CAREER: WENDY REINER, FOUNDER OF KISUNA

HOW I GOT HERE

WENDY REINER, FOUNDER OF KISUNA

Tell us what inspired you to set up your brand?

“It’s been a long road to KISUNA. I first started in this industry as a beauty educator during my divorce in 2008. Prior to that, apart from being the proud mother of two boys, my career roots were in cardiopulmonary technology and acupuncture. A strange combination, however, when life hit me in the face with circumstances that triggered a severe adult acne breakout, the sudden death of my fit and healthy father at age 58 made me stop and take stock of my life.”

It sounds like your father was a big inspiration for you to follow your dreams…

“I had been thinking about developing a cosmeceutical because the only products available to me were teenage acne products and I was unable to use anti-ageing products. When I was growing up, Dad used to say to me “You never know when your number is up. Every day since I served in Vietnam has been a bonus, I’m living on borrowed time.” His death was that moment of impact when I decided to take matters into my own hands and develop a product that focused on skin equilibrium and anti-ageing.”

The skincare range was a success. Tell us about that…

“I successfully sold it into a large laser and aesthetics chain. I was exhausted and needed to retreat from the corporate world, COVID was a trigger to make some life changes. I exited the business mid 2020 and took time to nurture myself and my family.

However, I have an active mind, and I’m unable sit still for too long. My mind had kept moving toward the desire to create something that was all about a return to self. I have, otherwise, always been involved in creating products for clinics with bright lights, lasers and needles. I wanted to create something that was like a meditation for skin, that was absorbed in nature, was truly Australian, didn’t compromise on activity, held sustainability values, and gave back to the world. Hence KISUNA.”

There are so many brands on the market – how do you create a difference?

“You create a difference by identifying the gap and then developing a solution.

My very first brand was a result of personally suffering with adult acne. I couldn’t find a brand that soothed my acne and took care of my ageing concerns.

The first brand was all about a solution for a complex problem, often products created by people who live with the issue and are

exhausted by the lack of help or care that is out there. Frustration is a good motivator. I took a leap of faith, backed myself and became a formulator and used my knowledge on human biology to unpack acne and build a brand that delivered results.

KISUNA is different, in addition to activity, it’s focus is on showcasing the power Australian botanicals and sustainability. After much market research, I decided I needed to create a brand that didn’t compromise on activity and quality but satisfied all sections of conscious and sustainable beauty. Using the combination of science, pure extracts, luxury oils for activity, feel, and absorbency using natural preservation and elimination of ingredients that are harmful to the environment and are know to increase chemical load in the human body.”

What’s the one thing you wished you had have known in hindsight?

“When I initially started out in 2008, I was very naive about the world of business, and I was shocked how people behave when they discover that you have something they think they can either take from you or capitalise on. As a single female in business, I found this to be the greatest lesson of all. Be careful who you trust. “

Business is one of those customised personal development programs designed by life. Hindsight is just a talking point and there is no point focusing on the past. We can kick ourselves for making a mistake. But making a mistake is much easier to live with if you reframe it as a lesson in what not to do. It is only a mistake if you keep doing the same thing.”

Any other important business lessons?

“The one thing I wish I had done from the very beginning was to trust my intuition. If I had followed it every time throughout my business life, there would have been far less stress and more money in my pocket at the end of the day.”

Any mentors or brands that inspired you?

“I am inspired by any woman who made it on their own without a man, a partner, or family support.

After I went through divorce, I was truly on my own. I promised myself I would make sure I could weather any storm and that I could look after my emotional, physical, and financial self. I had children to raise, and I had to be a beacon for them.”

As a single business woman and mother – what are some useful tools you use to keep forging ahead?

“It sounds simple, but in times when I have hit the wall and struggle to get up, I have relied on one of four things to reset and motivate myself. One is an inspirational song, an inspirational YouTube video, Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech, and remembering my why (which is bigger than me). I have always painted a vision of the end goal, what that looks like, how I know when I get there, and then I feel it.”

How important is sustainability as a brand?

“For a brand, sustainability isn’t an option, it’s a necessity and a responsibility in every business. All companies, worldwide, have an obligation to implement sustainability into their business practice. Consumers are demanding it, and even more than that, the survival of our planet demands it.”

What were the major challenges for you in starting the brand?

“For me, the major challenge in starting any brand is initially facing the unknown. What if I fail? What does life look like then? What will people think?

However, over the last 15 years, I’ve learned that I am very capable of navigating fear. Whilst its uncomfortable, breaking through that barrier is very satisfying.

You don’t start a business unless you are willing to risk it all. Anyone who was successful in business will say it wasn’t easy, and I remember there were times I thought I was going to sweat blood.”

Any roadblocks to being successful?

“The biggest challenge you will ever face is that voice in your head that says you’re not good enough. Business is like raising a child, you make mistakes on the first, but experience makes you better for the second.”

Tell us your business motto?

“Be honest and truthful. Much like in life, Karma has a way of taking care of dishonest people. The industry is small, and reputation is everything. If you make a mistake, admit it, take responsibility, and apologise.

Operate with integrity, no one likes liars, and no one trusts liars. Lying might get you a sale but it doesn’t get you repeat sales or customer loyalty in the long run.”

If you weren’t doing this tell us where we would find you in this world?

“Probably running a retreat or wellness centre or studying something like kinesiology”