BOSS GIRLS! Celebrating Unique Female Run Business: Women’s Day Special

Amidst all controversies surrounding Aurat March and the issues patriarchal societies have with a woman living on her own terms, let’s take appreciate the women who are already fighting the female cause simply by following their dreams and making a living out of it. This article celebrates some of our favourite female CEOs, flawlessly running their one of a kind businesses like a boss.

Shameelah Ismail, Arooj Ismail & Mehvish Arifeen – Ghar Par

Ghar Par is a mobile salon service that can be ordered through an app and you can get all kinds of beauty services in the comfort of your home. The lesser known fact about this business is that it is primarily run by three women who train and hire underprivileged women to help them achieve financially independence; giving them a three-month beautician course for free and enabling them with a productive skill set. The business is a huge success and was even highlighted on prestigious media platforms like BBC.

Numra Waqas – Numra Salon

Now we know there are plenty of salons and make artist around town but what makes this particular one different is how quickly Numra has achieved such success. Her story is a true example of ‘if you work hard enough with dedication and commitment, you can do wonders’. Starting off with just a single room studio in her house and an Instagram account, Numra now runs a two-storied salon in Lahore with a whole team working under her and a big clientele.

Fatima Khan – Aura

Fatima khan is like a modern-day representative of your dadi amma’s beauty secrets. Seriously, she has all these amazing organic solutions to all types of skin problems and that too in environment-friendly, pretty packaging. Her brand Aura is definitely one of the go-to brands for organic skin/hair/body care in Pakistan, stocking at her e-store as well as leading stores all around the country.

Sana Sajun and Neha Mashooqullah – The Karachi Candle Company

Of course, there had to be women behind such a cute and thoughtful company that sells heavenly scented soy candles. Sana and Neha, are two best friends running their candle company together and we cannot get enough of female friendships flourishing in professional, and not just personal, ways. KCC is Pakistan’s first scented soy candle company and has been doing so well over the past 5 hears; what started as a small startup is now a multinational company – total boss girl goals!

Sophiya Salim Khan – The Sassy Store

Sophiya Salim Khan is one sassy girl, period. Her western-wear brand, The Sassy Store, celebrates the philosophy of laidback cool and creative fashion that challenges normative ideas of what is acceptable and unacceptable style. With the internet as their only retail platform, The Sassy Store has quickly become a hot favourite label for girls in Pakistan. The clothes are spirited and sassy and the brand’s entire aesthetic, from their Instagram presence to packaging, is all very engagingly millennial and one of its kind.

Natasha Zubair – Natasha Zubair Stationery

This multi-talented human being is one girl to watch out for! Natasha is not just an ace photographer but is also running a stationary company that sells notebooks, planners and pencil cases made from recycled paper and materials only. Her products are not just environment friendly, they also come with a cool personality as each piece is printed with quirky quotes and graphics illustrated by Natasha herself.

Amann Omar and Shehrbano Salahuddin – Braencandy

If you don’t believe in healing crystals, visit the Braencandy website or Instagram and you will definitely end up believing and buying; if only for the visuals. Amann and Shehrbano have done their homework right and are on a mission to create awareness on the power of healing crystals in Pakistan. Being the first company to locally source and sell healing crystals, the duo can be labelled true pioneers. Their company is an interesting addition to a relatively small market for mystical, magical and all things natural and we applaud these two for taking the initiative to introduce something so unique to the local startup scene.