Tami Majeed, CEO of Nigelle de Crѐte
Tami Majeed is the CEO of Nigelle de Crѐte, a new luxury skincare start up. The company is taking consumers back to nature and has infused its products with a natural plant oil proven to reduce signs of aging and to treat skin conditions such as eczema and inflammation. The anti-microbial nature of the plant oil gives the skincare range an edge in the world we live in today.
“It is time consumers were reminded that all their skincare needs can be met by mother nature” says Tami “Consumers no longer want synthetic lab-made chemicals on their skin”.
Nigelle de Crѐte is due to launch 2 new premium skincare products in time for Christmas, with customers already emailing the company directly to place pre-orders before the website has even gone live.
What is your background? What made you decide to become an entrepreneur?
I have a background in science and was always intrigued by natural homemade remedies to skincare problems. The essential oil used in all my products have been used by my family for generations. I recommended the oil to a close friend who suffered from terrible eczema and she was amazed by the results.
This made me realise that this remedy was not widely used or acknowledged despite being used for centuries and being a key component in the beauty regime of Nefertiti and Cleopatra.
I decided to conduct my own market research and realised that there was a real demand for my products. After further extensive research and comprehensive trials I was ready to launch Nigelle de Crѐte
Entrepreneurship for me is turning your passion into a practical reality and a way of life. It is about taking a risk and stepping out of your comfort zone. Being an entrepreneur means creating your own opportunities to bring to the world an idea, service or product which will further improve our way of life – even if the world does not know it yet!
How and when did you know your idea was good enough to develop it?
I realised my idea was good enough to develop when conducting my initial market research and those answering my questions started to ask when they could purchase my products. I knew the demand was there and it made me more determined than ever to fulfill these needs.
What would you say are the top 3 skills that needed to be a successful entrepreneur? Why?
Passion – is important to launch any business. There will often be many hurdles to overcome and without passion it can be quite easy to give up on your idea. It is important to enjoy the process.
Organisation – I started developing my business idea whilst working full time and being a mum. Without a clear plan of action organising my days and responsibilities, I would have struggled to coherently research my idea, speak with suppliers and effectively launch my business.
An open-minded attitude – You will always have a business plan when you start out but there will be many occasions where you will have to tweak, adjust or outright abandon some aspects of this plan. Always see your business plan as a fluid document constantly evolving.
What is your favourite part of being an entrepreneur?
I enjoy watching my products come to life from the initial concept. I am proud of my skincare range and how effectively they improve skin condition. I have the flexibility to make my own decisions and there is nothing more satisfying than watching each cog fall into place and the business starts whirring into action.
What individual, company or organization inspires you most? Why?
I will always remember as a teenager reading the story of Sir James Dyson, a truly British entrepreneur. It took Sir James 15 years and 5,127 attempts to invent the perfect vacuum cleaner. He never gave up hope of achieving his dreams and viewed failure as part of the process of creating the perfect product.
The key lesson to learn from this is if you truly believe in your product remain resilient and patient, sometimes the market just needs to catch up with you.
If you had 5 minutes with the above individual/ company/organization, what would you want to ask or discuss?
What kept you going during those dark moments when British retailers rejected your concept and it seemed as if years of effort would end in failure.
What has been your most satisfying or successful moment in business?
The day when testing of the product samples was completed and it was evident from the research and tests that we had developed a product that clearly had a positive impact on skin and helped resolve a range of skin conditions. The products remained true to my vision of using ingredients from nature and hidden in the texts of old, forgotten in today’s crude oil-and synthetic derived society.
What would you say have been some of your mistakes, failures or lessons learned as an entrepreneur?
I have always been transparent about my journey to developing Nigelle de Crѐte. One of the key points I have learnt is to always engage with customers to build my products. It is the most effective way of ensuring you have a product for which there will be a demand.
Looking back I wish I had started earlier in this venture and not been so afraid of the risk. Taking this risk, giving up my job, developing Nigelle de Crѐte has been extremely exciting and obsessively satisfying. I never felt such exhilaration and motivation.
How have you funded your ideas?
I have used my savings to establish and develop my company.
If a new entrepreneur or startup came to you looking for entrepreneurship resources, where would you send them?
I conducted extensive research when I began my journey. However, I was not afraid of emailing business hubs and advisors or even other businesses in the skincare sector to hear their stories of starting up. You will be amazed at how helpful fellow business owners can be.
Any last words of advice?
Believe in your idea and take the risk. It will be the journey of a lifetime. #lifechanging
