Hellen Dausen is the founder and owner of Nuya's Essence based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She is an award-winning serial entrepreneur and business leader. Hellen's skincare business, which was founded in 2013 and today employs 12 people, aims to help women find readily available skincare products for daily use to enhance healthy living, relaxation, and rejuvenation. Hellen was listed by Forbes Africa 30 under 30 in 2016 as the most promising entrepreneur to watch in Africa. Her resilience, hard work, and determination have brought Nuya's Essence local and international recognition. Hellen holds a bachelor's Degree from the United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya. She lives with her husband and daughter in Dar es Salaam.

Lioness Weekender spoke to Hellen Dausen about her entrepreneurial journey, her passion for skincare and brand building, and her ambitions for the future growth of her business.

What does your company do?

Nuya's Essence is a natural bath and body care brand based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We manufacture all-natural skincare products for women with all skin types and skin concerns. Our raw materials are sourced from women-led smallholder farmers in Zanzibar Island, Tanzania mainland, and across Africa. Our skincare products are but, not limited to Handmade soaps, Body scrubs, Body oils, Lotions, Raw Shea butter, body cremes etc. Nuya's Essence also trains & mentors young women who are currently running a business or aspire to in the future.

What inspired you to start your company?

I started to develop a love for skincare products in my teenage years, back then my mother used olive oil and coconut oil for our skin and hair. Fast forward, in my mid-twenties, after graduating and not being able to find a job: I began experimenting with different oils. I had time to travel around and noticed how big and diverse the skincare industry is in other countries. I could not see a variety of products back home in Tanzania, and most products women had to import, and it became expensive, I saw the gap and wanted to fill it immediately by creating simple, non-toxic, affordable, functional and effective skincare for women. We are here now.

Why should anyone use your service or product?

The high quality and uniqueness of the ingredients we use. We spend lots of time in research and development to offer our clients the highest quality and functional skincare products they can use for many years and have their skin and overall wellness transformed. We are truly so close to our clients; we listen to their needs and do our best to solve their skin/wellness woes one product at a time.

Tell us a little about your team:

My team has 12 young and vibrant people who strive to do and be the best at what they do every day. Nuya's Essence trains all employees in various areas of their interest, for example: customer care, production, social media marketing, shipping & delivery logistics, and so forth. Our team is small and highly effective.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

Yes, I do come from an entrepreneurial background. My father owned part of a shipping company, and my mother was a stay-at-home mom who ran about three businesses at home. My journey started in 2013, and my first creation was handmade soaps which did not turn out to be so great as I lacked skills. In April 2014, I flew to Malaysia for skincare training where I learned all the basics for making natural cosmetics. I spent months in Malaysia, visiting factories to see what they do and how I can start my skincare business back home. I truly learned so much and when I came back to Tanzania, I was more focused on who I want to be and the kind of products I want to create plus the type of clients I would love to serve. It was hard in the beginning as I lacked the capital that would enable me to do everything I wanted but that did not stop me. Getting cosmetics permits and approval from authorities in Tanzania was a nightmare as I was a small-scale entrepreneur then. In August 2014, I moved to Zanzibar Islands and began again. Fast forward to 2016, I won a business plan competition and was able to get funding for the next three years. I was able to purchase factory equipment, upgrade packaging, open retail shops, and hire a team. In the same year, I was featured in Forbes Africa's 30 under 30 list as the most promising entrepreneur to watch, this truly elevated my business until today. It increased my brand visibility, credibility, and value. Our clientele expanded as well as our product line. Up to today, we still serve our customers with the same heart and soul I started with, never far from our values and service. Nuya's Essence truly is a household skincare brand women reach out to for self-care and overall wellness. We can only go higher from here.

What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?

Nuya's Essence is now expanding and in the process of building our warehouse. This has been due to steady growth over the years. We plan to also increase our product line to include; Pregnancy care, Baby care, and Men skincare. I aspire to be the go-to skincare brand in Tanzania and beyond, I equally look forward to distribution opportunities like franchising so we can break through across Africa. That is the type of growth I envision for Nuya's Essence, to have branches all over the world but still have our values intact and stay grounded to our roots.

What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?

Our customers. To be honest, our products take a very long path from idea to inception, to trial batches, to testing a sample for approval. This hard work and eagerness to wait can take a toll on me. For example, our now bestselling product: African Black soap (in a Jar) took us about 4 years to perfect the formula. This amount of time also means there are lots of resources being used and losing money at the same time, but in the end, we came up with a winning formula and clients loved it. The hard work and perseverance pays off and that's where I get the satisfaction.

What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?

To focus on your goals and ask for help. When you decide to start a business, I do believe it is something you thought through and something you are interested in, so I want them to stay on the path. Many lose focus due to various reasons: one is not making enough money or not making money at all: I want to give them hope and remind them that things take time and businesses they see taking off online or offline: they have been years of blood, sweat and tears. They should focus on their goals and ask for help at any stage of their business, you always need help. Get a mentor and keep it moving, pivot if you have to but keep moving forward. There is always a reward for hard work and perseverance.

Find out more:

Email: dausenhm@gmail.com

Website: http://www.nuyasessencezanzibar.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063927194246

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nuyasessence/