Hi there, My name is Riya Ghelani and I just finished the penultimate year of my Business Management with Entrepreneurship degree, at Pearson Business School! I have always been the creative type and eventually integrated my hobbies into my profession. I currently specialise in 3 categories: creative art and crafts gifts, henna arts and a natural beauty spa.
My businesses
Henna art -
Henna art is a traditional form of a temporary tattoo. I use 100% natural ingredients to make my own henna which is mostly used in weddings, however, it has become increasingly popular in mainstream fashion. The USP (Unique Selling Point) is that I am able to innovate designs that are always personalised as per my clients’ choice.
Creative arts and craft gifts -
For my second business, I make personalised gifts for occasions like weddings, wedding favours, birthday gifts and baby shower gifts.
Beauty -
Natural beauty has always been my strong passion. In my first semester of my degree, I chose a ‘vegan and cruelty free beauty’ topic as part of my ‘Introduction to Research’ module. I had also taken a keen interest in Ayurveda (a traditional natural alternative to medicine) and implemented those methods into making my own beauty products!
So what made me decide to start-up and run my business while studying?
I have always wanted to start-up my own business and become my own boss to gain the independence of working. Although there are risks and challenges whilst starting-up and running a business, the satisfaction of being an entrepreneur trumps all. You just have to be smart with your risks!
Tips:
Balancing a successful business and uni work is like juggling two lifestyles and it can get quite difficult at times! It comes down to 3 major skills:
Prioritisation - making a to-do list, identifying the most important tasks and keeping on top of deadlines.
Time management - making sure you are on top of things and arranging your time so that you get your university work done as well as keeping on top of business.
Organisation - I recommend breaking down week by week and allocating which days you dedicate for university work and which days you dedicate to your business.
The key is to keep visualising the goal ahead of you to stay motivated through the ups and downs!