Mouna Abbassy is one of the many Dubai entrepreneurs that fell in love with this growing, dynamic and multi-cultural city full of energy and opportunity and wanted to do more while here.
After moving to Dubai in 2005, Mouna joined one of the largest beauty corporations in the world where she fed her passion for the world of beauty care, a passion generated from an early age growing up in Morocco where family and friends would create and share their own natural beauty products. This passion developed into a hunger to create something of her own, and driven also by the life changing experiences of a rare syndrome that paralysed her at a young age, in 2013 organic beauty product range Izil Beauty was created.
Q. When did you get bitten by the business bug?
Since I was a little girl, I always had the dream of creating something of my own, something that will have my name on it and that is the true bug that pushes me to do what I do, the business side is a by-product, not my main motivation. I created my brand, I create products, solutions and stories and, because it is my passion, I never compromise on the quality of my creation and always aim for perfection. When I offer the results to the customers, they know that they are respected and valued and this is how we win their loyalty which is the main ingredient to a successful business.
Q. Did you have mentors that encouraged you, and who were they?
As an entrepreneur, I had to wear many hats at the same time: marketing, finance, accounting, chemistry, supply chain… etc. I had to understand and master every aspect of my business so I surrounded myself with the best people I knew in each function. I reached out to my family, my friends, my former colleagues, I attended courses and support programs and I was amazed at the number of people who were supportive and how they were generous with their time once they understood that I was passionate and genuine.
Q, What challenges did you find in the business world, and how did you overcome them?
The main challenge in the business environment is the uncertainty, especially in the beginning when you do not have a history to use as a reference and not enough cash to afford big mistakes. To overcome that, I used 4 things: resilience (always believe in yourself), flexibility (be ready to adjust to change), humility (admitting that you are wrong) and the amazing support of my family and friends.
Q. What challenges did you find face when balancing work and home life, and how did you overcome them?
When you create a business that you are passionate about, it becomes part of your life and it is very difficult to separate work and home as you are constantly thinking about the upcoming challenges. “Working hours” and “working days” lose their meaning and become simply “hours” and “days”. I am fortunate to have my husband as a partner and to share this passion with him so he understands and supports me when I am under pressure and unable to keep the balance and, again, we are surrounded by wonderful family and friends who step up whenever we need help.
Q. What encourages and motivates you?
When I was 10, I was struck by the Guillain-Barre syndrome and spent 2 months in ICU. I had a few near death experiences and was left completely paralysed after that. Rehabilitation was long and painful but, by the grace of God and the support of my family, I went from being spoon-fed in a wheelchair to creating a successful business in one of the most dynamic countries in the world. I always have a picture of me as a little girl in a wheelchair with serum bottles hanging on the side to remind me where I come from and to encourage me to push the limits every time.
Q. Does anyone inspire you at the moment ?
Anyone who has faced adversity in life in any shape or form and still reached greatness, like Nick Vujicic, Maysoon Zayid and the one and only Stephen Hawking. When I watch them, I simply cannot find any excuse to give up.
Q. What advice would you want to use for women who are contemplating entering the business world?
Do not think about the product and the money you will make, think about your passion and how you can use it to change people’s lives. Consumers today are extremely smart and demanding and good products are available everywhere, it is the solutions that you will offer that will make a difference. People will invest their time and money in you, not your product or your business thus, if you are not passionate, you have nothing to sell. Put your ego aside and seek help from people who can help you, you will be surprised with the level of support you’ll receive and last but not least, seek information and learn, learn and learn some more from people, from books, videos, your mistakes and your successes. Money comes and goes but knowledge, experience and passion are there to stay.
To find our more about the range of products from Izil Beauty, visit their website here.