Nadia Eizadi is the founder of Pandoo, a new bamboo beauty tool range, and owner of Bat Your Lash, an eco and environmentally sustainable beauty salon, hidden amongst the famous boutiques of Greville Street, Prahran.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
I am the owner of Bat Your Lash, an eco-friendly salon based in Melbourne and founder of Pandoo, a range of earth-friendly beauty tools.
I’ve been in the beauty industry for almost 20 years. I’m originally from Perth, but have been living in Melbourne for the last six years.
It was only in the last 2-3 years that I realised how much waste we were producing, especially in the beauty industry, and the negative impact this was creating. To combat this, I spent a lot of time researching what I could do to make a difference, how I could help and what companies I would love to support and work with.
Given this, I created a new version of Bat Your Lash in 2018, based in the heart of Greville St, Prahran. It became a business with intent, about conscious beauty. Bat Your Lash is a love story that starts with loving yourself, the planet and our furry friends. Within this beauty business I then created another, called Pandoo.
As we are a sustainable salon, our tools and products needed to be aligned with our ethos. Funnily enough, there were not many options out there, I saw a gap in the industry and felt like I wanted to re-educate everyone as well as provide information on why to choose bamboo beauty products. That’s how I started Pandoo.
The current range consists of mascara wands, lip applicators and cotton ear buds made of bamboo instead of plastic. We’re looking to expand the range with even more variety in 2020.
We now not only use all these tools within the salon, but we also supply them to others, hoping that our online business will encourage other salons to make the swap from plastic to bamboo and help the environment, as well as our wildlife.
2) What does a typical day in life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
As an owner of two businesses, my days are long and jam packed!
I try to start my day at 6:30-7am with exercise to keep myself sane. I work from around 8:30am to 8pm, 6 days a week. In that time I work on around 6-7 clients a day and in between that I help out with my team doing team training, meetings, e-mails, interviews, managing reception and now also online orders.
As a relatively new business I definitely have my hands full, but hopefully in 2020 I will manage to work less on clients and help out more on the back end of the business.
3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
I definitely don’t have much flexibility. As Bat Your Lash is salon-based, it means I have to be in the salon throughout my 12hr days. As I continue to grow Pandoo in 2020, my goal is to have more flexibility.
4) Do you have any tips, tricks or shortcuts to help you manage your workload and schedule?
I would say no matter how busy one is, it’s always good to start your day with exercise and meal preps. Food and exercise is a big thing for me as it helps me have a clearer mind and stronger body to manage my workload.
Having a great team to work with is very important too. You want to be surrounded by people that appreciate what you’re about and a team that shares the same ethics and values. To work together with the same passion and respect. I know that work can get very stressful so it’s also important to have fun too.
As for shortcuts, I don’t think there ever is any shortcuts to creating a successful business… In saying that, maybe there is that I’m not aware of! Please feel free to contact me with some!
5) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
Work-life balance is very important. As important as my job is to me, I’m all about having fun too.
Working long days is extremely hard and definitely not my intention to do so long term, but as a new business you need to put in all the effort that you can to grow. So to stop me from breaking down and falling apart I try to exercise regularly even if it’s just 2-3 days a week.
I prepare and plan my food for the week and make sure that I still have a social life outside of work. I go out in the evenings for dinner to catch up with friends and family. Hopefully 2020 will be the year of more balance.
6) What do you think are some of the best habits you’ve developed over the years to help you strive for success and balance?
To strive for success I would say the key for me was patience, resilience, determination and positivity! One other thing that’s very important is to focus on your own personal goals and to not compare yourself to others. Be supportive and happy for others’ success while reminding yourself regularly of your goals and achievements too.
It’s easy to get side tracked, to get put down and give up. So I try not to let people’s negativity get to me and focus on the good regularly.
How you talk to yourself is important, not just in business but in life.
As for balance. I can’t emphasise enough on the importance of exercise, meditation and food. I also have noticed the importance of holidays even if it’s just a quick, short 2-3 day getaway to recover. It has done wonders for me.
7) Are there any books that have helped you improve over the years?
I listen to more podcasts as I never have time to sit still long enough to read! I like books and podcasts about mindfulness, soul searching and psychology.
I find it interesting and also very important looking more deeply into why and how people think a certain way. It also helps me deal with clients and customers better, allows me to understand more, even in my own personal life.
One podcast that actually stuck to me was from Gabrielle Bernstein’s The Universe Has Your Back. For all those people that are super busy and don’t have much time on their hands, this was a good one to listen to.
8) What is the number one thing you do to make sure you get the most out of your day?
As much as I’m not a morning person, I would say I need to wake up early so I can get things done, have some me-time and come to work with a clearer mindset.
It’s a great feeling knowing you have achieved so much and your day at work has still not even started. Coffee helps too.
9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
It’s very important to meditate in any shape or form. As much as I love to be around people, I still think it’s just as important to enjoy your own company. Even if it’s just 20-30 minutes by yourself at some point in the day to read, listen to music or just walk in silence. Zone out and be grateful.
If you’d like to have a conversation with us about how you balance the grind, get in touch with us!
