Interview with Zanta du Plessis, CEO of Isabella Garcia International
Our October profile is Zanta du Plessis, CEO and founder of the beauty and cosmetic house, Isabella Garcia Int. She tells us about her entrepreneurial journey, her relentless passion for creating state-of-the-art products and making them available to people from all walks of life in a convenient and unique way. She shares her and the Isabella Garcia team’s commitment to making a difference in the world. Today, she continues to build on her dream, to offer women and men products to bring out the best and most beautiful versions of themselves. Isabella Garcia is a dream turning into a reality; history in the making. Describe yourself in 3 words Driven Passionate Perfectionistic What made you decide to start a business? An internal desire to grow and learn. An urge to make a difference in our country and the world. A natural inclination to lead. A belief that one must also serve. A longing to create. A desire to build. Describe the typical Isabella Garcia customer Our beautiful Ambassadors are people like me… Mothers, sisters, daughters, friends and family members, ladies and men that take 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening to ensure they can share their love, passion and uniqueness with the world and the people around them. Our Ambassadors want to feel confident in who they are; they want to radiate style, elegance, and grace, and they want to leave a lasting memory with their signature scent and beautiful smiles. What makes Isabella Garcia’s products stand out from other beauty products? The 4th point on our mission statement is to never to do something that we are not proud of. I believe that our difference lies in our guardianship of this… of us working together as a team to give life to exceptional products that create an immediate effect, but also lasting benefits. I am personally involved in all product-related steps with regard to the end-to-end process. Sometimes we test 40+ formula variations before we sign off on a final product and, even then, we ask our staff and Ambassadors for their input to perfect it. From a formulation perspective, our cosmetic chemists formulate all our products according to EU regulations, to ensure that we combine nothing but the BEST that nature and science have to offer, to create masterpieces, every time! How do you attract new visitors to your site? Through joint marketing ventures with various partners. The most important tool in your Digital Marketing strategy? This is what AdMarula is helping us figure out! 😊 What have been your highest highs and lowest lows on the journey of building your own business? Our highest highs revolve around anything that involves moving forward and making progress, whether it relates to new products, our clients, or our staff. It is important to note that it is my responsibility to ensure that our lowest lows turn into our highest highs. I say that because the lowest lows, although never nice to face or go through, often bring about beautiful new beginnings and improvements that one would have never tried or thought of if one were not faced with a crossroad. In 2017, we realised that our main campaign was not financially viable and, therefore we had to undergo a restructuring process. This was probably the hardest thing we ever had to do. That being said, I always tell people that, even during that process, I knew that who we were spoke louder than words. We were hands-on, we made sure we helped our people and made as many plans as we possibly could. We reengineered our process and changed direction. As I say, it is about wiping off the tears, standing up the next day, making a plan and putting that plan into action, as soon as possible! The best advice anyone has ever given you? There is SO much to share on this topic! I have been blessed with real life and book mentors… “Power is the ability to take action.” – Tony Robbins “Wisdom is knowing when to have compassion versus courage and vice versa.” – Shachar, CEO Platinum Life “Something can be as common as dirt in one industry but extremely powerful in another.” – Jay Abraham “Speak the truth in love.” – My mom “Things are never as bad as you fear nor as good as you hope.” – My dad “Never let fear block your destiny.” – Maria I often pray that I will have enough wisdom to know when it is within my circle of influence to change something and when to make peace with it if I can’t… – derived from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits book Find out more at https://www.isabellagarcia.co.za or follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isabellagarcia_int/
