Patience & consistency is key. You’ve got to be relentless and you’ll see results.
Yanika Cordina is a former Personal Assistant turned into Inventor and Business Woman in the Hair Care Industry.
Her heat-less hair styling tools, the Flower Curl® & Waver Bun™ have successfully earned patents and have been featured on Dragons’ Den UK.
Cordina Hair™ was formed after Yanika experienced first-hand the struggles of maintaining healthy hair. Her mission is to help women embrace and enhance their natural beauty with gentle products. A love for healthy hair has been one of her passions from a very young age.
Originally from Malta, Yanika left everything behind and ventured to the UK at eighteen looking for new opportunities. She now resides in the South West Coast of England with her partner and young toddler.
Let’s learn a little about you and really get to experience what makes us tick – starting at our beginnings. Where did your story begin?
Yanika Cordina: Originally from Malta, I decided to make a drastic change in my life and ventured to the UK on my own at the age of eighteen, looking for new opportunities.
At the time, I was leaning towards modeling jobs but as soon as I landed in the UK, reality kicked in and I was desperate for work. I ended up landing my first job in the UK as a checkout girl at a supermarket.
From there, I was trying to figure out my career and took an interest in PA work. After taking several courses, I was determined to climb up the corporate ladder and worked as a PA to various company directors and CEOs.
Whilst working as a PA, I remember asking for a pay rise which did not go to plan and at the time there were not a lot of other jobs available, so I decided to start a small side business whilst working full time, looking after pets. The pet business took off, which eventually allowed me to leave my job as a PA and funded my Flower Curl idea.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up?
Yanika Cordina: Three months after launching the Flower Curl, I fell pregnant, it wasn’t part of my business plan that’s for sure.
Running a business/working whilst pregnant is hard. Harder than what most people think. In between extreme exhaustion, nausea, and sickness, I kept the business going. At times I did feel like I was doing the impossible and when my baby arrived, I did decide to take a step back and just do the absolute essentials as my health and my baby were my absolute priority, however, I didn’t want to give it all up as I spent years working on my idea.
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What are the most common mistakes you see entrepreneurs make and what would you suggest they do?
Yanika Cordina: The most common mistake I see is entrepreneurs giving up too early.
It took me a couple of years of prototyping, testing, researching, and analyzing the market, gaining feedback before I launched the Flower Curl to the public, and all whilst working full-time as a PA and running my pet business at the same time.
Once I launched it, marketing the product and getting people to buy it, is a totally different ballgame. Marketing and creating content takes time and skill. Most entrepreneurs give up too soon and move on to the next project or idea.
I have spent hours learning, testing, and tweaking. Patience & consistency is key. You’ve got to be relentless and you’ll see results.
Has the pandemic and transitioning into mostly online shopping affected your company positively or negatively?
Yanika Cordina: Sales have increased however I have been affected by supplier and logistics delays like other companies, so it has definitely been challenging at times.
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out from the competition?
Yanika Cordina: I invested heavily in intellectual property. Cordina hair tools are unique and have successfully earned patents. This really helps the company stand out from the competition.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success?
Yanika Cordina: Passion, patience and consistency.
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Being a CEO of the company, do you think that your personal brand reflects your company’s values?
Yanika Cordina: Certainly, I am very passionate about healthy hair and I practice what I preach.
I don’t use heat on my hair to style it and I use both the Flower Curl and Waver Bun religiously! I enjoy sharing hair care content and I continue to study and learn all about hair care.
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How do you monitor if the people in your department are performing at their best?
Yanika Cordina: Communication is everything. I tend to schedule regular meetings, use project management tools to monitor progress and performance. Set deadlines for projects.
What advice would you give to our younger readers that want to become entrepreneurs?
Yanika Cordina: When I was working on my idea, I knew even before I launched it that I would get rejections, face difficulty and challenges along the way, however, I accepted this way before it happened. When setbacks started to emerge, I was able to accept them and move on a lot quicker. Challenges are needed to help you grow, it’s an opportunity to learn and think differently. Many entrepreneurs either get stuck or end up procrastinating when things don’t go to plan, some even give up. Just accept that there will be bumps in the road and they are part of your entrepreneurial journey.
What’s your favorite “life lesson” quote and how has it affected your life?
Yanika Cordina: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney
You can achieve anything your heart desires as long as you take consistent action.
This interview was originally published on ValiantCEO.
