were too many. But she took the plunge and promised herself that until she breaks even, she wouldn’t eat out at fancy places or spend on clothes or accessories.
Karthika is the recipient of the ‘Women Economic Forum Award 2018’ and is just back from the ceremony in Delhi, beaming and still surprised. WEF is an associate of All Ladies League, an international women’s chamber and a movement for the welfare, wealth, and well-being of women. “I’m just so delighted. The award is an international recognition and it is definitely a motivation to take new steps ahead,” she says. As a young entrepreneur who started her own beauty clinic, Karthika’s award is in the ‘Young Leaders Creating a Better World for All’ category.
Hailing from Yakkara in Palakkad, Karthika’s journey to being a successful businesswoman was not easy, she says. She had come to Kochi for an internship nine years ago and took up a part-time job so that she could help her family. “I was from a small town, didn’t have much exposure and didn’t even know how life in a city was like,” she says.
Her perseverance kept her going. A job in an Italian cosmetic company, changed her life. “I was in marketing and was doing pretty well when the offer came. This cosmetic company was looking for a manager and though I knew nothing about cosmetics, I decided to take it up. They gave me training and I travelled across Kerala and studied the beauty industry—people’s attitudes, the way they invest in beauty.”
Soon, she started thinking of starting her own place. “It was a risk. Though I was confident because I had the knowledge, getting a loan was difficult.” She struggled to find a bank that would finance her and it took close to a year to set up Karthika’s Professional Beauty Clinic on Kaloor Kathrikadavu Road.
She banks on her relationship with her clients, says Karthika. “I ask them about their lifestyle choices, the beauty products and services they use and things like that. And then I recommend a service that will suit the needs of my client. It is customised for each client.”
Though awareness in wellness and beauty has gone up, people still neglect basic skin-care routines. “I educate my clients first on what their skin or hair needs, explain to them about the products I am going to use and about the follow ups they can do. Every 28 days, your skin regenerates, if you take good care of it, it will stay young.”
Karthika calls herself a self-made woman. From facing the challenges of running a business to managing finances and dealing with the competition in the industry, she has learnt the ropes by observing, studying and ground experience. She designs her own online posters and promotional material, now more as a hobby. “I don’t believe in a booming market. If you know what you are doing and are giving your best to the client, your business will take off. You are successful only because of your own efforts.”
