THE ROUTE TO BEAUTY

As a banker, Kadek Maharani Kemala Dewi had to look good all the time, and so she fell in love with beauty products. Now, Rani is a self-made entrepreneur as the CEO of Urban Group, writes Liviani Putri

“I WANT TO PROVE to everyone that even if you start from zero, nothing is impossible as long as you want it hard enough and you work towards it,” says Kadek Maharani Kemala Dewi CEO of Urban Group, in an interview with Prestige at Raffles Jakarta.

Bali-based Urban Group is the mother company of several business units, such as Urban Indo Manufacture, TUB Beauty Store, MS Glow Beauty and MS Glow Aesthetic Clinic. Urban Bank and Urban Bali Property will join the portfolio by the end of the year.

This self-made entrepreneur began her journey by selling makeup and skincare products online. In her first job, as a banker, she had to look good all the time. So, she fell in love with beauty products.

“I must say I’m an addict,” she laughs. “I spent a lot of time trying every new beauty trend, and then I thought why don’t I turn something I’m passionate about into my own business?”

The secret of successful selling is product knowledge. Rani, as she likes to be called, teaches herself about the science behind every beauty product she sells.

“I began by sitting down and making notes of every ingredient on the labels and then researching them,” she explains. “I’m curious about how a product works on a person’s skin and, since I have to interact directly with my customers every day, I need to be able to answer their questions regarding their skincare needs and problems. I take it very seriously.”

Successful in selli ng beauty products, Rani’s dream was to create her own brand. After thinking about it carefully, she decided to launch a skincare line in 2014. Then in 2016 she decided to repackage the brand and change the name to MS Glow.

“MS Glow was born to fulfill the needs of Indonesians (both men and women) to be healthy and feel good with their own skin,” Rani says. “Also to provide more options for the local skincare market. The business itself is reseller and agent based. We already have more than 5.300 members across the nation.

“Since I’m meticulous about my products, every single thing from the ingredients to the packaging and distribution has to be under my control. At first, we outsourced production, but the results weren’t satisfying. The solution was to open our own factory.”

Urban Indo Manufacture was born to make sure all production is done in-house. In addition, Rani works on new products with her R&D team. “I feel blessed that God is always kind to me,” she says. “Every time I feel low or almost want to give up, there are always kind people who are willing to help. The members of my team are very passionate about their work. Thanks to them, we have become a pioneer of several iconic skincare products, such as clay masks for unclogging pores, hydrating juices and cleansing balms.”

After four years of progress and strong sales, MS Glow expanded into the beauty clinic business with several treatments, such as Glow Silkpeel,

PRP Treatment, MS Glow V-Shape, Meso Slim, PPP Laser and Hair Removal.

“We started with one clinic,” says Rani. “The demand for our products and services rose so quickly that I decided to add more.” Today, MS Glow Aesthetic Clinic has a total of seven branches in Bali, Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Malang, and Sidoarjo.

The holder of a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from Udayana University in Bali, Rani also manages her family’s property business in Renon with her husband, whose background is in the construction industry. Her next business venture, Urban Bank, will be launched at the end of this year.

“The idea for this came from our sellers’ needs for capital to grow their businesses,” Rani explains. “At first, they would come to me personally to seek loans. We decided there must be a system for financial matters. Why don’t we create our own bank to support the businesses we have established?”

There’s no end, it seems, to the flow of Rani’s business ideas. Next, she plans to create a traditional medicine brand. The idea came from her childhood experiences.

“My father is a traditional medicine practitioner,” she explains. “Thinking about the work he does made me want to do something to bring about a bigger impact for the people.”