Exploring your career options and stepping into the world of work? Our teen committee member Charlotte sat down with one of our founders, Reena Hammer, to get an inside look at indu.

In the beauty space today, there are the current trendsetters at the front of the pack, Rare Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury, Milk Makeup and so on... 

But what about the trends that are yet to occur? Who are going to be the new players at the cutting edge of the industry? indu has quickly become an innovative beauty brand recognised by the younger members of the beauty community and many believe that they are the next big thing… 

I'm Charlotte, an aspiring entrepreneur who had the privilege to do some work experience with indu during summer 2024, as well having the pleasure of interviewing the CEO and Co-Founder, Reena Hammer. We delved deep into the steps of launching new products, their committee of teens and tactics that indu have used to get their products known by their young adult target market. 

Keep reading to find out what advice Reena would give to young people at the start of their career!

I originally came across indu on social media about a year and a half ago when I was 14, a new beauty brand with teens at the forefront of the business. Immediately I was drawn to it. It felt like exactly what I had been looking for in terms of finding skincare and makeup products made for people of my age. I too believed that it filled a major gap in the market and trust that it will succeed in making both parents and teens feel more confident in the products they use daily.

From my work experience at indu and my interview with Reena, I have compiled a short list of my key takeouts from this opportunity and potentially shed some light on aspects of a startup that weren't apparent to me beforehand. Some are only relevant to indu, while others are more related to businesses in general. 

1. Product Development - No idea is a bad idea!

I was fascinated by the fact that indu has a grand master sheet full of new ideas for different products they could create. All compiled from the founder's ideas and products the members of their committee would like to see. 

The committee is a group of teens, roughly around 150 members, that indu ask questions of and canvas opinion from for new products, current trends and who are given opportunities to be involved with the brand's social media content and product creation. It has quickly become one of most valuable resources for indu, to make sure that the reality of the beauty brand aligns perfectly with the vision and desires of their target market.  

Of course, not every business has the luxury or time to make every product ever requested, so a filtering process begins… 

By collecting every product idea, indu can make sure they choose to manufacture and sell the best skincare and makeup products by using the following criteria:

• What their young, trend-hungry market desires - is there enough demand* to justify the time and cash investment in a new product 
• How much competition would the new product face? Are there other similar products out there  - is it a crowded market? Would indu's product offer enough differentiation versus any competitive products?
• How much would it cost to create and manufacture the product? Taking into account how much it costs to test and develop a cosmetic product, which could require receiving samples from different parts of the world and time spent formulating. Can the business plan support the required investment?
• Lastly, how well it fits in with their current range. indu makes sure that their future and current beauty products can all be paired together to form a cohesive routine that is understood by their teen audience. 

*For example - if indu plans to launch a hand cream, are there enough customers out there who would want to buy it? Therefore, are indu going to make a profit or not?

2. Funding - conserving your funding is crucial for the future of the business

At the beginning for most startups, funding is required in order to invest in market research, stock, and a website etc. For indu, they initially raised funding through friends and family, which made the process a bit faster and simpler as friends and family had confidence in both the management team and the indu brand itself.

I have now learned that most beauty suppliers require a minimum order of around 3000 units, and times that by 5 for a minimum range of products. The costs can add up very quickly! Therefore, it's important for any small business to carefully account for each cost and spend carefully in order to have the best chance of maintaining and growing the business. 

3. Promotion - giving teens the opportunity to discover and experience indu's products  

Trying before buying makeup is a very important step in the process, especially for younger people who are potentially unsure of what they want in their beauty regime and have a limited budget. As well as the fact that it's fun to try, swipe and blend products into the back of your hand of course!

In the early autumn of 2023, indu had their first pop-up event. One that had people lining-up right down the street, eagerly awaiting to enter the beauty wonderland. It was filled with skincare and makeup testing stations, games, food, and attended by influencers such as Keira and Sienna Walker. It kicked off the future of many more events to share their innovative products.

indu has recently gone on tour around the UK in the indu Van to bring the experience of its products to teens around the country, who are eager to get their hands on the makeup and skincare. 

Through their continuing pop-up events and committee of teens, indu has created a community that not only can be utilised by indu to create the best products possible, but it also gives all the members a chance to connect, chat and create a relationship with the brand and other members. 

I joined the committee in late 2023 and since then I have taken part in many opportunities to get involved with the growing brand, such as, content creation, product development feedback and voting on product creation designs…  and I have even made a few friends too!

4. Logistics, Logistics, Logistics!

Running a small business like indu means juggling many different aspects of a launch at once and one thing that has become clear to me is that planning, timing and transport are a crucial part of success. Arranging promotional content, designing packaging and supplies all arriving at the warehouse at the right time, is all important to ensure the deadline for the launch is met. 

Cosmetic products have different 'hot spots' of manufacturing all over the world. For example, if indu chooses to sample products for a new eye cream, they need to ensure that when they launch the product they are able to source all the necessary components to their base in the UK on time. 

Something that I learned, and I thought was really interesting, is that each country tends to have a product speciality, for an example, the best pencils (eye pencils, lip pencils and twistable products) are made in Germany, whereas Korea is the innovator of new textures and ingredients in skincare. While Italy is best known for its powder products and creams!

Lastly, a few pieces of advice from Reena to young people entering the workplace:

1. Do everything you can to get yourself in the work place and gain as much experience as possible.

You learn a multitude of different skills in every job you do, so the best thing is to just get started and learn whenever and wherever you can. 

2. You can change and learn as you go and why not being happy in your job may be a good push.

You may not start out in your dream career and that’s part of the journey of life. You can evolve and change as you go. Sometimes, being unhappy in your job may be a good thing. It can encourage you to re-evaluate your career path to get you back on your desired track.