Duo’s beautiful success story
Win Tassan and Gina Daniels Mother and daughter team say industry is not for the faint hearted A mother and daughter duo have proven to be more than just pretty faces, having established one of the Port Elizabeth’s leading beauty and health clinics, Beautiful You.
Not only do they finish each other’s sentences, but with their shared passion Win Tassan, 63, and Gina Daniels, 40, run the business side by side. Nestled in the highly commercial Heugh Road in Walmer, the business stands out with its distinct exterior which personifies what it is all about. Its elegant interior instantly calms the potential customer – an effect that both Tassan and Daniels said they were going for. When Tassan bought what was then Slenderline at Walmer Park 23 years ago, little did she know that she would today be the go-to woman for all things skincare. Even though Tassan studied teaching at a college in Grahamstown, she refused to let her dreams go and pursued her passion. “I have always been fascinated with skin – the face is something you can never hide,” Tassan said. “And because it has become scientific, this business is an ongoing learning experience.” Meanwhile, Daniels said she had been drawn to the sector by the idea of pampering and spoiling hard-working women. But today more men formed a large part of their client base. “If I have to pinpoint one thing it has to be the people, being around women and getting to pamper them is the highlight of my day,” Daniels said. “I was also very interested in permanent make-up in the early 90s but it had no yet evolved in South Africa.”
Daniels, who holds a master’s in intradermal pigmentology from The Beau Institute in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, said forming a business partnership with her mother came naturally as they had always been “partners in crime”. The company employs 13 beauty therapists who deliver products from massages, facials, laser, permanent make-up and a variety of retail products, among many. However, Tassan and Daniels share duties with them, with Tassan focusing on the property and maintenance-related duties. Daniels deals with products and equipment. While the city boasts a rich variety of beauty salons, Tassan said they were not in competition with anyone but instead competed with themselves. “In this business, one would be all over town looking at what other beauty salons are doing but we are comfortable and know what we are passionate about. “The challenges are high and we are fortunate enough to go on monthly training with doctors in Johannesburg to keep our industry at the top of its game.” An attempt at expanding the business on a national scale failed when they opened a branch in Cape Town and Johannesburg, with Tassan saying the travelling back and forth became too much. “We closed the Cape Town branch but we sold the branch in Johannesburg to our partner,” Tassan said. Tassan and Daniels explained that other challenges of running a beauty health clinic ranged from maintaining their standards with quality products and staying current with the latest technology. Daniels attributed the success of the business to word of mouth and maintaining a reputation. “We have been honoured to have clients that have remained loyal to us for more than 20 years. “This is not a game for the fainthearted. Hard work and passion for the industry is incredibly rewarding,” Daniels said.
