Is this the first company that you have started, and what drove you towards it?
Yes it is my first, I live in a very beautiful village of the coastal area of Syria, very close to one of the famous castles, it,s Salah al Dien Castel .
Old manuscripts by Salah al Din's father evidence how relevant herbal treatments were at that time and how much people were knowledgeable about the use of natural remedies. This explains why the wild areas surrounding the famous castle are so rich in medical herbs and plants: some of them were used to poison the enemies and others were used to treat the soldiers' wounds.
This is why i have decided to establish "Khatoun": a medical herbs business producing natural beauty products, herbal extracts and dried herbs. The inspiration for this business idea comes from the wife of Salah al Din, "Khatoun" and her legendary beauty.
How did you finance your start-up operations and how long did it/will it take for the company to become self-sustainable?
The area of Al Hajar is full of plants that is considered as the treasure of Syria, The raw materials are almost available in the nature, therefore I used my personal saving in addition to the help of my husband who offered me the money needed to buy the equipment, moreover, by the loan that I had from the Syrian Fund for Agriculture facilitated by the Village Business Incubator, I prepared the hygienic workplace.
What are your major products and services and how are they unique in your business sector? What is your competition?
My products are Medical herbs processing , mainly I'm producing perfume, medical and cosmetic creams, oil, Zhourat, herbs.
The uniqueness of my products is, the producing process is all natural and all by hand starting from picking the plants until they became the final products no chemicals.
all the plants are organic In addition to all the compositions of the products are 100% natural that's why I have good position between the local and , Foreign competitors who are adding preservative materials to their products .
How did you first launch your product/services?
The market in Lattakia is rediscovering the importance of the natural products and it usage in terms of medical Aspects, for that customers, they were glad to see any new products that meet their demand. In the beginning I started in the village with the relatives and friends, then I got out of the village by participating in a small market in Lattakia named "Village Market", organized by "The Environment Friends Association". The village market's customers are the people who are looking for organic food and drinks without any chemical.
How do you measure the success of the company?
In the beginning, I didn't think in the success and the money, my passion was to do something that I love, not to earn money or set a big company, now I think that I achieved what I want, By the variation of the products, the demand on my products is increased, and my income increased, in addition to- I have my own customers who trust me.
Who are your clients and how many do you have?
My client are the women who are looking for the natural cosmetics in my village and the village surrounded, the women who attending the village market and the men who are preferring the herbs drink which have Therapeutic proprieties for the problems well-known in our country such as the Kidney stones, symptoms of cold, Tranquilizer for the nerves, problems of the digestive, fat issues, hemorrhoids.
What was the biggest challenge in starting an innovative business in your country and how did you overcome that?
Since my products are related to the health, The only challenge that I faced in the beginning was the people's trust. But by the promotion and the professional training that I had, and the reputation of the Village Business Incubator supported me to overcome this challenge.
How have you benefited from business incubation? (E.g. infrastructure, knowledge development, networking with other businesses/traders, other)
After having attended the basic managerial training at the Village Business Incubator, I embarked on a very intensive technical training conducted by one of the most reputed expert in herbal treatments of the Lattakia region. This training provided me with lots of exciting ideas about new types of products such as beauty creams, natural extracts, perfumes and distillates. Step by step I got a very deep insight into herbal treatments, I learnt how to recognize wild plants and how to collect them in a way not to damage the environment and endanger rare species. I learnt how to process them as well as the drying and packaging techniques. Indeed, they enjoyed very much this training which strengthened my already existing knowledge gained during my childhood.
The Village Business Incubator led studies, including general and sartorial market analysis as well as a specific feasibility study for my enterprise. And through the Village Business Incubator supported me in promoting my products through the web site and the exhibitions.
With hindsight, are there any particular lessons or messages that you wish you would have known when you started up your company, and which you would like to share with fellow entrepreneurs?
Now I realized The importance of the communication skills and the art of dealing with people which are essential for the work. Furthermore, I believe in the importance of work for every woman in Syria, especially the rural women, who missed their opportunities in the work and productivity.
Do you feel that you had the necessary advisory and support network when you started your company?
It was not expected to find the support needed for me, even after I joined the Village Business Incubator, this incubator's services, the training and business counseling, marketing and promotion exceeded my expectation.
What is your message to supporters (financial or otherwise) and what is your message to the users of your product?
I would like to invite the donors and everybody have the ability to support the rural women who have potential energy to deliver in all the sectors, and I would like to invite my customers to contact me and visit me in my wonderful village.
