Huda Kattan has become a true reference in the world of beauty thanks to her brand Huda Beauty. In just a few years, she went from blogger and YouTuber to a worldwide makeup star.
Who is Huda Kattan, founder of Huda Beauty?
Huda Kattan is an Iraqi-American Business Woman, born on October 2, 1983 in Oklahoma City, United States.
In 2008, she moved to Dubai and abandoned her career in finance to pursue her passion: makeup. She launched a blog and a YouTube channel in 2010, where she creates makeup tutorials and gives practical advice to beginners.
Very quickly, she was followed by thousands of subscribers from all over the world who supported and admired her. Her sisters, Mona and Aliya Kattan also supported her immensely during her debut. She explains “I started YouTube because I wanted to have my own platform and be able to reach a wider audience than my limited circle of friends and where I could share my beauty tips with women around the world. I wanted them to have a real, trustworthy source of beauty.”
Huda Kattan, alongside her activity on the networks, had started producing her own false eyelashes. She sold them at the time to a very closed circle of people. She announces: “ Everyone wanted to know where could they order my false eyelashes. They were disappointed when I told them they couldn’t buy them. My sister Mona then suggested that I start my own brand.”
2013 marks the launch year of Huda Beauty which very quickly becomes a global success. Indeed, 5 years later, Huda Kattan appears in the ranking of Forbes magazine, of the 3 most influential women in the world of beauty. Today, the brand has conquered the whole world and ranks first in the notoriety podium on Instagram, ahead of the Anastasia Beverly Hills brand according to the ranking of Visibain.
Values and criteria sought by Huda Kattan during interviews
In 2017, Huda launched a $10 million investment fund to help emerging businesses created by “women for women” and offer them a great opportunity for growth. The entrepreneur is as involved in her investments as in her own business. However, she stressed that the support was not only financial and that she worked “hand in hand” with these entrepreneurs to promote female entrepreneurship.
Huda Kattan calls herself a “hard-core feminist” and says her experience as a businesswoman led her to create this fund. Having suffered from machismo for too long as a female entrepreneur, she sincerely wants to develop this initiative.
According to Huda Kattan, before embarking on the entrepreneurial adventure, entrepreneurs must have a specific goal in mind and not reduce the project to “a simple source of income”. She announces: “I feel like when you’re obsessed with your project, you make it your priority, regardless of whether you make money or not,” she said, explaining that she doesn’t did not generate profits during the first seven years of its activity.
Huda Kattan therefore makes a point of recruiting candidates who are just as motivated and determined as her, with the same commitment to equity between men and women. Moreover, to differentiate themselves from others and score points with the Business Woman during interviews, candidates must demonstrate persuasion and relevance. They will in fact be evaluated on the basis of their knowledge and way of thinking. She declared during an exchange with CNBC that she is looking for people with a strong personality, who know how to impose their point of view and stand up to her, if necessary.
