Compiled by Pirah Aijaz
‘Choksy’ is the story of a young Entrepreneur, who chose to make the proverbial lemonade, when the Covid-19 Pandemic, hit. With no outdoor sports, visits to the malls, or cinemas to go to, Zohreen soon got bored of being stranded indoors.
Honestly, how long can a person, let alone a 9 yr old continue to watch TV, use the phone, play indoor games, or even read or write? And an extraordinary 9 yr. old at that!
So Zohreen, took it upon herself to unleash her Creativity.
She had an ‘aha’ moment while watching a skincare tutorial – an idea for formulating Organic skincare products. So she started exploring, researching, and experimenting with different products as well as compiling old & traditional family home remedies.
Zohreen’s enthusiasm was soon, rubbed onto her mother Zebunissa, and the Entrepreneurial journey began with the birth of “Choksy”.
We at Fempreneur approached a little, inspiring entrepreneur to know more about her brand, accomplishments, and challenges of her entrepreneurial journey.
So, let’s meet her!
Zohreen how did you come up with the idea of having your own range of organic beauty products?
Since covid made us stay inside for a very long time I was online a lot. So, I took the start with YouTube. As I’m an avid social media user, through YouTube I came across skincare tutorials and I watched lots and lots of Skincare videos. Then over time, I was inspired to start my own small skincare business.
In fact, it happened one night when my brother and I were listening to a story from my dad about entrepreneurship. I was really inspired by it and hoped to start a business one day. On the next day, I started researching it, looking at ideas, but nothing seemed to be quite right. Finally, I stumbled upon skincare. In the beginning, I made simple skincare products like 2 ingredient scrubs and masks and sold them in dip sauce jars. Then my mom told me I could not do that and I couldn’t even sell it. That’s how we got into this field and started working. We created our labels, made our recipes, and got our containers, and my mom did our pricing. We consulted a certified herbalist with our final formulations. Not long after, we made our Instagram, Facebook, and website. We hoped that our journey would one day take us around Pakistan and beyond.
How did your parents react, when they first heard your idea?
My parents were mostly supportive and my mom especially, really taught me how to do it professionally. In fact, I would say I found my parents very supportive and encouraged me to do so and they are happy to see me as an entrepreneur at such a young age.
Can you share the concept behind the term “Choksy”?
“Choksy” was actually my great grandmothers maiden name, and she was really into herbs. We actually incorporated some of her formulations as well. The journey was both rewarding and frustrating. Finally, it culminated in the labor of love which was named Choksy Organic Solutions after my great-grandmother (whose formulas have inspired some of our products).
Your Mother is your business partner too, how do you complement each other in your business?
My mother does most of the social media work with Instagram, and Facebook, managing supplies, etc, and I usually make the products with her, and do the packaging.
How do you balance school life with your Entrepreneurial life?
Managing school and entrepreneurial life has been challenging, but I made a strategy to work out my plans. I usually do the entrepreneurial stuff on the weekends because I’m busy on the weekdays with my schoolwork. That’s how I’m managing my studies and my small business.
What challenges did you face during the launch of your brand?
It was a huge challenge getting all our raw material supplies since we get them from all over Pakistan and due to covid the shipping was a little slow. But gradually, we overcame all the challenges.
What makes Choksy unique?
I feel like Choksy is unique because we use all organic ingredients and as I mentioned before, they come from all over Pakistan, and we have gotten our products tested as well.
What marketing strategies did you first use to promote your business?
Instagram and Facebook played a HUGE part in marketing since that’s where we started, we also advertised by word of mouth since we knew a lot of people and eventually, it started to work. That’s like a big win for us!
What are your future plans with Choksy, where do you see it, a year from now?
My future plans are to hopefully continue this business and grow it even more and eventually make it a global name.
What message would you like to give to Youth Entrepreneurs like yourself?
I would probably tell them to always plan things beforehand otherwise they won’t go as expected. Organizing your time is also important so that you can do all your work on time.
As a young entrepreneur, Zohreen has set an example, for all young people out there, that even though schools were closed, they could still learn productive things at home. It’s incredibly amazing to know that she has been doing a fantabulous job since she started her own venture and is constantly putting her heart into her work. We wish her all the best for the future!
