Shamsa and Kaltum Hassan are the owners and founders of Afiya Beauty, an artisanal skincare company focused on creating handcrafted and nutrient dense skincare for all women.
In today’s interview, I speak with Shamsa and Kaltum about how their brand values are driving the direction of their business, and how storytelling plays a key role in connecting them with their ideal audience. We’ll also discuss why it’s important for underrepresented groups of women to challenge the status quo, and how to ensure your actions are aligned with your core purpose.
Knowing these two remarkable women personally, I have to say I feel so proud of the progress they’ve made over the past couple of years as they’ve launched and grown their new business. Even now, they continue to inspire me as they provide a great example of how internationally sharing an authentic brand story can play such a pivotal role in a company’s early success.
Here are my Top 10 Takeaways from today’s conversation with Shamsa and Kaltum of Afiya Beauty:
1. Your core business values can help anchor your brand and help you make more aligned decisions as you grow.
2. Keeping your “why” at the forefront of everything you do will help you connect with your ideal audience and set you apart in the marketplace.
3. Your messaging will be stronger over time if you consistently link it back to your key value pillars.
4. People connect with stories, so be sure to take your audience along with you on your brand journey.
5. Telling your story will help you create a loyal tribe of raving fans and customers.
6. Showing up consistently is key if you want to make a long-lasting impact.
7. Share your story in as many ways as possible. Remember, it can take up to 21 touchpoints before someone makes the decision to hit that purchase button.
8. Don’t just rely on social media to tell your story – look for unique opportunities that are ideally suited to reach YOUR core customer or client.
9. Who you think is your audience might not be who buys from you. So be sure to track who your customers actually are and connect with them regularly.
10. Today’s power move is to show up consistently and authentically for your audience. Even if you don’t get what you expect, you’ll get what you need.
