Haifa Addas is the Founder of INSTAGLAM, a beauty-on-demand service based in Dubai, UAE. During our interview, Haifa Addas stated how she has been interested in beauty and glamour from a very young age.
She said, “My grandmother, who was Miss Lebanon at a very young age and still had her hair and makeup perfectly done until her last days, was an example that a woman can take good care of herself and her image at any age, anytime and anyplace.” That’s how Haifa Addas got inspired to do something extraordinary in the beauty industry. In addition, her mother has also been a huge inspiration for her as a makeup artist and hairstylist.
Haifa Addas thinks that the desire to look good is essential for every woman irrespective of the culture. She believes that everyone has the right to look and feel their best, and that’s why she started INSTAGLAM.
INSTAGLAM also has social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Youtube. Learn more about Instaglam and Haifa Addas through our interview below.
Explain the background of you and the company in detail.
I’ve had a passion and a great sense of appreciation for beauty and glamour from an early age. In addition, as a makeup artist and hair stylist, my mother also influenced my life. I’ve been to several countries, such as the Levant, Saudi Arabia, Europe, and Canada, and learned about the cultures. There, I understood that the demand for beauty is universal, and every woman desires to look and feel good.
I started working as a marketer for luxury brands like L’Oreal, Lancôme, Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, and Helena Rubinstein. I worked with celebrities for leading Pan Arab magazines, where I got to take care of the celebrities’ beauty needs while they were in town. Then I started INSTAGLAM to revolutionalize the way we use beauty services, turning around the usual clients-go-to-experts model the other way around.
What are your goals?
To become the leading player in the Beauty & Glamour industry.
What do you feel is the biggest strength of yourself/company right now?
Our reputation. We have been in the market for 6 years, and our core values are:
- Secure
- User focused
- Committed to excellence
What was the path you/your company took to get to where you are today?
Being consistent in our service and quality – partnership with brands and top players in the region.
Why did you start (or want to be the head of) this company?
Mainly passion and having the right partners ( my brother ) saw the gap in the market and decided to take action together.
It became pretty clear throughout my journey that no matter where, when, or who, everybody needs to be pretty and glammed from time to time. More importantly, everybody has the right to look great and feel great about themselves, regardless of their age, circumstances, and wallet size.
That’s where the idea of INSTAGLAM came into existence. Then I decided to start INSTAGLAM to revolutionize and simplify how people use beauty services.
What have been the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There is nothing unusual I would say all Entrepreneurs go through the same challenges:
- Criticism and self-doubt: ideas and doubts soon begin to ask yourself if you are doing the right thing. This is a natural thing. Establishing a company is not an easy job.
- Doing a lot of things simultaneously: As you start a new business and you don’t have the human resources to help you, the 3 of us do so many things simultaneously and handle different segments of the business.
- Customer Loyalty: Even if you offer the best products or services available in the market today, finding and keeping customers interested in the service is a big challenge, especially since there are many competitions today in the market.
- Hiring staff is not as easy as it sounds in a startup: They must have the competence to do the work, be faithful, love and understand your brand and be willing to wear different hats.
Give us one word that describes you the best.
Passionate, inspired by everything, and ambitious- you chose
What makes you excited about Mondays?
Our job is unique, and we have different partners for every day and different exciting projects. We are all so passionate about what we do it does not feel like a job.
What do you value most about your culture and vision?
Beauty is everywhere, and everyone deserves to look and feel beautiful on their own terms (style, budget, and time).
Tell us about a project that forced you to be innovative and creative.
Honestly, every project we Get at INSTAGLAM is a chance for us to be more creative and innovative with our resources and talents.
In our B to B division, we are always customizing for our clients ( check the presentation to see a few Hermes, Dior, Kiko Milano, Urban decay, and more ). So brands are always coming to us to develop innovative and creative ideas for their launches.
What are the strategies of your company, and how do they stand unique from your competitors?
- Convenience at your home, office, etc. We are the only beauty provider that starts at 7 am till 11 pm.
- No cash needed
- Secure
- Interactive
- Travel Companion – we are available as a team in the GCC and main cities around the world
- It’s for everyone who seeks glamour – we cater to different budgets, locations, times, and style
- Reliable
What are the key values that helped you overcome the roadblocks/challenges in your career? Tell us something about your memorable incident in your leadership?
Never take no as an answer. There is always a way you can add value to any corporation. Follow your passion and Just start. Always keep learning and developing yourself.
Proudest moment: When the name INSTAGLAM was positioned as the professional service and to be associated and work with leading luxurious brands like “Dior, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar, where brands and celebrities are willing to pay to get our services (and we had and still have plenty of celebrities asking for us every day).
My leadership style is that I always lead by example. I am always the first on set with my team and the last to leave.
How do you see the company changing in two years, and how do you see yourself creating that change?
Growth and inclusion
The worldwide leader in the beauty and glamour industry. Revolutionizing and simplifying how we use professional services by offering on-demand services right to your door.
Where is your leadership going? What benefits do your clients get from your company in this competitive world?
To nurture the concept of glamour and make it accessible to those who seek it, have the chance to inspire and be inspired by others.
What are the services/solutions or products offered by your company on par with the current industry standards? Tell us something about your upcoming products or services?
Upcoming:
We have an amazing eid offer. INSTAGLAM provides a special beauty package of only AED 750 to look good and feel fabulous during Eid celebrations.
In June, we will be having a workshop in collaboration with an amazing brand for women to learn how to apply makeup and enjoy a day with us. We are expanding to new countries.
Connect with Haifa Addas on LinkedIn.
