Huda Boss Season 2: Huda Beauty's Huda and Mona Kattan open up on the 'good, bad, ugly side' of running a family business
When Huda Kattan started her beauty blog, little did she know the heights of success that she’s be scaling in the beauty industry. Following her successful stint as a blogger, she made her foray into the cosmetics industry by launching a collection of false eyelashes in 2011. Fast forward to 2019, and now Huda is the CEO of one of the most successful makeup brands in the world ‘Huda Beauty’, which she runs with her sisters Mona and Alya. They also have their very own reality show ‘Huda Boss’, which chronicles the sisters’ lives as they juggle between running a successful business empire and personal life. In an exclusive interview with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), sisters Huda and Mona Kattan sat down to discuss their interest in makeup and beauty, the experience of working with family, and why they are doing a reality show.
Can you tell us a little bit about how you developed an interest in makeup and beauty?
Huda: I’ve been obsessed with beauty since I could get my hands on it! When Mona was growing up she was in these beauty pageants and I would always love doing her hair and makeup. It was such a creative outlet for me and that’s truthfully why I am still obsessed with beauty today. It lets the creativity flow and has such a transformative power that can truly change the way someone feels about themselves. Beauty is a powerful tool and I’m here to help share that with the world.
One of the focus areas of the show is to highlight what it is like working with your family. Can you tell us a little bit about how you started working with your sisters?
Huda: Mona was actually the one to convince me to start selling my custom lashes so it all began there. Then our oldest sister Alya gave me the first bit of money I needed to get us started. They have both been super supportive from the beginning and I wouldn’t be where I am without them.
Mona: Huda works so hard and has such incredible ideas and talents that I couldn’t not push her to start selling the lashes! Even more importantly, I could never say no to working with her to chase her dreams and now mine through our fragrance brand, KAYALI. Admittedly it took me a little while to start working for Huda Beauty full-time simply because we weren’t making enough money to support ourselves. When we eventually got to the point where I could afford to devote all of my time to Huda Beauty, it was a game-changer and we haven’t looked back since.
Any advice for people working with their family members?
Mona: It can be pretty challenging at times, but it also has so many benefits. It is great because there is an indescribable amount of trust and loyalty between us. The disadvantage is that the boundaries aren’t always respected which can make it tough. You have to always remember that your family has the best intentions and always means well. We actually have a rule where we switch off on weekends and we’re not allowed to talk about work. This really helps us enjoy our family time together without the weight of work and it’s been so helpful and healthy for us. I strongly recommend this to others trying to make a family business work.
In the first season, we see you struggling to find a balance between your work life and personal life. Have you found a way to balance them in this season?
Huda: As Mona mentioned, we have rules on weekends where we stop talking about work, we let our minds rest and enjoy the quality time together. On a more personal level, I always switch off when I take my nightly baths. I use that time to leave my phone in another room and to just enjoy the moment and let my mind run free. I also typically try to stop answering my phone after 7 pm so I can give my daughter Nour my undivided attention!
Can you tease us a bit about what to expect in season 2?
Huda: So much craziness! We have been through everything this year. It was our second year operating under investment funding which has been really exciting for the company but always challenging. We hope this season shows everyone what it really takes to scale a beauty business and be a beauty mogul and influencer while also showcasing our more vulnerable, personal sides.
We are curious to know why are you doing the reality show?
Huda: It was so important for us to show people what’s behind our Instagram account; something no one has any idea about. They see what’s on Instagram and assume everything we’ve built together is as simple and beautiful as putting a filter on. We wanted to show the raw sides of scaling a business and building a beauty empire while also showing that we’re real people too and we go through the same ups and downs like any other family. Huda Boss is meant to show the good the bad and the ugly. We really hope our journey helps everyone understand the reality of what it takes to build something like Huda Beauty and inspires people to chase their dreams.
Apart from becoming no. 1 in the beauty industry, what is your vision for Huda Beauty?
Huda: We have one goal and it is to change the face of beauty. We have one goal because this one goal includes all of our other smaller goals we want to achieve. Our mission is to continue to foster a community that feels included, welcomed, loved and inspired and I believe we’re well on our way. I see the future of the beauty industry as a super-inclusive space with no rules, just inspiration, and support and we are here for that. My hope is that beauty will never be the same because of Huda Beauty and we have so many plans in the works to prove this.
You can catch the latest episodes of 'Huda Boss' every Tuesday and Wednesday at 9 a.m PST only on Facebook Watch.