An Idea Turns Into An International Success Story – Lets chat with Samea Maakrun CEO Sasy n Savy – Encore

Samea Maakrun CEO & Founder Sasy-n-Savy

Since starting these daily blogs, I have been blessed to chat with amazing and courageous Australian business women who are setting up their own businesses and living their dreams. Samea Maakrun, CEO of Sasy n Savy, is one of these remarkable women. Starting out as an accountant and mentor, Samea realised she had a bigger dream. She could give back more to women by creating a Native Australian skincare and well-being business.

When Sasy n Savy was first started fifteen years ago, Samea went against her MBA training and launced Sasy n Savy in an overseas market instead of initiating her business in Australia. This decision paid off. As I got to know Samea a little more, I could see why her company is a success. She has worked hard to get where she is now, and she has used the basic fundamentals in business, and so much more, to make Sasy n Savy the  company it is today.

Tell me a little about your background and the inspiration behind Sasy n Savy.

I was an accountant, setting up businesses for other people. I had my degree in Accounting and Economics, and a MBA in International Business Financial Analysis. As it happened, three of the companies I was setting up sent me to mentor women in business with the Department of State and Regional Development.

I quickly realised there were women who needed help in different areas, but couldn’t afford this help. For seven years I listened to everyone’s problems. Deep inside I knew I wanted to set up a lifestyle and well-being business, so I left work, though people thought I was crazy. I finished my MBA and researched the Australian market for three years, looking to see how I could make a difference in people’s lives. I love essential oils and know their benefits. Australian skincare was pretty much unknown fifteen years ago. We saw there was a lack of Australian native ingredients being used in treatments, so we decided to provide good quality, affordable, and functional Australian-made products at a reasonable price, especially for women who needed help.

Our products launched in the Asian market before launching in Australia, with China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Japan. I was taught in my MBA program to always launch in the softer (local) market before going overseas. But we launched the brand into the luxury high-end department stores and hotels in Hong Kong. We were there for three years before coming back into the Australian market to introduce our products into pharmacies and drug stores.

We then fell into the spa market because a lot of the 5-star hotels, such as Intercontinental, Shangri-La, Marriott, and Four Seasons, started seeing what we were doing in the international hotels and they came on board. We worked with them to develop their own brands and product labels.  Mirvac was one of the largest customers back then when we first started, and they were with us for 10 years before Acor bought them out. We started doing turn-down kits, creating scent for the hotels and the VIP rooms.

You started off quite small. Did you have to expand quickly with staff and business?

 The first eight years we were growing at 40-50% per year and this was based on word of mouth.  We were doing international expos, though our biggest growth was through Blue Chip companies who heard about our dealings with other companies and wanted to do business with us.

 Samea, I love the name “Sasy n Savy.”  How did you come up with it?

I’m known at home as Sass. The concept of lifestyle and well-being was unknown fifteen years ago. People didn’t understand this concept and they thought I had gone mad. I told my family what I wanted to achieve and asked for help in coming up with a name. Everyone said, “You’re pretty savvy in business.” Then the following morning my sister said, “I’ve got it: Savvy and Sassy.” I said, “Let’s change it around to ‘Sassy and Savvy’ because it sounds better.” Then my brother jumped in and suggested that we put the ‘n’ in the middle to link the word Sassy and Savvy. Then I decided to do one ‘s’ and one ‘v’ to make people think outside of the square. I was trying to do a bit of the marketing niche there in regards to the concept. And that’s how it came about.

 What important lessons have you learnt in business?

Where do I start? First and foremost, I’d say dealing with and managing cash flow during peak periods and low periods, running day-to-day operations whilst you’re overseas growing in the international markets, and understanding your customer, the demands, the margins, and what they require because every country is different.

We export throughout the Middle East, Asia, EU market, and the Algerian market. Every retail department store, every single hotel has a different demand or a different requirement. There are certain aromas that certain countries don’t like, or they like certain colors used or prefer different packaging. So these are the lessons learned at the early stages.

 Asia had an issue with packaging. Could you tell us more about that?

When I was 23 years old, I had an appointment scheduled in China.  The customer loved the product, but we didn’t get an order, which I thought was really strange. A year went by, and then my designer said, “Sam, I think it’s the color red-and-white that’s the problem because it means half stable, half unstable.” The minute we changed the color to a stable red, orders came through. But they wouldn’t tell you to your face what the problem was.

 How are you using marketing to increase consumer awareness of your product? You said that many of your new customers came through word of mouth. Is this still the case now that you’re established, or are you marketing more than ever?

We are marketing more than ever. We do expos, social media, newsletters, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. We are continually doing promotions here and overseas. We have a PR company that works closely with us. We also do gift-with-purchase incentives.

 What is one piece of advice you would give to someone setting out in business right now?

Understand your market, and understand the 5Ps: product; price, positioning, place, and people. And do your research. Ask yourself, “Why should customers come to me to buy my product or my service?”

 What is your trademark, and how does that tie-in with your marketing and being a niche market?

“Live life to the fullest. Inspire for greatness. Feel good about who you are. And tell yourself to take control of your life.” We trademark “enjoy life,” and we portray that by using Australian native ingredients. If you’ll notice our logo – if you look at it closely – you’ll see it’s a rose. Inside that rose is actually the word “Sasy n Savy.”

The rose is one of the very few words worldwide that means the same thing worldwide. It actually represents love, beauty, and youth. So when you love yourself, what do you do? You use skincare products that make you look beautiful, which in turn make you feel younger. And we portray that once again by using Australian native ingredients, which are highly functional Australian native ingredients. We have the richest vitamins, antioxidants, nutrients, and all natural organic in our own backyard.

For more information go to www.sasynsavy.com.au

Written by Penny Votzourakis and photographs supplied by SasyNSavy.