A Beautiful Business
"If you believe in what you're doing, just keep going," a quote from the film "The Founder" about McDonald's creator Ray Kroc, reflects the essence of the entrepreneurial spirit. In business, those who think big and act decisively, despite potential obstacles and challenges, achieve success. This is the approach to entrepreneurship that Irina Ashnokova, the owner of the successful beauty business DONNA DANA, embodies.
My first steps in this direction happened in 2013, when I was still working in the banking sector. Even then, I felt the desire to have my own business, and my choice fell on the wonderful world of the beauty industry. My first project was a nail studio in a shopping centre in Krasnodar. Gradually, driven by client requests, I realised that nail services alone were not enough. I wanted to grow and provide a full cycle of services. Two years later, I opened a full-fledged salon.
In 2019, when I started working under the new brand and was conducting a rebranding, I didn't yet know that I would be expanding to an international level. The question of logo design arose, and I wanted to create something beautiful and timeless, not just trendy. I thought long and hard about what could represent this business and be associated with it. The salon is called DONNA DANA. The name Dana has many meanings around the world, it exists in every nationality. But it is the Arabic version of Dana that translates to "large pearl". We took this as our foundation, and our logo is crowned with a pearl as the embodiment of a beautiful business. Later, it was from Dubai that our development in a larger format began.
It's not for nothing that they say — as you name the ship, so it will sail. Many of our guests note that DONNA DANA has a soul, no pretension; we are very open to people. This is a project with a soul, made primarily for beautiful women. Our main goal is to make the process of creating beauty as quick and comfortable as possible. We were among the first in Krasnodar to start offering up to 4 simultaneous services with maximum comfort for the client. And of course, running through the DNA of DONNA DANA like a red thread is my inexhaustible love for female beauty.
It was in Dubai that our development in a larger format began. We created the project with the understanding that we wanted more ambitious goals and would expand it over time. The second salon in Krasnodar already offered an expanded service with full body care services, spa rituals, and the opportunity to spend time with a loved one in an atmosphere of beauty and relaxation. In 2021, we made the decision to develop in Dubai, even before it became a trend. Due to unfamiliarity with the Dubai market, many aspects were delayed, but in the end, we opened at the right time in the right place. By the beginning of 2023, we had formed a small network, consisting of three salons — two in Krasnodar and one in Dubai. In March 2023, immediately after the opening, a Russian investor bought a stake in our Dubai salon, thus becoming my second business partner.
I started virtually alone, flew to Dubai, where I had no social contacts. I collected all the information and contacts bit by bit, in small steps, so the project was a little delayed. I went through many aspects myself, relying on my intuition, logic, and thinking. It wasn't easy, I'll be honest. The main difficulties were related to not knowing certain nuances; I had to learn from my mistakes. Renovation is probably the pain of all entrepreneurs. There were some difficulties in the banking sector. But over time, you learn to circumvent all these difficulties. However, recently, answering a question about the pros and cons of doing business in Dubai on Instagram, I realised that I didn't even want to highlight the cons. In my opinion, Dubai today is an amazing location and a wonderful opportunity for development. So many interesting stories have come together here, and they are all growing simultaneously. It seems to me that being here now for personal growth and business development is very promising. So I focus only on the pluses and opportunities that Dubai provides. There are minuses everywhere, but there is no such global minus that would prevent me from living or developing business in Dubai.
My advice to newcomers is not to be afraid to seek help from professionals. This will save time, nerves, and eventually even money. Of course, you need to understand many issues on your own, but in key moments, especially those related to legal and financial aspects, it's better to trust experts. This will help avoid many mistakes and risks.
Despite the fact that I went through this path myself and am glad about it, still, if someone turns to me, I won't advise going it alone, because all these bumps and bruises are not easy to get. It's better to find a colleague from your field or someone you could pay for a consultation to get as much information as possible from a professional who has already gone down this path, to adopt their experience.
It is also very important not to believe everything that is said. In Dubai, unfortunately, they will ubiquitously sell "air", in the bad sense of the word. I had to deal with our compatriots who offered services at greatly inflated prices. It is very important here to use logic; it has saved me many times.
