Sue Ismail - Inspiration comes from Family
Sue Ismail at the 2013 Ethnic Business Awards - Champion of Champions award ceremony with Mr. Joseph Assaf AO
The Ethnic Business Awards were created by Mr Joseph Assaf AO to recognise the contribution of migrants and the Indigenous, our First Peoples, to the Australian business landscape and the economy at large. In 2019 we proudly became a recognised not for profit charity and as such have become the Ethnic Business Awards Foundation. Every year for more than three decades the Ethnic Business Awards have featured the stories of people who have overcome many hurdles and who have gone on to become extremely successful. They arrive, strive and succeed. Here, we feature the story of one such inspirational woman who, despite all the challenges thrown her way, came out the other side winning.
INSPIRE - verb
To make someone feel that they want to do something and can do it.
That’s exactly what Sue Ismail’s story does for us. It shows us how a simple thing like the love a mother has for her daughters, can lead to the kind of success that one could never imagine. What Sue Ismail did made her a multi-millionaire in less than ten years and resulted in her induction into the Australian Businesswomen's Hall of Fame. But you may wonder, how did it all begin? It all started with a small problem her daughter was having: a little unwanted body hair.
Sue Ismail at the Ethnic Business Awards gala in 2013
Dissatisfied with existing hair-removal gels and waxes on the market, this spirited mother of three girls decided to create her own brand, using uniquely Australian products, including honey, fructose, molasses and glucose. She would come home after work every night and experiment in her ‘laboratory’ (her kitchen), and test her invention on her children and husband: "My family got fed up with me,” she said. “I would chase my husband around the house begging him to try my latest invention, crying out ‘this is the last time, I promise’. Finally, I came up with a gel that works with your own heat so it does not burn the skin yet removes the hair very effectively and with no pain."
In 1991, Sue perfected product. But coming up with a product is only the first battle. Sue’s invention, Nad’s Natural Hair Removal Gel, faced enormous criticism and negativity along the way. In particular from “the men in suits at the major cosmetic companies," Sue said. "They would say things like ‘here comes little Sue with her goo’. None of them thought it would work so no one encouraged me to pursue it."
In response, Sue developed her own cosmetic manufacturing company. Her brother Souhel, a mechanical engineer, built her a machine to mass-produce her product. She then began directly selling her products in a stall at Flemington Markets in Sydney.
“It was quite demoralising. No one came near my stall. So, after a couple of hours I went out to the people and started explaining to them about my product and how I could help them. By the end of the day, I was swamped with people. It was amazing!" Sue continued direct-selling for a couple of years until the workload became too much. She then took the plunge and decided to advertise the product on national television.
The response was phenomenal. Soon she was selling the Nad’s range, which featured hair removal gels, preparation lotion, and soothing lotion, through more than five-thousand retail outlets across Australia, including Woolworths, Coles and Big W. By 1999, the product had a 40% market share in Australia. Overseas, the product was becoming a major hit in the United States and Canada. With sales continuing to soar, Sue’s turnover was expected to triple in the following year, pushing the company from small business to a large concern with well in excess of $15 million turnover by end of 2001.
“I am stunned that this vision that I had ten years ago has become such a successful product. But, then, deep down inside, I knew I had something in me!”
Sue Ismail winning the Small Business Award at the Ethnic Business Awards in 1999
Sue Ismiel’s story is one worth telling. It’s worth telling because it is the very embodiment of the migrant business success story. It is the story of a woman who came from other shores, saw a need, turned that need into an opportunity, met that opportunity with a spirit of innovation and determination and, with the immense support and encouragement of her family, overcame scepticism and seemingly insurmountable obstacles to achieve tremendous success.
Being the winner of the EBA Small Business award in 1999 was an enormous honour and fitting recognition for Sue. “First and foremost, I would like to thank my mighty god for taking me from one part of the world, and placing me in the greatest country in the world, Australia. It is with great honour that I stand here today and call Australia my home. I would like to thank the Ethnic Business Awards for recognising our efforts as migrants and citizens of this country and awarding our achievements. I would like to thank everyone who is involved in the NAD’s organisation, everyone who has invested in the success of the company, you deserve this award more than I do”
What an inspiration the amazing Sue is and it was an honour that NAD’s was nominated for the awards.
Every year we seek out similarly inspirational stories. Sometimes the business is in its infancy, so we recommend they track along for a few years before they begin the nomination process. There is zero cost involved in nominating and we are always happy when nominees try to be selected for consecutive years. We understand that the EBA is only able to bring twelve fantastic stories each year to the stage, so my advice to you is to never give up. We have many examples of finalists who were only successful after trying for a couple of years to be selected. The most important thing is that we hear these stories. And through our media partners we can beam them into the lounge rooms of Australians everywhere. In fact, these awards are viewed all over the world thanks to Facebook live. Our broadcast in 2019 was seen by 70,000 + viewers. This just shows there is a huge appetite for true stories of excellence.
