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Heather McDowall
Founder of Niche Brow Bar and Niche Brow Co, Heather McDowall who refers to her debut product as the fairy godmother of brows, explains how the pandemic helped her launch business number two and finding your own lane.
WOTC: What was the beginning for you?
Heather: So I entered the beauty industry in 2014 and I was actually in university. I was doing a general business degree, and my plan was always to specialise in H.R. I took an enterprise class, just because I had to pick another subject, but it wasn't really something I had thought to do, but I took this class and I ended up loving it so much and I ended up hating H.R. It exposed me to a world of entrepreneurship and I got to hear from all these people that were running their own businesses. It really did inspire me.
I remember before I went to university, I really wanted to be a makeup artist but at that time it wasn’t seen as a solid career and it wasn't as popular as what it is now. So actually, after I did that first year at university, I just took the leap. I did a course on my summer break and I built my business up whilst I was at university and in my other job. When I graduated, I went into brows.
I've been doing brows since 2016 and after I started doing them, I realised that it was more for me than makeup. I just found that I had a really natural flair for it. At that time as well, I was going through a really bad stage with my [own] brows. I was trying to figure out how to solve a problem of how to get my brows back and, so although it was a professional journey, it was also an issue that I was dealing with, that I was trying to solve. It worked hand in hand and it just grew from there. I built up a really good clientele, and was achieving really good results for people. It just became my passion.
I had always wanted to bring out my own products. I specialise in corrective work and I work with people over a period of time, trying to get their brows to grow back and I always recommended that they used a growth serum at home. So it really made sense for me to bring out my own, so that I could provide my clients with something that was going to speed up their journey and enhance their experience.
WOTC: And what did the pandemic mean for your business?
Heather: I was trying to start Niche Brow Co when I was still running the salon, and to be honest, I just didn't have the time. I worked as a brow artist full time, I managed the salon, I managed everyone in the salon, I did the marketing, I did the accounting. So I did pretty much everything. So, for me to try and give Niche Brow Co the attention it deserved - I was getting nowhere fast. I would send emails, I would do some research, but I wasn't really making any progress. So as soon as we went into lockdown, at the end of March, by the first week in April, I was writing out a plan of how I was going to start this business. I remember thinking, ‘I don't know how much time I've got here, but I'm going to make this work.’ So I started putting more effort in, reaching out to people, doing research and finding out how we could make a really good product and a great brand. Even though I lost one business effectively, I gained another and I really don’t think I would have been able to do it if I didn't have that time.
WOTC: Where do you see that business going in the next 5 to 10 years?
Heather: Well, I see it growing. We only have one product right now, although it's a great product. I would rather have one good quality product rather than 10 products that I don't really love. So I always said that I was going to do it slowly but effectively. The good thing about me is, because I'm in the position where I can talk to my clients who are using the products, that is grounds for market research. I can actually see how the products are working for them and I can grow the brand from there. So we will be releasing more products. What I really want is to provide an education for people, and it doesn't necessarily mean that we’re going to educate people on how to become a brow artist. It just means that we are going to educate our consumers on how to use our products to make them feel confident.
WOTC: And what would you say to a younger you or a younger girl that wants to enter this industry. She has big dreams, but she doesn't quite know how to execute them. She doesn't know who to speak to. What would you say to her?
Heather: I would say follow your dreams, and I think it's very hard when you're starting out. You don't really have the knowledge yet, but I would also say to my younger self; have patience, give yourself time. It's not going to happen overnight. I want everything done yesterday [she laughs]. So have patience and be prepared to make mistakes, because that's how you move forward.
WOTC: We love what you said earlier about only having one product, however that product is your hero product and it's doing very well on its own. So what advice would you give in that retrospect as well - about not trying to have so many products and just working on one, two or even three?
Heather: That's quite a good question and I would say it's so relevant to our brand because you'll notice the name of both of the companies is ‘Niche’. The reason why I went with the name Niche is because I thought, ‘pick one thing that you're really good at, that you're knowledgeable in and that's your area of expertise.’ So for me brows and brow rehab is my niche. So, I would say work on one product and get it absolutely perfect and solve a problem with that product, before then jumping onto another project.