‘I realised I was the only one who could save us’
Beauty boss Anita Donoghue on how becoming a single mum spurred her on to success in the industry
AS a beauty boss and creator of the Annutri range Anita Donohoe is striding ahead when it comes to business. Her best-selling brand came from a love of what she does, having worked in the beauty industry for more than two decades.
But the 45-year-old would be the first to admit that confidence didn’t come easy to her. Growing up in Dublin’s East Wall, she liked to make people feel good about themselves and that’s why she became a beauty therapist.
‘Then, 20 years ago, my first son, Ben, was born and two years later, through unfortunate circumstances, I became a single mum.
‘I didn’t know what I was going to do, and times were really tough. I’d lie awake at night in a panic, knowing he had only me to rely on.
‘A part of me wished a handsome prince would swoop in and rescue me so I wouldn’t need to worry any more.’
Anita was working at the time but it was tough juggle and she is keen to point out that single mums don’t have it easy.
‘You are a single income household, trying to juggle employment and childcare and also my confidence took a blow,’ she says. ‘I never thought I would be a single mother and you think that’s it for you and that you won’t meet someone else.
‘And you get all these dark thoughts about how you have failed and you have failed your child.’
Coming from an inner city Dublin background too, Anita often felt she was overlooked for opportunities.
‘You almost have a chip on your shoulder thinking ‘Am I good enough? Will I get a job that will be well paid so I can look after the both of us?’
‘There is a lot to think about when you become a single mother and it is not an easy thing to do. And you have to be there for your child in the good and bad times.’
And it was her drive to look after Ben that actually helped her find her feet again.
‘I had been thinking that someone would come and save us and I had some very dark days but one morning, I looked at my little boy and it suddenly dawned on me that I had to be the one to rescue us both.’
It was when someone recommended Rhonda Byrne’s cult self-help book The Secret to Anita that things really began to take off for her as she was able to change how she looked at herself.
‘I was absolutely shocked to find that your self-belief is 80 per cent of the game,’ she says.
‘I come from a family of hard workers. I know how to work hard - that was never a problem for me - but I saw people climbing up the ladder ahead of me even though I worked harder.
‘This was because of my limited belief in me and who I was. I really got into self help then and grew my career through that and believing you are good enough and seeing the opportunities. If you have limiting beliefs how can you see the path forward?
‘I think up until then I thought life was something that just happened to you and you rolled with it. I had been metaphorically sitting in the passenger seat of a car while somebody else was doing the driving, and that I actually needed to take the wheel.’
Anita got an opportunity through the Dublin Docklands Grants to go back to college and improve her life and Ben’s too.
‘We saved ourselves basically,’ she says.
‘I went back to college to study business management at the National College of Ireland. I took classes in the evenings and worked full time as a beauty therapist during the day. It was hard work, but I was determined, and my mum was there with me looking after Ben – I couldn’t have done it without her.’
After she finished college Anita got a managerial position in a hair and beauty salon where she met her current partner Steve. However, in the recession of 2009 those businesses closed - but she was taken on by a contact of the salon’s owners who had a fitness studio and a supplement company, which is where Anita got her love for the nutrition side of the business.
‘I witnessed first-hand the transformative impact they could have on people’s lives. I worked my way up and became a business manager and area manager within the industry. I did that for seven years before getting an opportunity to return to beauty to work as a business manager at The Buff Day Spa in Dublin.’
She also joined Network Ireland where she then won a Network Ireland Women in Business Award inspiring her to set up her own business with Steve which later expanded into Annutri. Anita combined her passions of hair, beauty and the help that supplements can bring.
She met her business partner Kevin Connolly in 2019 - and the brand was born.
‘From the very beginning, Kevin and I wanted to create an Irish product that was made here and one that actually worked. We also wanted to ensure our customers would get great value, that it would be for everybody, and that nobody would be excluded,’ she says of the veganfriendly brand.
‘Annutri is built on three pillars: efficacy, accessibility, and integrity. We believe in beauty from the inside out, using the synergy of nature and science to naturally nourish the body, skin, hair, and mind. Our products are free from fillers because we understand that true beauty begins with nourishing yourself from within.
‘We launched the brand in 2020 with Grow It for hair, and have since added our skin supplement Glow It to the range, plus a facial oil and scalp oil, and we have big plans for 2024, with new products in the pipeline. Our goal now is to bring Annutri worldwide and I am confident we’ll achieve that.’
Anita knew from Steve’s background in hair that many women are suffering from hair loss or skin issues or unhealthy hair.
‘Your hair is so linked to your vitality and health and we see a lot of women come through our door who have lost their confidence because of their hair. There is only so much shampooing and colouring we can do for them. I knew we needed something to treat the source.
‘A good diet is always the first recommendation but what we do with Annutri is build the blocks so that you can get everything you need for healthier hair.’
As well as supplements Annutri provides a number of different ‘lotions and potions’ as Anita calls them, to help with various hair issues people might have.
And though she still has to quieten down the voice in her head that might tell her she can’t do something, Anita has big plans that are still being led by providing for her children.
‘Ben is 20 now and has two brothers, four-year-old Kai and one-year-old Koda. They continue to be my ‘why’ and drive me on to keep striving to grow personally and professionally. And for that, I am most grateful.’
‘You get these dark thoughts about how you have failed’ ‘ My children drive me on to keep striving ’