Khulan
“I am inspired by women all over the world who just keep on fighting for their dreams and who empower others through their strength and beauty! I would tell them - your originality and your strength may not seem to empower others but in fact by just being who you are and helping others through your wisdom - you are already a force!”
Khulan lives passionately - for her children, herself, those around her, and for future generations. After obtaining a dual degree from two different countries, Khulan took on a role at Mongolia’s first large scale renewable energy project in the South Gobi desert - but soon after she developed skin allergies and other skin problems. When she couldn’t find a solution, she decided to make her own. This led her to enroll at Formula Botanica where she earned her degree in Organic Skincare Formulation. Khulan then started Mongolia’s first ever organic skincare company LHAMOUR in her kitchen, and now it has reached global success. The philosophy of LHAMOUR is “loving yourself, loving others and loving the environment.” The products are pure and natural; the business is environmentally conscious. Khulan leads her loyal community of clients with courage and compassion. She is an innovative entrepreneur who is determined to showcase the beauty of her culture and protect the beauty of our planet. Meet Khulan. This is her story.
P: Please introduce yourself!
K: I am Khulan Davaadorj from Mongolia. I am a true nomad as I have lived in many countries my whole life and eventually came back to my home country Mongolia to be part of the change making community to develop my country. Initially I graduated with a dual degree in public policy from Hertie School of Governance, Berlin and Columbia University, New York and started working for Mongolia’s first large scale renewable energy project in the South Gobi desert. But I started having allergies and skin problems for the first time in my life and could not find any natural skincare that would fit my skin. Therefore, I started to research about the underlying problems and how to solve them and quickly developed a passion for organic skincare and eventually got a diploma from Formula Botanica in Organic Skincare Formulation - starting Mongolia’s first ever organic skincare brand called LHAMOUR. What started out as something small from home - working in my kitchen - has evolved to a company that manufactures more than 80 products, has a team of 34 people, 5 flagship stores and growing distribution all around the world from USA to Singapore and Japan.
Ever since I have not looked back and truly love the world of entrepreneurship. It has enabled me to do business but yet use that business to change the society for the better and to show people that even little things like lip balms and body butters can make a change - when you have a vision to be a changemaker. So, my business has become the means to the end and my wish is to truly develop a brand that changes people’s mindsets and shares a whole philosophy - the philosophy of loving yourself, loving others and loving the environment.
P: Describe or define yourself in your own words.
K: I am a realist yet a dreamer. I am an optimist yet see the problems we have and feel the need to change them. I am an entrepreneur who is fast paced and thinks outside of the box yet I believe that keeping Mongolian traditions alive and showing them to the world is important to being a true Mongolian. I am a mother who just wants to leave a better world to our future generations and I believe that doing something impactful today - even if it is something very small - can already leave a positive mark for tomorrow. I try to not live but be alive and make the best out of every day.
P: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
K: I am authentic and respect everyone equally. I try to see the good in people and try to empower others as much as possible. Bringing joy to other people and helping them is truly my own happiness.
P: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
K: I think that ever since I stared my entrepreneurial journey, I grew so much. Before when I used to just go to work and finish my work and mind my own business, I had totally different view points about challenges, pain, vision and dreams. But ever since I paid my first salary and had my first true customer - all of that changed. When you realize that something that you have started and that you have built is changing someone else’s life to the better - you totally have a different mind set about life. For example, in 2015, there was heavy flooding in Ulaanbaatar and just one year after our launch - our factory, which was at that time in the basement - was flooded with water until the knee and since we use organic ingredients and just paper packaging - it was all wasted. Things were floating around, everything was just gone and the whole factory was just under water. I did not know what to do and wrote a status on my personal Facebook asking people who are nearby to come and help us. Then within 10 minutes we had young people storming in and just using whatever they could find in order to get rid of the water and let everything dry out. We soon had around 10 people come in and help us and at one point I realized it was always our customers or young people that I had mentored or people that had at one point sat at one of my lectures or guest speaking. I realized that these people truly had Lhamour in their hearts and they were willing to help us as much as possible because they truly believed in us. These people spent around 4 hours just helping out and drying the factory. It was truly magical. I did cry out of frustration but also out of happiness because I understood that what I had started had touched people’s lives….
In the morning, when I came to work, I saw my team (which at that time was around 9 people) just sit there with anxiety and sadness in their eyes - all looking up to me and wondering what I would say and do. And that was a key moment in my life when I realized that Lhamour had outgrown me and that so many people were looking up to me and that I needed to be strong for them. I needed to be firm, strong, powerful and calm only for them. Not for myself but for my team and my customers and whoever else believed in our vision. That is the moment where I wanted to cry and just give up but where I actually held my ground, dusted myself off and just gracefully told everyone that there is nothing to worry about, that we can overcome anything and that life just goes on. I told everyone to just keep on doing what they were doing and that we can all together weather the storm.
And ever since, I have never been truly sad anymore because the vision is much stronger and bigger than me and every time something comes up and I have to deal with a problem - I just tell myself - it is a lesson that I need to learn in order to be stronger and wiser tomorrow, so that we can reach our vision. Ever since that time I just tell myself - if there is a problem with a solution, then why worry about it. And if there is a problem without any solution, then why worry about it either. The vision always exists and challenges are just there to make us smarter and wiser.
P: What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
K: Never doubt yourself - just believe in yourself, keep it real and learn from every mistake you make - as mistakes make you stronger and wiser.
P: What does being a woman mean to you?
K: Everything. The strength that women have and the ability to endure and overcome everything is just amazing. When I gave birth, I realized that women are just so strong and able to go through so much because of the fact that we are able to emotionally, physically and psychologically handle it. I am a mother yet run my businesses, employ and mentor people and truly try to make a positive impact. I believe that women are always thinking about more than themselves and thus make great leaders and business mentors because once a woman is empowered it causes a chain reaction and leads to the empowerment of the whole society.
P: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
K: I am inspired by women all over the world who just keep on fighting for their dreams and who empower others through their strength and beauty! I would tell them - your originality and your strength may not seem to empower others but in fact by just being who you are and helping others through your wisdom - you are already a force!