it's a really long story, so I'll try my best to sum it all up in a few paragraphs for you :)
hi, my name is Rabia Ghoor and I am the founder of the e-commerce website you're currently visiting from the comfort of your cellphone / laptop.
my interest sparked in beauty at 14 years old, when II discovered this amazing thing on the internet, called youtube
at the time there weren't many South African beauty youtubers, so I got hooked on international makeup channels, a few months in - I began thinking to myself: international makeup artists and makeup enthusiasts have so much more variety available. bigger brands that are unavailable here in South Africa were constantly launching on-trend innovations in the industry, while South Africa lagged behind.
bear in mind that this was 2014; 4 years ago.
I started SwiitchBeauty, from a 4 square meter area in my bedroom. back then it was just an idea, I didn't have a logo, website, or even a single item of inventory. I began researching, day in and day out. formulation, e-commerce, packaging, manufacturing, design, and everything else to do with this industry. the end goal in mind was to introduce a brand that spoke to girls, not at girls. I wanted to create an affordable product the South African girl / boy felt proud to purchase and use.
the project started small, with an Instagram page & a mere two products. I was beginning to create an influence in the social media beauty scene in 2014, before it was common to do so.
when I think back to how all of it's blown up - it's pretty crazy. I could never have reached where I am today without the support of each & every single one of the babes who have shown their love for the brand, be it through a purchase, a sweet e-mail or even a tweet sent my way.
since then SwiitchBeauty has grown, one thing has led to another, and here we are. for over a year, I ran the company whilst attending high school full time. It got to a point where I would be packing orders until 3AM, and waking up for school the next morning at 6AM. I was handling product research and development, marketing, imports, financials, as well as order fulfilment all while juggling exams, assignments & extra murals for schools. orders were going out late, it took at least 4 days for e-mails to get replied to and customers were not happy. I dropped out of grade 10 in May of 2016 to run SwiitchBeauty full time, and I cannot say I have ever made a better decision. the SwiitchBeauty team has since grown to a solid 6 people, and working alongside them is everything I could've imagined and more.
I was 14 years old at the time of starting my business and I think when you're so young nothing seems impossible. nothing seems unachievable, because no one's told you so just yet.
I am 18 this year, and it's all been kind a whirlwind, seeing the company go from inception to where it is now. however my personal growth over the last 3 years has been my absolute proudest achievement. I am so grateful to my friends, family members and to you, sitting behind your screen, for your part in my journey.
love & gratitude
Rabia Ghoor
update: I am 19 now :) extremely excited for the year ahead & what it holds.
P.S my instagram handle is @ra_bae & my personal email address is rabia@swiitchbeauty.com - if you'd like to go the extra mile in terms of being a good human being, please reach out to me & send me chicken licken.
thanking you in advance.