Zehra: The Story of a Female Business Owner in Turkey

Walking down the sidewalk a flutter of fabric caught the corner of my eye. In front of a little shop I hadn’t seen before was a pretty arrangement of Turkish bathrobes, towels, and scarves. As I moved closer, the mingled fragrances of flowery perfumes drifted out of the door, and looking inside I saw a young woman busying herself with an assortment of colorful soaps.

I went in to introduce myself and, in typical Turkish fashion, was quickly invited to sit down for a cup of coffee. The woman introduced herself as Zehra (zay-rah), the owner of the shop. I found out that Zehra makes these soaps herself, and that she had started the business a few years previous. With her energetic, bubbly personality and ready laugh, we quickly became friends.

In Turkey, small business owners often struggle to stay afloat. In a time when the economy is shaky it can be hard to get something off the ground. I have seen so many shops, restaurants, and other businesses open up with a big fanfare only to close down a few weeks or months later. Zehra has had her business for four years now, and Leslie and I decided to sit down with her to find out more about her story.

Zehra has a love for exploring and seeing new places. One day as she was wandering through an old bazaar in Istanbul she came across a woman selling handmade soaps. She was drawn to the bright colors and the wonderful smells. She has always preferred organic, natural products, so the idea of learning to make and sell them herself seemed perfect.

Each soap has different uses, but they are divided into two main categories, those with loofah fibers in them and those without. The ones with the fibers in them have exfoliating properties, and are sold mostly to beauty salons that offer peelings and laser hair removal. The ones without the fibers have uses varying from regular cleansing to treating eczema and other skin irritations. The oils she uses have different beneficial qualities. She explained that jojoba oil is for dry skin, whereas lemon or orange oils help with overly oily skin. She has soaps for hair loss, hair thickening, and even soaps that are made for babies.

While Turkish bath culture is famous around the world, the traditional olive oil soap used in the hamam (or Turkish bath) is different than the soaps that Zehra makes and sells. She said that at first it was difficult to convince potential customers to try out her products. While Turks are warm and welcoming to the guests in their culture, they can be hesitant to accept new products into their daily lives. These soaps, with their different oils and scents claiming all varieties of uses, were a relative unknown to the average person walking into her shop. But with lots of free samples, explanations, demonstrations, and patience, slowly her products began to gain traction.

At the beginning she only sold her soaps in her shop, but four years later she has business agreements with beauty salons and hotels all over the city of Adana, and ships her products to cities all over the country, including Istanbul, Denizli, Ankara, Mersin, and Mardin. Zehra credits her success to the quality of the products she sells and the love that goes into doing her job. She told me, “A quality product will always garner admiration.” She is confident in and passionate about the soaps that she makes and sells, and this attitude is infectious.

She has big dreams and plans for her own future. Currently she imports her aromatic oils from Ankara and Istanbul, but this year she started a two year program at the local university that will enable her to begin producing her own oils. With that certification she will be able to broaden her line of products as well. She dreams of being able to offer all sorts of beauty products, from lip balms to hand creams, under her own name brand.

Zehra emphasizes that for women in Turkey there are all sorts of opportunities for advancement. She says women can be anything from taxi drivers to chefs to CEOs, and that there is a special support among the community for women entrepreneurs. “…In our society when a woman makes it in her own business we are proud and happy. Especially if this woman is a young entrepreneur, it makes us even more happy. She is able to stand on her own two feet and we support this entirely.” Her advice to any young women dreaming of owning their own business? “Do your research, do your best work, and make a quality product. Quality will always win out.” Good advice, indeed.