Ima Asali, founder of Mellow Cosmetics, reveals her beauty inspiration to Anita Quade.
I was inspired to set up by brand because… “I always had an interest and fascination with beauty from a young age, but it wasn’t until I was on maternity leave with my first son that I decided to pursue my true passion of creating an inclusive beauty brand as I didn’t want to return to my fulltime corporate job. The timing felt like it was ‘now or never’, so I quit my job and launched Mellow Cosmetics working from home with my baby.”
My brand Mellow Cosmetics is… “a boutique Australian brand focused on making products for busy people on the go. We love making fun, accessible products that are inclusive of everyone, and simple and easy to use. We make you feel powerful and confident.”
I wish I knew when I started out… “how important building a team was from the beginning. I spent the first three years doing everything myself and ended up working seven days a week, 12 hours a day, and extremely burnt out. Once I hired the right people to do the work for me I started working more on the business and not in the business, which I think is an important lesson every entrepreneur will learn at some stage of their career.”
Best advice I have been given is… “when things get hard, give yourself an extra day, extra week or extra month before you decide to give up completely. I have done this since the start of my business and it is what’s helped me through a lot of obstacles over the past nine years. I never give up easily.”
If I hadn’t launched my own range I… “could have ended up in marketing – it’s my favourite part of my day to day routine right now with both my businesses, so if I didn’t start my own business I would probably work with brands to market their products.”
My favourite Sunday vibes would be… “beach time, reading a book and playing with my boys. I love a relaxing Sunday before a big week.”
The soundtrack to my life would be… “I did it my way! Frank Sinatra speaks to my heart and my life.”
This article originally appears in the March-April 2023 print issue of Professional Beauty.
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