Meet Alice Mara, the small business owner of “Strait Beauty” based in Cairns, QLD.
Alice runs her own small business called “Strait Beauty” in Cairns, QLD. She sells vegan and protein-based makeup products that are friendly for all skin types and are chemical free.
“I received business coaching from Many Rivers, which was amazing! As an Indigenous person, paperwork can be a challenge, but my coach helped me with everything from the business plan to the paperwork. It really made my business feel possible.” – Alice Mara
Read more about Alice’s business journey so far:
Alice’s Business
My business, Strait Beauty, offers vegan and protein-based makeup products. I also teach people about Torres Strait Islander culture and language. I started my business recently a month ago.
What were you doing before you made contact with Many Rivers? Why did you want to go into business?
I have been working at Kmart as a check-out operator for five years now.
Working with Many Rivers
My mum suggested Many Rivers because her friend started a business with their help. I reached out at the beginning of this year.
Why did you want to go into business?
I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could be a business owner. I wanted to try something new to benefit my family and me. My Torres Strait Islander culture also motivated me to start this.
What services did you receive from Many Rivers? How did it help?
I received business coaching, which was amazing! As an Indigenous person, paperwork can be a challenge, but my coach helped me with everything from the business plan to the paperwork. It really made my business feel possible.
What did you find the most useful about the assistance from Many Rivers?
The business coaching was excellent—10 out of 10! It helped me get my business up and running.
Did you get a loan from MR? How did you use the loan?
No I didn’t get a loan from Many Rivers.
Do you have any current employees? If so, how many employees? Are they full-time or part-time?
Its just me.
Biggest Challenge
My biggest challenge has been staying motivated. I have to keep pushing myself even when things get tough. For example, if I don’t get a lot of followers, it can be discouraging.
Biggest Success
Getting my first batch of products was a huge success. I outsourced them, so it was exciting to receive them.
Biggest Change
The biggest change is the financial independence of running my own business instead of working for someone else.
Future Goals
In the future, I’d like to open a shop and travel to other states to share my products with more people. I also want to launch a website to sell my products online and offer samples to clients.
Thank you, Alice for sharing your business journey with us. We wish you the best of luck with future endeavours and business success.
If you would like to stay updated with Alice and her small business, follow “Strait Beauty” through the following link:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C-htB01PA8J/
We love to encourage people to take the first step towards kick-starting their small business ideas. Do you have a business idea?
CLICK HERE to see if Many Rivers is right for you
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