Huda Beauty's Mona Kattan on the secret to success

TOPPING THE MOST influential influencers in the world, entries onto various Forbes wealth lists, awards, celebrity fans and now a reality show, Huda Boss, pulling in hundreds of thousands of views on Facebook Watch; Dubai was always going to produce homegrown worldwide superstars and it appears the Kattan sisters and their Huda Beauty makeup empire have achieved just that.
Whatever innovations this business makes, from new products all the way to a simple Instagram post, the spotlight seems to follow. Put another way, if you haven't heard of the UAE-based global brand, you must have been marooned on a particularly remote desert island, perhaps on Jupiter or something. Although, according to Huda Beauty Global President Mona Kattan, it isn't the accolades, endorsements or recognition that keep her going, it is the thought of continuing on this upward commercial trajectory and, best of all, doing it surrounded by her family.
What does your new reality show, Huda Boss on Facebook Watch, mean to you?
Huda Boss is a snippet into our lives and the business. Our family is very transparent. Everything comes out: troubles I go through personally, business troubles and challenges that we face, Huda's challenges as a working mother and working with her husband, so it's a mix between professional and personal challenges.
Why did you decide to make this with Facebook?
We have been approached by networks for over five years now. They were some of the biggest ones out there. Every time we got close to signing, we though, 'oh my gosh, we can't do it.' We didn't feel comfortable and it felt too scary. When it was Facebook it felt like a natural extension of what we were doing on social media.
It's their (Facebook Watch's) first commission in the region. It's the first of its type: family entrepreneurs and women in business. I think that a lot of times with normal networks it's all about views and drama and sometimes not so nice things. With Facebook, they're completely family-focused. They're focused on normal people and good things. We have strong values and we're not willing to break them for anything.
Did you ever feel uneasy filming?
The whole entire time! The first month of filming I was talking like a robot and had so much anxiety. I wasn't sure if it was the best decision, but at the end of the day the family and I didn't decide to do this for more fame or followers. We decided to do it because we thought sharing our lives would make us positive role models. A lot of the series you watch are not very inspiring. There are a few, but not many. I hope ours has a positive message that if you work hard you can get your dreams.
What will people learn about Dubai through the show?
It shows what you can do here. Dubai is the land of opportunity. Dubai is a central point for people to come together and if you're ambitious and dedicated and passionate, this is the land of opportunity. I think we've proven that...I've always been very passionate about Dubai. I have always shown my love for the city and country. It's so inspiring.
The UAE is one of the first countries to introduce social influencer media licences. What are your thoughts on the issue?
I do feel that having transparency is important and the government getting involved in social media posts is important. We don't do paid promotions because once you get involved in that, you can't stop. People do need to make a living off social media, and that's hard, so I don't want to discredit anyone who does that, but I do think you have to maintain a genuine and authentic opinion.
The world has changed so much. If you have a following, you have a really strong voice and people didn't realise how powerful that was. I would see some beauty influencers promoting counterfeit cosmetics and think it was crazy. It's unethical, it's illegal and you don't know what products went into it, but you're promoting it because somebody paid you. That's throwing your career down the toilet.
That's why I feel like it's so important that the government steps in. People know when it's a sponsored ad. People will be a lot more careful if they have to report everything they are doing.
Aside from the business aspect, when it comes to social media, do you think there is enough advice out there to combat cyber-bullying?
I am at a stage now where I shrug it off, but if you're a 13-year-old in high school I don't think you can do that as easily. It takes life experience and confidence to not care what people think.
The first step is to understand that what is going on has nothing to do with you. It is to do with the other person on the other side. They are not happy, they're jealous; they're trying to pull you down. I believe whenever a person is happy they want everyone to be happy and when someone is sad they want everyone to be sad. Surround yourself with good people. If you think you are being bullied, talk to someone about it. Don't stay quiet. It's hard and challenging and you need to share it with someone who cares about you. There is always someone who cares.
How does being part of family business help with your motivation?
We're very tight. Moving around so much made us closer. Every time you're taken out of your surroundings, you become more attached to the people that remain with you throughout the process. Me and my sister Huda have been doing everything together since we were kids. Partly we were forced to because our parents didn't let us go out by ourselves! We had to take each other everywhere. But we are very similar in our passions and goals.
Do the Forbes magazine mentions and awards spur you on?
I think the awards and accreditations are definitely exciting. They make you feel good. But you should never focus on it. You should focus on what's ahead of you. When you start to celebrate your victories too much then you don't focus on your next move. The truth is the world moves at such a fast pace, if you want to stay successful you have to keep up.
Huda says success is never owned, it's leased, and rent is due every month. It's like, you can't work for the best body and then just eat cheeseburgers all day. You have to continue working on it forever. It's the same thing with success. You can build a company today but if you get too comfortable and cozy with it, you'll fall behind.
How about your celebrity fans? Is that a hallmark of success?
Eva Longoria is a very good friend of ours. She's probably one of the loveliest human beings on the planet. We met her in Dubai. Huda did her makeup and they bonded so well.
We meet a lot of celebrities especially if they come through Dubai. They want to connect. We get a lot of messages to meet up but to be honest, 95 per cent of the time, we don't have the time because we're working. I wish it had happened when I was a student! But now we're businesswomen, there aren't enough hours in the day. Overall, though, I'm excited to meet anyone as much as I am a celebrity.
Do you have any role models?
Tony Robbins and Beyonce. She's super human. Tony Robbins, I've grown up with him. He's my mentor from afar. I started listening to his CDs when I was 13. He was always positive. If I had problems or needed a pick me up he was the voice I heard. Then there are the rulers of the UAE. I have been here for 16 years. It's not every day you find people who care about moving their people forward.
I look up to business people. I admire being able to create something out of very small resources. We started from nothing. We were super scrappy.
Do you miss those days?
Totally! All the time! I miss the days when we were working in one room filled with boxes. We knew every single thing that was going on in the company. We were all in the same room so we could talk about things together. Now we have this big office, one in the UK, one in the US, it's so hard to keep up. Rewind three years ago, we knew every single thing going on.
What have you got coming up?
We are launching our own fragrance. I have wanted to create one forever. Now is the time. It'll be out at the end of this year. I can't tell you the name but it has a really amazing concept and meaning tied to the region.
Mona's advice for setting up your own business
You really need to figure out exactly what you want to do. When you have an entrepreneurial mindset, and I've struggled with this too, you get so excited about so many things and you get many ideas all at the same time. That's bad. You're more powerful when you're focused. Focus on one thing you can do differently to everyone else. Something you would do for free. Even if you don't get paid, you'd want to do it because there's a purpose behind it. Research before you start. Spend six months to a year. Research the business, industry and people you need to know. It gives you power and prevents mistakes.
Mona's message for KT readers
I love the Khaleej Times. I've been here 16 years, so I've been reading it for a very long time now. Thank you so much for giving us all the best news and keeping us up to date all the time and thank you Suhail (Galadari), you're an amazing person, I love your family and I wish you all the best.
david@khaleejtimes.com