Examine the qualities of Shahnaz Husain as an entrepreneur and their contribution to her success in business.

The case discusses the growth of the Shahnaz Husain Group, one of the largest producers of ayurvedic and herbal products in the world. It begins with a personal profile of Shahnaz Husain and her idea of producing and marketing ayurvedic products as a substitute for chemical cosmetics, which, she believes, do more harm than good. It then traces the growth of her brand from a niche product in the Indian market to a brand retailed in most of the major stores around the world. The case focuses on the factors that make Shahnaz Husain products what they are and examines Shahnaz's business style. It also takes a look at the subsidiary and ancillary activities of the Group, like training institutes, Ayurvedic massage centers and health resorts.

"I do not sell products. I sell an entire civilization in a jar." - Shahnaz Husain. "She lives, sleeps, breathes her business. She is consumed with building a successful company which she has done." She captured the markets around the world and now she wants to conquer space. In an innovative move, Shahnaz Husain has started work on formulations that astronauts could carry with them in their extraterrestrial sojourns to protect their skin from the ravages of space travel and slow down the ageing process. She has sent National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) free samples of her moisturizers, hoping that they will be used on space expeditions. Shahnaz Husain is one of India's most successful women entrepreneurs. Her company, Shahnaz Husain Herbals is one of the largest manufacturers of herbal products in the world. It formulates and markets over 400 products for various beauty and health needs and has a strong presence across the globe, from the USA to Asia. In 2002, the Shahnaz Husain Group, based in New Delhi, was worth $100 million. It employed about 4200 people in 650 salons spread across 104 countries. The Group has seen a good growth rate in the 25 years that it has been in business. The average growth rate in the initial years (late 1970s to the early 1980s) was 15-20%. In the 1990s the average growth rate was 19.4%. A number of awards, both national and international have been conferred on Shahnaz Husain. Some of them are "The Arch of Europe Gold Star for Quality", "One of the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World", "The 2000 Millennium Medal of Honor", "Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award", etc.

Shahnaz Husain belongs to a royal Muslim family which migrated from Samarkhand to India and later held high positions in the princely kingdoms of Bhopal and Hyderabad before India's independence. Shahnaz received her schooling in an Irish convent and because of the influence of her father, Chief Justice N.U. Beg, she developed a love for poetry and English Literature. She thus had the advantage of growing up in a traditional family and receiving a modern education. She was married at the age of 15 and was a mother by the next year. When her husband was posted in Teheran, Iran, she developed an interest in beauty treatments and decided to study cosmetology. To support the expenses of the training financially, she wrote articles for the Iran Tribune on various topics under different names. In the course of her studies, she learnt of the harmful effects of chemicals on the human body. Consequently, she turned her attention to Ayurveda (Refer Exhibit III), which she believed was the ideal alternative to chemical cosmetics, which not only harmed the human system but also led to the deterioration of the environment in the long run. After leaving Teheran, she trained extensively in cosmetic therapy for 10 years in some of the leading institutes of London, Paris, New York and Copenhagen. On her return to India in 1977 she set up her own salon at her house in Delhi with an initial investment of Rs 35000. In contrast to salons offering chemical treatments, Shahnaz offered Ayurvedic products. Shahnaz Husain uses the Ayurvedic method of treatment, which uses natural formulations to cure ailments. She is the pioneer and leader of Ayurvedic beauty products in the world offering Natural Care and Cure. The Shahnaz Husain Group offers exclusive salon treatments geared to individual needs as well as a number of commercial formulations for the treatment of specific problems like acne, pimples, pigmentation, dehydration, alopecia (hair loss), etc. According to the Group, ayurvedic products are well suited to human skin and hair as they are non-toxic and have no harmful side effects. The human body adapts well to the natural treatments of Ayurveda while it has an inbuilt resistance toward chemical treatments. The turning point in her business came when she represented India at the Festival of India in 1980. Her team was given a counter in the perfumery section of Selfridges in London. She managed to sell her entire consignment in 3 days and also broke the store's record for cosmetics sales for the year... The Group has diversified into Ayurvedic centers for Panchkarma, Dhara and Kerala massage. It has also set up two Shahnaz Husain Ayurvedic Health Resorts, one near Delhi and another in collaboration with the Hyakumata group of Japan in the US island of Saipan. These resorts which can accommodate about 200 people at a time, aim at providing urbanites treatments and programs designed to counteract the stress of modern life. The Group has also been holding discussions with major five star hotels in New Delhi and New York to set up health spas...

Seeing the need for internationally recognized institutes that offered professional training in beauty, Shahnaz Husain set up Woman's World International. This was started at a time when people who wanted to train in beauty treatments and therapy could only get apprenticeship training... Shahnaz Husain has acquired worldwide recognition. Her dedication and relentless hard work have paid off and she heads a Group which is the largest of its kind in the world. "It is important to have a dream and to believe in the magic of your dreams" says Shahnaz, who has been able to convert her own dream into a business worth millions of dollars. Shahnaz believes that a true entrepreneur is a person who has independence of spirit. "One should be innovative, dynamic and willing to try every avenue towards success"...