I was pleasantly surprised that here, in Dubai, beauty salon owners are open to communication and information exchange. I haven't encountered cases where someone refused to share their experience. For example, one salon owner asked me about hiring staff, what I pay attention to. We exchanged information. There is even a group of beauty salon owners here, which is also great. Of course, some internal secrets may not be revealed, but on standard issues such as documentation, employment, and bureaucratic aspects, they will definitely give advice and share experience here. It's a really cool culture of information exchange.
I remember when we held client events, and the owners of different salons came. They were very open, offering to meet and help if needed. In Dubai, I haven't encountered aggression or unhealthy competition. It seems to me that everyone occupies their niche, both territorially and in terms of service level. We are more colleagues than competitors. I love Dubai for the fact that everyone here says Welcome to Dubai, even if you have been living here for a long time and someone has just arrived. People here are incredibly kind and open.
Dubai has opened up many new people to me whom I admire. I love my native Krasnodar very much, but it is still a small city in the south of Russia. And here the scales are different, and I have met many wonderful people. I realised how strong a person I am myself. I knew this before, but in Dubai I was convinced that I really have a steel character. Since childhood, I have admired charismatic and beautiful women, especially in business. When I see them, there is a desire to communicate, be inspired, even just observe. Cool girls come to the salon, live their lives, solve issues over the phone, and you are inspired by their energy. Of popular personalities, I like Irina Khakamada. Unfortunately, there were no entrepreneurs in my close circle. I grew up in a family where my mother was a teacher and my father headed a factory, but it was a state story, not entrepreneurship. I always wanted to meet someone who could give advice. Now I am developing in this direction and, perhaps, leading others.
In entrepreneurship, there is no limit to the scale. The wider you think, the higher you rise. What seemed impossible yesterday becomes a reality today. Once my current partner said, "Imagine, Dubai is one of the top cities in the world. The Palm is one of the most prestigious locations in Dubai. You come alone, open a business on the Palm and immediately make a statement about yourself." These words made me think about what I had achieved. Sometimes you need to stop and realise that you have managed to do something significant.
I am very satisfied with the results. Despite the boom in the beauty salon business in Dubai, including the Russian one, there are several main names that are most often heard. I won't name them, but these are our strong colleagues. For me, a special achievement is that in just a year we were able to stand on a par with serious market players — federal and international chains. I consider this a small victory and am proud of it. In the film about the founder of McDonald's, at the end he says that the most important trait of an entrepreneur is persistence. This is one of my main traits: no matter how hard it gets; I find the strength not to give up. My favourite life motto is “you can't defeat a person who never gives up”.
Clients and their requests make you think and improve your business. For a long time, the thought came to me that just a beauty salon is not enough. Girls often come hungry, ask to order food, or with husbands who have nowhere to go. The idea was born to expand the standard concept of a beauty salon. Now we are doing a new project — a combined beauty salon and coffee shop. These will be separate rooms connected by a wall to comply with sanitary standards. The goal is to provide full hospitality: to treat with a dish and quality coffee during long procedures. Salon guests who come with friends or wives will be able to comfortably wait in the coffee shop with a laptop.
A year ago, when my current partner had just joined my project in Dubai, the desire was voiced to immediately implement a network of beauty salons in the UAE. But at that time, I didn't feel confident, as the Dubai market was absolutely new to me, the investments were serious, and it was a big responsibility. Now, having a successful project on the Palm Jumeirah, I clearly understand that I am ready for expansion. My current partner has returned to business development in Russia, received new large-scale projects and even called me with him. I made the decision to stay in Dubai, I find this market particularly promising for my business. I am negotiating with new potential investors; there are interested parties, but I am always open to new proposals.
More than ever before, I feel a maximum fighting spirit. In summer, you involuntarily relax, but you gradually begin to prepare for the season. The new project and negotiations are inspiring. We have a bright, crazy and hot season ahead of us. I can't wait for new accomplishments and meetings with clients, partners, like-minded people. I am sure that together we will be able to realise the boldest ideas and reach new heights in the beauty industry.
