A local ‘youngpreneur’ has conquered the global skincare industry, and she’s been making waves across the industry. Donna Fahandezh is only 24 years-old and already has her own successful global empire.
At just 19 years-old, the ambitious and savvy teenager bought her first local business. “I bought my first Sparkling White Smile franchise with the help of my dad. Dad lent me about $50,000 and I told him I’m only taking this money if he promises me, and put it in writing, that he’ll let me pay him back. I believe success only comes when you do everything yourself and you’re not taking anything from anyone else. I worked super hard every day, 12 hours minimum per day, and in three months I was able to repay my dad.”
Her small business thrived, until the lockdowns from COVID-19 put a stop to all teeth whitening and cosmetic procedures. “I started watching TikTok videos because I had absolutely nothing to do and I am a workaholic, so I was going crazy! I was scrolling through TikTok, and I saw a video of this lady icing her face with ice cubes. About a week later, I watched her make a video of freezing milk, and then using that on her skin. So I thought, ‘wow, what an innovative idea, this is so cool!’ So I started to look into this a little bit further to find a product that I didn’t need to keep making DIYs.”
After further research, Donna realised there is absolutely nothing available on the global market. “There was absolutely nothing on the internet that was like a cryotherapy serum that comes with a silicone mould, ready to use. So that’s when I told my family that I had found a gap in the market, and I’m creating a skincare line, they were also supportive because they just know when I put my head down to do something, I’m going to do it well.”
Donna’s product is the world’s first cryotherapy serum, complete with a silicone mould and is a convenient leave-on treatment. It took Donna three years to create the serum, the formula and the applicator. Donna sourced the globe for the perfect formula creation, packaging and applicator design. “I tested samples for my formula in China, Belgium, Switzerland, Korea, absolutely everywhere, until I chose to go with Australia. Australia by far is the best country for anything that’s got to do with skincare or your health. I have also created my packaging, my applicator and my formula in Australia.”
Donna’s serum is100% Australian-made with natural ingredients like green tea extract, vitamin C, licorice root and aloe vera. “The process of icing your face is already amazing, but then those ingredients are going to help tighten your skin, help repair the dehydration that causes fine lines, it’s going to help with blemishes, rosacea, acne and a whole range of skincare issues.”
Working on the applicator was an entire journey in itself. Donna recalls the applicator taking years to develop, as there was nothing comparable. “I wanted a mould that enabled you to use every single drop of the formula that’s frozen in the applicator. So I’ve created a popsicle-like applicator that you pour your formula into, freeze it, and then you peel the silicone off and use it all over your face.”
The first day Ice Glow launched online, Donna sold hundreds. She has since had orders every day and is astonished by the demand, having invested little-to-no money in marketing. Donna had no business connections to help her, and it took three years of trial and error to produce her product, mould and packaging.
She credits her success to her parents and her partner, Julian, who has supported her throughout the entire journey. Julian creates Donna’s TikTok videos, packs the orders until the late hours of the night, provides emotional support for Donna during those days she has her doubts and motivates her to keep going. When we asked Donna about her business schedule and strategic plan, she laughed and said, “I have no idea what I’m doing! I’m really good at learning and I’m able to adapt to new ideas and changes. I’m very open minded and if you teach me something, I’ll take that on board and bring it into my business. I always want to grow and constantly want to learn. I have a business degree, but that’s not going to give you practical experience. I’m currently studying different courses such as e-commerce courses, marketing courses and HR so I can be a better person in my business.”
Looking ahead at the next five years, Donna says she is looking forward to seeing Ice Glow in every household, and being sold through the biggest global retail companies. Can we look forward to new Ice Glow products? “Oh yes,” says Donna, “there’s definitely more products I’m working on. I have a huge line of ideas and different ice products that I want to launch as well.”
Donna’s inspiration behind her successful empire is the commitment and love she experienced from her parents, and her dad’s hard work to provide for the family. Being an immigrant from Iran, Donna’s father worked seven days a week for the first 15 years of her life, and for the last nine years, he’s worked six days a week. “He is the most inspiring, kindest, loving man in the world, and he’s always just wanting to give people advice,” says Donna. “I’ve seen how hard he works, and seen him get up every morning at 4:00am to be at work by 5:00am, then returning home at 5:00pm. He’s been working these long days, and naturally, I got inspired to want to be like him, or even better, so I can give back to him. My dad came to Australia not knowing how to speak or read English, yet he created this amazing life for us. I can speak English, I can read English and I can do absolutely everything, so I want to create a bigger life for my parents and provide for them so my dad doesn’t need to work anymore. I know I’m only 24 years-old, but I know if he could do this and give us this amazing life, I could even give him so much more back. And that is honestly the drive behind Ice Glow – it’s all for my mum and dad, they’re both incredible people.”
When we asked Donna what advice she would give to other young, aspiring entrepreneurs, Donna confidently said, “do it. Honestly, just do it and take the risk. You don’t know where to start, and nobody does. I’ve launched Ice Glow for three weeks and I still don’t know what I’m doing! I still sometimes mess up how to print the orders, I still make mistakes, I’m still learning, but I love learning and growing from this experience and I love the support I have.”
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