Hanieh Sigar is an entrepreneur, biochemist, and anti-aging industry disruptor. Her holistic skincare brand, Qyral, is the culmination of a lifelong mission to improve lives and increase longevity. No stranger to entrepreneurship, Hanieh has the experience of driving 600% YoY growth with her healthcare startup and taking an e-commerce startup from zero to over $20M in revenue over five years. Combining her business acumen, bioscience knowledge, and passion for empowerment, Qyral delivers far more than skincare. In addition to individualized, science-based products, the brand offers an opportunity for entrepreneurship. Following in the footsteps of her mother, whose efforts lifted hundreds of wartime widows out of poverty, Hanieh sees Qyral as a pathway for women to change their skin, their incomes, and their lives for the better.
2020 has been a crazy year for everyone. It has shown us how resilient we can all be in the face of crisis. How uncertain the future can be. And it has also demonstrated the importance of agility and adaptability — both personal and professional. When I initially conceived of Qyral, I imagined a personalized, digital first, e-commerce based business model. Most network marketing companies prior to Covid were utilizing traditional parties and face-to-face selling models. However my concept of a digital-first platform was already breaking the mold, even before it became the model for many businesses adapting to quarantine orders. The problem I faced was how to change an industry that was accustomed to doing the same old, same old. For Qyral, all of our interactions and “parties” were designed to be hosted online. Since everyone has adjusted to utilizing digital platforms such as Zoom and Google Hangouts as a means of face-to-face interaction, this has not only legitimized our position but lessened the learning curve.
One thing I have learned is that there is no such thing as failure. You either pivot, give up, or learn important lessons you can build on.
The second piece of advice is to stick with it no matter what. We live in an instant gratification world where everyone expects immediate results — from swipes on dating apps to plastic surgery, or the millions of products we can order and have show up at our door in 1-2 days. Never before in history have we had so many options, and the paradox is choice can be overwhelming. However, good things take time, patience, persistence, conviction, and deliberate focus. I can’t think of a single person I admire who hasn’t spent a lot of time and effort on their craft. Give yourself 5 years on average. Malcolm Gladwell calls it the “10,000-hour rule,” but it’s just really the time it takes for ambitions to come to fruition. Stick with it and success will surely ensue.
The third (cliche, but very important) piece of advice is to figure out your real “why.” If money is your only source of motivation, you will be left empty, craving more. But if you focus on impact and purpose, an abundance of opportunities will show up. For me, I have been working on my business now coming up on 3 years. If my “why” wasn’t the impact I want to have, both in the field of aging and through the empowerment of women, I would probably have given up 2 years ago.
Steven Pressfield & Seth Godin are my go-tos, anytime I need a quick pick-me-up. As Pressfield recently wrote in his blog post Practice = Professional:
What exactly is a practice? What it’s NOT is preparation for the Real Game. The practice is the game.
A practice, in my definition, is a dedicated daily application of time and effort toward the goal of actualizing one’s higher self.
A pro shows up every day.
A pro puts in a full day (even if that day only lasts an hour) every day.
A pro is committed lifelong.
A pro sets no aspiration (of success or recognition or financial reward) beyond her practice itself. A pro’s practice exists for the practice alone.
With unemployment at an all time high, at Qyral we have recognized the importance of job training and skill building — instruction the gig economy doesn’t always provide. As well as building a company that offers revolutionary skincare products, I wanted to create a platform for education, helping to teach our customers and consultants alike. My motto is if you come to Qyral’s site and learn something, even if you don’t buy anything, then it’s a job well done!
With so many people working from home or finding themselves unexpectedly unemployed, now more than ever I think it’s important to support my community by helping people to develop new skills. By teaching them how to share their new knowledge with others, we can create a ripple effect of opportunity and empowerment. I believe 2021 will be the year of the online educator, and through Qyral, I intend to create a community of women who have the training and confidence to lead the pack.
Contact Hanieh for more information.
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