We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chhaya (Charu) Rege. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chhaya (Charu) below.

Chhaya (Charu), thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, folks often look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight – but that often obscures all the nitty, gritty details of everything that went into the growth phase of your business. We’d love to hear about your scaling story and how you scaled up?

I’ve always been an artistic person, and I had learned to do henna in my youth, but it was only when I saw someone doing henna in NYC that I became inspired to do henna professionally. At first, my business was just a secondary source of income to help support my kids, and like most small businesses, it was very difficult when I first started. In the beginning I would sit on the street with just a table, chair and a few handmade signs. Naturally, I hardly made any money as it had been a long time since I had done henna designs on people, nor did I have any reputation as a henna artist. This was also when I moved from my residence in New York City to Austin, so I was completely out of my element.

I started doing free designs just to introduce my henna artwork to people, and spent long hours getting as many customers as I could to build up a reputation. I started making my own henna cones using all natural, organic ingredients because I’ve always believed in making quality products that are good for your body. This is why I also have information on the health benefits of henna readily available to customers. I also made my own logo and had professional signs printed out to help drive home the legitimacy of my business. It is only after years of hard work, doing artwork on thousands of people, and making a name for myself that I can say I’m proud of how far my business has come.

Of course, there were plenty of bumps along the way. Since there is a huge variety in the designs I may have to do on someone, there were times when a customer was dissatisfied with the final product, or smeared their design, which were problems I had to solve with very little time to spare during a busy festival. There were also situations where I was put in an area with little foot traffic, and thus had to find a way to attract people to my business. One time, a freak storm even blew away my tent! However, none of these problems put me down, and instead I used them as learning experiences from which to make my business better.

At the end of the day, I am fortunate to be in a position where my business is doing well and I make a living doing something I love to do. Getting to see people overjoyed to have my artwork on them fills me with joy, and makes me strive to do even better. I’m very excited to share my love of henna with the world and I hope I can do my part to make it mainstream.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Chhaya Rege, but I also go by Charu, which is the name I wanted to use for this business, Henna by Charu. I learned how to do henna to get in touch with my culture, and now I do it professionally. Henna paste is made using a powder derived from henna tree leaves (Lawsonia inermis). They dye the skin a dark red color when applied (after about a day), and last for around 2 weeks. My henna is handmade and all natural, so no chemicals or burns from synthetic compounds. This is very important to me, and I think it is crucial for people not to be endangered by the products they use. Store-bought henna cones often have chemicals added to them for preservation or for better color, which can hurt your health in the long run, and is something I am completely against. The designs are freehand so that people can even bring me their own designs if they want to. I am able to do my designs on most parts of the body, and I am available for all sorts of events, including birthday parties, corporate events, weddings, etc. I also make myself affordable by tailoring my designs to my customer’s budget, so that they can still have a design similar to what they chose even if they cannot afford it. I have a lot of pride in my product’s quality and the detail I put into my artwork, and I want people to know that if they come to me I can give them a design they will want to brag about to their friends!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

There were several factors that helped me build my reputation. First, I tailored my products to those with their well-being in mind: that’s why I specifically made my product from home and with all-natural ingredients. I also advertised myself a lot, from my social media page, to word-of-mouth from all my satisfied customers. I also invested in professional signs and banners to look more professional, as well as business cards that I could give out to people. I also changed up designs to fit the budget of my customers, so that they could still get a design they liked without having to spend more than what they were comfortable with. The most important factor, however, was probably time. I slowly built up my reputation by constantly getting customers and satisfying them to the best of my abilities. After several years this became a reputation that brought in both old clients as well as new ones.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Wedding/corporate events have been vital in building up my reputation due to the amount of new clients I get. These events not only give me a large group of potential customers, but the people who get henna done, or even just take a peak, spread the word to others about my business. Furthermore, these events also allow me to attract groups of closely linked people, like families or coworkers, who are more likely to do henna from me if they get a recommendation from someone close to them personally. These events also help me make a deeper connection with my clients than over the phone or internet, which has been really important for getting people to come back, or let me know of new business opportunities.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hennabycharu.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hennabycharu/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hennabycharu

Image Credits
Yogeshvar Rege, Kirtan Nagavarapu