The obsession with skincare products has led a young Guyanese woman to live her dreams of helping others with stretch marks, cellulite and pigmentations and of boosting their self-confidence, when she founded her own line called Berries Skincare.
Maryam Hack, 26, told Stabroek News (SN) in an interview that the product, which is based in the USA, was launched in December 2019 and caters to customers globally.
She has already gained recognition through features in the March, April and May 2020 print and digital issues of the British Vogue magazine.
The promotional features has helped her business to grow. The site automatically ships to 34 countries and to the rest of the world via direct order.
Her dreams of having her own line started from her love for “mixing my own creams and trying every single product.”
It also started from her “obsession and passion to help boost self-confidence and to help people feel good in their own skin.”
The young entrepreneur has recognized that stretch marks, cellulite and skin pigmentation can be very distressing and wanted to find a way to help people deal with those issues.
Hack, who resides in Guyana, did her research and when she was confident that she was ready for the big step, she contacted a company in the USA and boldly made the investment to get started.
She noted too that she could not have done it without the support of her husband, Khalid Ghanie.
She also has a team of employees that packages and ships the items to her customers. The product is available online at her website:
She has started with a line of three products; Stretch Mark Proof, Cellulite Proof and Pigmentation Solutions.
Hack pointed out that the stretch mark proof, hydrates nourishes and moisturizes skin prone to stretching while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
The cellulite cream smoothens, firms and tightens the skin and reduces the look of dimpled skin while the pigmentation cream helps to brighten skin, reduce spots, freckles and improve long term radiance.
She told SN, “Our products are all manufactured by an FDA (Food and Drug Administration) certified facility with high quality and safe ingredients, up to international standards… (They) are made as natural as possible and (are) cruelty free.”
She chose the name Berries for her brand because apart from it sounding “cute,” she hopes to add it to her product in the future.
Hack was shocked when the Vogue reached out to her expressing an interest in highlighting her product, after learning about it.
She was thrilled that the features were published in the issues with photos of Irina Shayk, a fashion model; Jodie Comer, English actress and Rihanna Fenty, Barbadian-American singer on the covers.
Inspired
The young entrepreneur said she has always been inspired by Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple products who introduced iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad.
“His life story, such as having the courage to follow your heart and intuition… made an impact on me and helped shaped the person I am,” she told SN.
Hack who recently remigrated from Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is also a sports nutritionist.
“I’m obsessed with nutrition, fitness, health, skincare and I have a passion for business,” she pointed out.
She is also an Arabic Language graduate and a former tutor for English as a Second Language (ESL).
“I had been an ESL tutor for years, working in various institutions, until one time I had a very terrible life changing experience at 20-years-old…,” she told SN.
Without delving into details, she said the experience pushed her to discover her entrepreneurial side when she started “hustle-style tutoring for another couple of years on my own. I gained a lot of experience in handling things on my own and that was great.”
She had also set up a home-based healthy food service, called Mary Hack’s Diet Food, while living in Saudi Arabia.
She did it out of her “love for nutrition and healthy lifestyles.”
Dream
The assertive young entrepreneur said: “It has been a dream come true to see my product featured in an International Magazine… I never imagined my inbox would be filled with more requests from other magazines of equal status, as well.”
She currently creates all of the content and undertakes most of the work for the brand. Reaching that far was not an easy road, and Hack still does a lot of reading and business studies on her own, so as to “keep up to date with market trends and finding solutions as problems arise. When you start something from scratch and you don’t have all the answers you learn quickly by doing things wrong and the experience is priceless.”
She also shared that consistency, hard work, discipline, dedication and being result driven can get you there.
”…Mistakes and failures are part of the process. Don’t let it hold you back. Anything is possible! We don’t know what the outcome will be but if we never try we may never know. And like Jobs said, ‘you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future’,” she advised.
“I’m going to be realistic as well… Our level of success in business ultimately depends on the amount of money you invest. …Hiring the best people also comes at a high price….”
“I’m a firm believer of constantly learning and growing and being the best version of myself. I live by setting goals and trying my best to achieve them. Whether it’s personal, fitness, health, religion or business. I hope to inspire others to go after their dreams.”
So encouraged other budding entrepreneurs to live their dreams and not to “feel bad if you’re not where you want to be at this moment. Use what you have, do what you can and be proud of it.”
Hack believes that: “Anything is possible once you are willing to work for what you want and do what it takes to get there….”
You can follow her on Instagram: @shopberriesskincare, FaceBook: Officialshopberriesskincare and email her: info@shopberriesskincare.com.
