Today we’d like to introduce you to Meenakshi Subramaniam.
Hi Meenakshi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I am an architect by profession who came to the country 17 years back to start my family. I’m a proud mom of 2 teenage girls 16 and 13. I was born and brought up in the state Kerala in Southern India. Our state is also called as God’s Own Country and has a long history in traditional health and healing practices for centuries. My holistic view of skincare goes way back to my childhood. Early memories were marked with traditional oil baths during the monsoon season, usually accompanied by honey face masks, and “besan” body scrubs.
It was during the time when my teenage daughter started showing interest in skincare products, I started looking at ingredients very closely and the study of ingredients and labels ignited my desire to make something myself.
As I was researching and learning more, the synthetic chemicals and toxins hiding behind labels alarmed me, and the urge to develop clean and pure skincare products became my quest.
What started as small concoctions made in my home kitchen slowly expanded and with the immense support and encouragement from close friends and family, Ma Sita was conceived in 2019. The reviews and positive feedback helped me immensely to create simple and pure botanical skincare products that connect with the everyday women. Being non-toxic, keeping ingredients as close to nature as possible while still being super effective are very important to me…
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
With no background in running an online business, I had to learn from scratch and so made a lot of mistakes initially but the whole process was a huge learning experience. With little help, I had to build my website and do all the bookkeeping neither which came easy. Resourcing raw materials was the biggest challenge I had to face. The initial phase was formulation of the products and so had to account for wastage in trial and error. Since I was not willing to compromise on quality, this stage took longer than I expected. To add to that, COVID struck and sourcing some of the raw materials locally and internationally became a challenge in terms of both timing and cost. Having said all that, I continue to learn, and each day teaches me a new thing, providing me the confidence of reaching my goal.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I handmake all the products fresh upon order and do not stock up. Customer service matters most to me and I truly believe in word of mouth to grow my business. My clients are the most integral part of my business and whatever feedback I receive helps me to improve my products and business. I truly think what sets me apart from others in this crowded market is the quality of our products provided for the cost.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I started Ma Sita based on passion and instinct without too much thought put into business planning. I believe hard work plays an important role in success. You make your own luck by working hard, staying focused, and making tough decisions to reach your goal. And any bad luck can turned into good one by learning from your experience.
Pricing:
- Renew it Right / Glow serum -$10
- Berry blast Fruit Enzyme face mask -$8.99
- Kombucha and Rose mist toner -$8.99
Contact Info:
- Email: admin@ma-sita.com
- Website: www.ma-sita.com
- Instagram: masita_skincare
- Facebook: Masita’ Skincare
