Q & A WITH THE INCREDIBLE WOMAN BEHIND ‘LUSHPINS,’ FATINI
Hello! Please tell our Strike readers a bit about you!
My name is Nurul Fatini Binti Zamri. I am turning 22 this October. I graduated in 2017 with the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme where I took subjects such as Business and Visual Arts! However, I am currently studying Visual Communications and Marketing and have been since September 2019. I live with my family of 8 and my 4 cats hahaha. I have many interests that are usually in the creative field, whether that is traditional or digital art. Some hobbies I enjoy are scrapbooking, thrifting, painting, playing board games, or even going camping!
What is LushPins?
LushPins is an accessory company that started in 2018 where we invented and specialize in selling hijab-friendly earrings, also known as pinrings. We offer a variety of designs ranging from minimal pieces to bold pinrings that can help people elevate their outfit, all while staying modest.
What motivated you to start LushPins?
The thought of starting my own company was never something I ever imagined I would do. I started creating the pinrings and experimenting with different materials because I personally wanted to wear the earrings myself and share it with my sisters. I started LushPins because many who have known about my pinrings said that others would benefit from it too. And thanks to my diploma, I have learned that business is a very interesting field to explore. Plus I was a little clueless as to what I should do for the next step in my life, and people’s encouragement was like a push, that perhaps I was meant to create LushPins.
Image Courtesy: Nurul Fatini Binti Zamri
How did you get started?
I started small by only buying a few designs and experimenting with different shapes, sizes and materials. This helped me understand that earrings for hijabs fall differently compared to traditional earrings. Plus, some designs can look odd when worn with the hijab. I wanted to make earrings design entirely from scratch myself but there are not many sources where I can purchase raw materials to make quality accessories, and outsourcing them from overseas can be very pricey. Besides scouting and assembling the pinrings, I also began to learn about branding where I learned about logo design, color theory, and packaging. In terms of marketing, because of my low budget, I reached out to my close friends and cousins by gifting them a pair of pinrings of their choice, and promoted it to their circle as well as their social accounts. Other than that, I did not get to explore and test too much about online advertisements like in Facebook and Instagram, because I had just enrolled for my degree.
How did you go from student to business owner?
I had some business basics down because I had taken a Business Management Subject for my diploma, however I had very little experience with handling business myself. I had a short working experience when I was helping my mother start up her own bakery business a few months before I started LushPins. My mother’s company is called Pink Poppy and I was mainly involved in the production, photography, and designing process, therefore it did not prepare me much in starting my own. However, all of the things I learned to do for Pink Poppy was also self-taught. Being someone who enjoys arts and other crafty things, I often find myself exploring new things on the Internet. Therefore learning about photography, scriptwriting, animation, amongst many others, is something that I am genuinely curious about. I learned solely from blogs, YouTube, and Pinterest, all free content.
What has been the hardest part about starting LushPins?
Definitely finding the courage to believe that I could do it. Even before I debuted LushPins, I had doubts whether people would be interested in pinrings because the product is so simple that anyone could do it. Plus there was an underlying contrary message that I constantly was battling in my head and that was: yes, the pinrings help women to accessorize while staying modest, but on the other hand, how is donning more accessories staying modest? Thoughts like this were the most difficult for me because they are not physical struggles; it caused me to become shy and sometimes ashamed with LushPins because I felt like I had wasted my time building an entire company that only I and a few others cared about. Being ashamed about LushPins, I often did not tell people about it and thus did not market it to its full potential.
What has been the most rewarding part?
The first two years, I had a few customers here and there. Seeing those customers complimenting the products and being satisfied with their purchases is something that actually brings me joy and a little accomplishment. Other than that, I am proud of what I have made, the knowledge I have learned, and the skills I have gained from this, and that itself is already rewarding. For example, my low-budget photoshoot that almost looks like photos taken in a studio, or seeing a smooth advertisement animation I have made for the last 4 hours. Even if people didn't know about LushPins like they do now, I would still be content with how the outcome is.
What do you think has been the key to your success?
I learned only recently, the key to success is to be proud and believe in what you sell. You have to love your products in order for others to enjoy it too. You have to offer products or services that can enrich or enhance people’s lives. And with that, only you can practice the mind-set of doing your business with the intention of helping, more than focusing on money. Because if you are only money-driven, it will be very fatal if you can not reach your set digits.
Image Courtesy: Nurul Fatini Binti Zamri
What has kept you motivated?
Definitely my mother who also believes in my ideas and always reminds me to be grateful, hardworking, and “tawakkal” with what He has in plans, which just means to always be accepting, ready, and grateful with whatever that is going to happen, because they will happen for a reason, and He is the Most Fair, so whatever you are lacking of, He will grant you in other ways.
Do you have any advice to offer people who want to start their own brands?
I'm going to sound like I copied this straight from a textbook, but it is so true! If you are planning to build a long-lasting and important brand, you should definitely try to find a niche. So whether that is in terms of product differentiation, price competition, or even a message or lifestyle that your brand celebrates. Because if you are copying what others are selling with very little difference, and only focusing on trends with no original idea, you might not be able to make a big impact.
What would you like to see happen out of your company/ what are your goals?
I would like for LushPins to grow into a well-managed company where proper workflow and standards are followed so that quality products and valuable customer relationships can continue to grow. I also hope that I can produce and sell pinrings that are entirely of my designs in the near future. Perhaps collaborate with other talented creators in other areas of the creative field, such as photography, art, garments, and many others. But most importantly, I hope that LushPins builds a loving community where women can support women, no matter what they believe in or how religious they are. I hope that LushPins just proves that you can still express yourself through fashion and have fun without having to disturb your beliefs.
What does a day in the life look like?
Before my story gained attention, a day in my life was very chill and filled with me spending time with my cats and family, while also having a few personal projects going on. However, now there is a drastic change, I wake up and go straight into business, juggling between replying to messages, updating stocks, preparing packages, packaging orders, and making posts. And I am thankful that I have my family and friends helping out. Mainly my mum and my older sister. This goes on until about 11pm at night with very quick breaks. Me and my sister’s new semester starts this Monday so I hope that we get to everyone’s messages and orders in time, and also have our website up and running to ease the complex communication system we are currently using on Instagram. However, me and my family are very grateful for everyone’s positive messages and support for LushPins.
If you could leave our audience with one piece of advice, what would it be?
I would definitely say to never give up. I know that sounds very cliche, but I truly see now that when things don’t turn out to be what you expected, and even if you go through some very dark times, please still try your best to have at least a glimpse of hope or belief that things with get better. Remember that you are constantly gifted with so many things in life. And “when one door closes, another one opens.” Believe in yourself and what your potential is so that others can too! You have to be your number one hype man!
Strike Out,
Writer: Emma Oleck
Boca Raton