Kathryn Nurse: Putting it on the Line

By Kieran Andrew Khan

Scotiabank Vision Achiever Kathryn Nurse recently received the Social Media Award for her excellence in using the digital resource to raise the profile for her business, Immortelle Beauty, during the bank’s entrepreneur-minded programme. She shared her insights on the programme, her ups-and-downs as a businesswoman and cosmetic chemist and her own marketing advice for young business people with WMN.

“I’ve always been interested in fashion and beauty,” she began, “as my mother always had a box full of beauty products and was into skincare and makeup. So at the time while I was studying science with the intention of becoming a medical doctor, I thought, that wouldn’t be enough for me. So I needed to figure out how to put the science to work in a way that would interest me.”

On completing her degree in Biology from George Washington University, she would instead go on to an internship that would lead to a full-time job as a cosmetic chemist.

“After that job, I decided to return home and establish my business with just one line of foot products, as they were simpler to produce and required less varieties of shades and fragrances,” she detailed. Leveraging the power of Facebook at the time, she was able to make some headway with the business – but it wasn’t enough.

“I shut it down for a time – it wasn’t working and mentally I needed to try something else,” she recalled, so Nurse would go on to pursue a Masters in Luxury Brand Management and return with a new way of thinking and a new approach.

“I always liked the high-end market for cosmetics since I wondered what would make someone buy a cream for $500 when there were others for $20 on the market. The intangible aspects of a brand always fascinated me.”

Knowing that outright luxury would not work here with a wide enough market to sustain it – she instead set out to make a high-end product range that would also be affordable.

“We always focused on packaging and the presentation of the product. Design is huge for us,” she emphasised in a joking Donald Trump-like tone.

“But once you get past that, you will find that we put just as much effort, or rather more effort, into the product itself. So when you experience the product, you know you’ve gotten value,” she explained of the visual appeal behind Immortelle Beauty.

That commitment to detail and quality has helped see the Immortelle Beauty brand grow from its initial offering to a full range, including the original Foot Rehab Line line which continues to be used extensively by local aestheticians; the Esscentials Line which boasts five products (shower gel, body polish, lotion, spray oil and body butter with six fragrance options each; and the Home Fragrance Line of decorative candles, reed diffusers and more.

Her time with the bank-sponsored programme proved invaluable as it took her focus away from what she was doing to how and why she was doing it, or as she pointed out, “It was an unselfish guide to help us look beyond making a product, closing a sale and depositing a cheque. We looked at how to structure our business better, how to enhance our leadership styles and set goals that were three to six to 12 months away.

“A lot of times here, we are just okay with operating as well or the same as the next competitive business when we should be looking to stand out.”

That sounds simple enough on paper, but Nurse goes a step further in explaining why it is especially difficult in a smaller society, “Here, however, we have this ‘shame’ aspect – where people like to think ‘who she feel she is?’ when you start to operate a different way with a view to self-improvement. But if you did start to conduct your business another way, maybe you would find a better way to succeed.”

It wasn’t easy for Nurse, despite being absolutely comfortable with social media, there remained an aspect of vulnerability that comes with moving out from behind the camera and behind her products and take to the spotlight.

She elaborated, “People have to understand that you are as much your brand as your brand is you, nowadays. And people appreciate that they see a real person talking to them – so leverage Snapchat and Instagram and whatever channel suits you best. Use Instagram Stories to get out there and speak to people,” she advised.

"At first, it may seem strange – talking to the camera – but soon you realise you aren’t just talking to a device; you’re talking to the whole universe and there are people out there that you can connect with and interact with using these technologies and channels. The truth is, you cannot make great connections without being vulnerable.”

That willingness to be vulnerable, to dare greatly and to set her goals in accordance with the bigger picture and the long-term plan is what sets both Nurse and her Immortelle Beauty brand apart. It was also what would land her the top spot for social media success during the Vision Achievers programme.

“Social media has opened up a whole new aspect for entrepreneurs – while I would love to have a storefront someday, I am not content to just have a store. I want to have an experiential space for people to come too – so I will in time. In the space between, I’ve done podcasts with people, or just used my phone to reach my customers. And I have had a website for the past couple years that the Scotiabank programme also helped me put my focus on to double all of the past four years of sales, in just a few months,” she revealed.

Photos courtesy Kyle Walcott