What do you love most about your business?

Giving women the tools to feel confident and be their best selves. Knowing that I’m positively impacting the lives of women through the products that we create – is very encouraging.

Tell us about the journey of how you built your business. How many years did it take you to get to where you are today?

I began working for my mother’s import/export company at the age of 17. I watched her build a business from nothing into a $100 million-dollar organization and then I watched her lose everything. At age 25, I was suddenly out of a job.

Within a year I became determined to create my own business and design my future. I founded Anisa International in 1992 and began working with a family business who made cosmetic brushes out of Korea. I offered to do the US sales and marketing and started calling on the some of the largest beauty brands in the industry – it was terrifying at times. I listened to a lot of positive-thinking and motivational tapes back then!

Fast forward to eleven years later, I knew we needed to secure our supply chain and fully integrate and own the manufacturing. This would also protect our innovation and design so that we could lead the makeup brush artistry category. In 2003, I launched the first female owned, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Tianjin China.

Now having been in business for over 25 years, we hold more than 35 patents and trademarks and work with top beauty brands of the world.

What words of advice can you give other women entrepreneurs?

Find a mentor. I’ve been fortunate enough to have many great mentors over the course of my career. Having them as a sounding board and a voice of support is invaluable. Seek out someone you trust and that will give you honest feedback.

Anything else you would like to share with our readers?

After 25 years of being a trusted leader in cosmetic brush design, I’m excited to launch a brand of responsibly-made, luxury makeup and skincare tools. The ANISA brand is bringing new standards to the beauty industry in responsible manufacturing, empowering women with confidence and creating the most essential beauty tools. We embody the ideals of inclusivity, transparency and empowerment and take seriously our role in leading the way to positive change – in our products and in our community. At ANISA, we’re dedicated to creating better-for-the-environment solutions with less waste and safer, cleaner production. We have full control over our supply chain, which translates to complete visibility into our continuous efforts for improvement.

Not only will customers be able to elevate their current beauty routines with our tools, they can feel good about the products they’re using knowing that they’re sustainably manufactured and completely cruelty-free.