Mbali Sebapu – Founder and CEO of Hermosa Flor

Founder and CEO of Hermosa Flor, Mbali Sebapu, chats to us about the birth of her make-up brand, her entrepreneurial journey and how she has leveraged her notable influence in promoting her beauty line.

Q: For those who may not know you, how would you describe yourself?

A: I am an ambitious, fearless and God-fearing young woman.

Q: What were you doing before founding your beauty brand?

A: I worked for the SA Navy (SANDF) for 10 years

Q: What inspired the birth of Hermosa Flor?

A: I have always loved make-up, looking pretty and I was also tired of my old job so I thought to myself why not choose what I love and then make money from it.

Q: What does your brand’s name represent to you?

A: Hermosa Flor – It means beautiful flower in Spanish and that my name is Mbalenhle.

Q: What birthed your love for the beauty industry?

A: I was the beauty contest girl from primary school, that’s where it all started. I loved getting dolled up for those competitions. Although that’s where the love for beauty started, I started fully embracing it in high school.

Q: What has your entrepreneurial journey been like thus far?

A: On some days things are smooth and others there’s a few hiccups here and there but it’s all lessons.

Q: What has the biggest challenge you’ve faced in launching and establishing your beauty line been?

A: Shipping products on time when we launched – I think I underestimated my influence and how a lot of my social media followers love and support me. When we launched there was huge influx of orders that we had to hire extra hands to make sure we send out all orders, some were delayed but we managed eventually.

Q: What keeps you motivated when you face challenges as an entrepreneur?

A: There’s someone I look up to in this industry who always tries her out-most best to help me overcome those challenges because she’s more experienced than I am and I will forever be grateful for her. Also my faith in God and knowing he will never give me problems he knows I can never handle. I also look at challenges as lessons the stress becomes less intense when you do that.

Q: Which women, both locally and internationally, are you inspired by?

A: Ntombenhle Khathwane, founder of Afrobotanics and Huda Kattan, founder of Huda Beauty.

Q: What was the process establishing your brand – from conceptualizing it, production, distribution and marketing?

A: At first I only wanted to launch lipsticks so I looked around for a reputable company that could produce exactly what I wanted because I didn’t want to buy something that’s already made, had no control over and just brand it. After a month I eventually got a good company and that’s where I was encouraged to make eye-shadows and highlighters too. I also had to make sure the company had all the necessary paper work and that all safety standards were met; my biggest concern was to make sure they don’t test on animals. While waiting for production to be completed, I was already promoting the brand on my social media platforms using samples I requested, this was to make sure that when I launch people are ready to buy and support and that’s what happened.

Q: You currently distribute through your own online store. Will Hermosa Flor be available through other online stores and physical outlets in future?

A: Not sure about going to a physical outlet yet because we are doing really well online but time will tell.

Q: Has the rise of social media made entry into the beauty market easier?

A: Definitely! People are always glued to their phones and social media has made it easy for one to promote themselves and their business without using traditional marketing which costs a fortune.

Q: You’ve leveraged your notable social following as a marketing tool in promoting your brand. Was that a conscious strategic move and how has that worked for you?

A: It was and it has exceeded my expectations. Seeing people that don’t personally know you put so much faith into you and your brand is amazing, it tells me that they trust me, hence I sometimes want their take on some issues regarding the brand.

Q: How do you decide which products to develop based on the local market?

A: I develop products that I think every woman needs, from your girl next door who likes a subtle yet elegant look to the woman that likes a fierce, daring look. I also make sure they accommodate all skin tones especially the dark tones that aren’t normally thought off when developing make-up products.

Q: Do you think traditional beauty brands who have long dominated the market will lose market share as more socially savvy, independent beauty brands such as yours arise?

A: I don’t think so because they already jumped on online marketing too, meaning they will stay relevant. What might happen is that we might all end up getting the piece of the cake.

Q: What can we expect from your brand this year?

A: We are launching more products and might be joining other online stores.

Q: What is your vision for your brand for over the next five years?

A: To have a few Hermosa Flor stores where we give the customer the best make-up buying experience.

Q: We’ve witnessed the rise of billion-dollar beauty unicorns such as Kylie Cosmetics, Fenty Beauty, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Pat McGrath and more internationally. Do you think the South African beauty market has the potential to eventually breed billionaires from the local beauty industry?

A: Yes, it does. I can’t wait to prove it lol.

Q: What advice would you offer to other women looking to launch their own beauty lines?

A: Go for it and give it your all. The cake is definitely big enough for all of us. Do your research and respect the consumer by making sure you give them the best quality products.

Q: Where can we purchase Hermosa Flor and on which social platforms can we follow you and your brand?

You can purchase our products on www.hermosaflor.africa

IG: hermosa_flor_cosmetics

Twitter: _Hermosaflor

Facebook: Hermosa flor cosmetics