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Candy Girl


What do MTV’s House of Style, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Jennifer Aniston have in common?

They all love Candy. We’re not talking the edible kind either.

These big-time babes love nail polish and cosmetics from one of the hottest companies around — Hard Candy. Founder and fashion plate, 27-year-old Dineh Mohajer, recently talked with YoungBiz about her business journey from terror to trendsetter.

It all started with a pair of baby blue sandals that Dineh bought in ’95. She couldn’t find a shade of nail polish to match her shoes, so she made her own. "I mixed two different nail polishes together to get baby blue," says Dineh. "No one really had pastels at that point — the dark colors were in. I mixed colors to make pastels and I got compliments on them everywhere. It was good timing."

In fact, she got so many compliments she decided to send a few samples to local shops and magazines. She mixed some more and sent the bottles on their way. The colors were instantly popular and Dineh started getting monster orders. But with only her boyfriend to help make the goods, she had a hard time keeping up. "It was overwhelming. We had no manufacturing, no place to store it, and the phone was ringing off the hook. It was a nightmare."

Then Mom came to the rescue. "My mom finally helped me," says Dineh. "We went through so many people, but nothing was working out. We were so stressed out trying to figure out how to get the business running properly. Relaxing was hard."

Eventually, they found some good staff and a place to store the merchandise, and the biz took off. Now, Dineh is one of the most successful chicks in the fashion — and business — worlds!

Hard Candy was such a hit, they had to expand within the first year. Now there’s Candy Man, HC’s line for males, and a huge cosmetics line as well. So what’s Dineh’s fav product? "Definitely Glitter Eye."

Now, Dineh’s got it made in the shade. Things are going great and she’s finally getting the down time she deserves. How does she kick back? "I like to exercise and hang out with my friends," she says. "Just normal stuff."

Dineh’s learned lots of useful info on the road to success. Most importantly, she’s learned about people. "Reading people is very important," she says. Be aware of who’s working for you. I think personnel is the biggest issue in running a business."

So, how about a little advice from someone who’s been there and done that? "Go for it!" she says about starting your own biz. "But try to learn how to do it. The more experience you have, the better — and the more you love what you’re doing, the more successful you’ll be."

 

Revised: June 16, 2003.
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