Zaure Akhmetova, 38 years old, hometown — Semey, stylist and journalist
About career and journalism
I am in constant search. For me, sincerity is important, I feel false, even if I communicate with a person for the first time.
I graduated from the financial institution in the city of Semey. I moved to Pavlodar in 2002, and began to work as a teacher at the department of accounting at PSU named after Toraighyrov, also headed the department of scientific infrastructure there. In parallel, I was engaged in karate and served as a press secretary.
When there was a world championship in Aktau, I went there to cover this event. Then I realized that I no longer want to work in the office and engage in leadership functions, and I want to work in journalism. When I returned to Pavlodar, I quit my job and spent six months without work. Then I got a job at the local TV channel Irbis, where two or three months later became editor-in-chief.
For a long time, I was the main journalist of the final program. It means constant business trips: there is a theme of the week — you fly there, two days in a mad rhythm you remove a plot, at the same time in the head already you do decoding of material. At night you come to the hotel and do not sleep, and sit and do a storyboard, write a script. And then the next night you need to mount. At that time I still had a baby. The children did not see me, I was either on a business trip or came when they were already asleep. I couldn't work at that pace anymore.
But just sit at home, I also could not, so I learned to be a stylist, began to practice. When I had a reputation, a name, I began to earn well. This format suited me because I could manage my time. Then, the same school where I taught invited me to teach courses in stylistics.
For a long time, I was the main journalist of the final program
About relocation
Six years ago my husband was offered a position in Turkey. We agreed and did not regret it. By that time my husband and I lived together for six years, the relationship began to deteriorate, although there were no serious reasons for misunderstanding. We are just tired of monotonous life, so we gladly decided to move to a new country.
About what inspired to open the stores
By the time we started our own business, we had lived in Turkey for three years. Everything was going fine, three years of vacation improved our relationship, now we are a completely different family.
I met with a friend who was involved in the development of women's initiatives with the support of the American Foundation, and we came up with a project for women Ten women — ten stories. We were supported by the foreign women's club International women association of Izmir, another non-governmental organization and the department of social protection in Izmir. We had a good team: my friend, a psychologist-specialist, conducted training for women, and I, as a stylist, changed their image. My mission is to increase women's self-esteem through the blog and the images I offer. Even an outwardly successful girl may actually be on the verge of divorce, she may have a misunderstanding in the family. If a woman takes care of herself, she will not have a question: "Please yourself with a beautiful scarf or buy extra ice cream for a child?" — many problems will be solved by themselves. Ice cream is harmful, and the child can be pleased with something else, so buy a scarf.
This project inspired me to open a store. But first, we were just helping my husband's mom. She had a small shop, and she asked to send her goods to sell it in Pavlodar. We sent but eventually realized that it does not work.
Our business began with working with Turkish factories, which are sewn for Europe. We started working on the assortment. Our suppliers gave a good base: shirts, blouses, pants, but we understood that we need to add women's accessories, jackets, dresses. Then we began to be interested in Turkish producers who sew for the local market, for Turkey. The basis of our store — European brands, and we began to add to them Turkish.
My experience as a stylist helps to create stylish looks for store customers
To this day, the main task for us is to keep prices at a certain level. This is important to me because accessibility is important. We do it for a woman to have an opportunity to change clothes, to buy something new. This is possible only if the price is optimal for it.
My experience as a stylist helps to create stylish looks for store customers.
About family business
We run a family business. One mother looks after two shops in Pavlodar, the second mother in Astana. Due to this project, we learned to understand each other. We never lived even in the same city, and I was worried, but faced with the adequacy and support from her husband's mother. Despite the fact that she is "Kazakh mother-in-law", and I am "Kazakh Kelin", we have a good relationship.
My mother is 58 years old, my mother is older, she is 73 years old. My mother also organically fit, when there was a need she just moved to Astana.
We work in a team with my husband. We have clearly defined functions. All that we have on the page on Instagram, all the visual picture taken by my husband. He is not a professional photographer, he works in a foreign company as a top manager but finds time to help me. In addition, the husband serves as a financier and driver. He does 90 percent of the work that's left behind the scenes.
Since we started working together, our relationship has moved to a new level. We rallied, we had a common theme. We have a creative union, and we complement each other perfectly, and sometimes we can give in.
We often have to travel to Istanbul on business, and we stay in hotels. We take it as a game, we leave the children at home with someone and we go.
About Pavlodar
I first came to Pavlodar at the end of January 2002 to visit my sister. We drove into the city, and the first thing that caught my eye was the light. I saw that, despite the difficulties of that time, the city was full of lights, the roads were clean, the streets were lightened. Then I knew I wanted to live here.
It is also important for me that in this city I took place as a journalist
I love the city for the people. Despite the fact that our person, unlike a foreigner, is not able to smile all the time, here the percentage of positive people more than in Semey. A person from Pavlodar is a progressive, regardless of age. This is especially noticeable among young people.
It is also important for me that in this city I took place as a journalist.
About plans
Our task is to reach a new level. We want to implement certain standards and work as partners, from the family to the corporate sector.
For me, a new level is online trading with a full-fledged site and a good online fitting room, so that the site is tied to banks and the client would be protected. There will also be offline sales because sometimes a person is nice to come to the store, make purchases and cheer yourself up. Our next task is sales points.
