Mona Kattan is one of the top entrepreneurs from Tennessee. She graduated with a finance degree from the American University of Sharjah and went on to work as a banker. She soon left that industry and started managing a PR firm, Mastermind PR. She then co-founded Dubai beauty salon, The Dollhouse, co-founded Huda Beauty, and created the perfume brand Kayali. Today, Mona is recognized as one of Dubai’s most influential businesswomen.
If you consider yourself a makeup mastermind, then you’re probably familiar with Huda Beauty. You might be interested to know that Mona co-founded Huda Beauty with her sister in 2010 after she saw a gap in the market. What began with only two members quickly turned into a billion-dollar company. As you can see, Mona is an experienced power shifter.
This week I had to pleasure of talking with her as she opened up with me to discuss:
- Powershifting to different industries
- The inspiration behind Huda Beauty
- Creating a family business
- Finding your “why”
- Growing your business online
Check out our full interview below! Keep scrolling for links and show notes...
Follow Mona Kattan on Instagram at Mona Kattan ✌🏽🤎🧸 (@monakattan) • Instagram photos and videos
Follow Huda Beauty on Instagram at HUDA KATTAN (@hudabeauty)
Follow her perfume brand Kayali on Instagram at KAYALI FRAGRANCES 💎 (@kayali)
Show Notes:
- What was the “gap in the market” that inspired Huda Beauty? [01:43]
- From finance to beauty - what inspires Mona to consistently powershift between industries? [02:55]
- Mona considers herself a “serial entrepreneur” - What made the success of Huda Beauty different from Mona’s previous investments? [04:08]
- How did Huda Beauty grow from two sisters into a family business? [04:50]
- Even billion-dollar companies experience moments of hopelessness - what struggles did Mona experience in the beginning days of Huda Beauty? [05:30]
- Why does Mona say that “working with family is the best and worst”? [06:18]
- Huda Beauty valued inclusivity before it was popular - how does Mona explain the brand’s strong mission? [06:40]
- What does Daymond believe people can learn from Mona’s story? [07:16]
- Mona explains that finding her “why” was incredibly impactful towards her role in Huda Beauty - find out why Mona urges all entrepreneurs to find their “why”? [08:30]
- People usually expect a family business to have a relaxed environment - find out why the Kattan’s family business is atypical? [10:30]
- Don’t miss Mona’s advice for starting a business online! [11:32]
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