When did you launch?
November 2020
How and why did you come up with the idea?
My skin was suffering terribly with lupus lesions and because of this I started to look at what I was putting on my skin. I started experimenting and making products that contained natural, moisturising and healing ingredients that would soothe and restore my skin and hair. Seeing how well my products worked for me and other family members who tried them out I decided I wanted to share my product with everyone else.
What barriers / obstacles did you have to overcome and how did you do it?
My biggest obstacle was fear and thinking of all the reasons why I could not start a business (money, time, legalities, logistics). I overcame these fears by taking the time to do a lot of research into different ways to start a small business and I enrolled onto a course to assist me with the legal side of the cosmetics industry. I decided that I would start small, do everything in-house and invest any profit back into the business to buy stock and equipment. For me, this is a fantastic way to learn about building your business from all angles. Another obstacle was social media – I was clueless, I had to learn fast and I am still learning lol!
‘We are passionate about using organic ingredients that have been ethically sourced and work closely with other small businesses.’
What is different about your product and brand?
Akirma Luxe products are created with sensitive skin in mind first and foremost as this is where the concept was originally created. With that in mind, we plan to always create products with an option for those with sensitive skin. We are passionate about using organic ingredients that have been ethically sourced and work closely with other small businesses – this enables us to give back, both to other businesses and to the community.
What are your plans for the future?
The short-term plans are to grow the brand, expand the product line and to continue to expand our knowledge of organic skin and hair care. The long-term plans are for our products to be accessible worldwide and to see them in shops such as Baldwins and Planet Organic.
Are you looking for funding / investment?
We are interested in considering funding/investment for Akirma Luxe. This will enable us to take our vision for the brand forward, both in terms of business growth and working towards being as eco-friendly as possible.