Laura Cretney is the Founder and CEO of Pink Jinn, a socially conscious lifestyle brand inspired by the Middle East and North Africa. The Pink Jinn Souq sells beautiful cultural and craft products sourced from small businesses, artisans and social enterprises in the MENA region, with a focus on supporting vulnerable women and communities affected by conflict. Laura is a Middle East specialist and fluent Arabic speaker who has worked in international development for a number of years. She was inspired to start Pink Jinn by the lack of awareness of the diversity and nuances of the Middle East and North Africa in the West.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I’m from the Isle of Man, a tiny island in the middle of the Irish Sea with a population of 80,000. Somehow, I ended up learning Arabic and living and working in the Middle East throughout my twenties – not the usual path for an island girl! I have spent my twenties working in international development across the region – particularly in Oman and Iraq – as well as consulting for western companies working in the region. Alongside my business, I’m also a part-time PhD student researching the conflict in Yemen.  

What inspired you to start your business?

Over the years I absolutely fell in love with the Middle East and became so inspired by the incredible people, cultures and businesses I came across on my travels. I started Pink Jinn to share that with people where I came from – where the only exposure many have to the Middle East is through negative and stereotype-laden media coverage that ignores so many of the beautiful aspects of the region. I wanted to help people understand the region on a deeper level and experience the beautiful cultures I had the privilege to live alongside. 

Where is your business based?

My business is technically based on the Isle of Man, but I run it online from wherever I am in the world!

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Pink Jinn started as a blog sharing stories and conversations with people in the region. I later started bringing beautiful products back from the region and selling them on Etsy – things like frankincense, Arabic coffee cups and traditional handicrafts. Next, I set up a platform on social media to support people self-studying Arabic.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Despite living in the internet age, word of mouth has consistently brought us new customers and community members. People fall in love not only with our products, but with the meaning and mission behind them – the cultural significance, and the social impact their purchases make. I think in a time of big global businesses and consumerism gone wild, people appreciate personal stories more than ever – who made the product, where it came from, where it fits into the local culture… They feel like they’re a part of something bigger, and they want to share that with their friends! 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

I have built the brand very organically and have never paid for advertising, which has required a lot of patience. More recently, the biggest challenges have been logistical – changes in the political environment in the UK, Europe and US (where most of our customers are based) have led to increased prices and shipping times for our physical products, and we’re still working our way through this as we grow and scale. 

How do you stay focused? 

Travel! Every time I return to the Middle East it relights the fire that fuels my purpose. I spend a lot of time meeting people and getting to know creatives, artisans, businesses and community projects, which keeps me connected to the reason Pink Jinn exists – to share their incredible work with those who might not otherwise experience it, and to counter some of the negative perceptions of the region where I come from.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Our business model is very purposefully built around our community, which is based on shared values and a particular worldview. This connection with our community gives us the freedom to shift direction where necessary when it comes to our products and services – as long our message and mission continues to resonate with our community, we could do or sell anything that serves that higher purpose!

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?  

Since the beginning I have focused on building personal relationships with the people in our community through social media and email marketing. We use Instagram more than anything else, because a lot of our content is very visual and evocative, and Instagram lends itself well to that. I spend a lot of time in our DMs talking to people directly, which has been hugely valuable for building relationships and understanding what’s important to our customers.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?  

Profit and purpose are not in competition with one another. Build your brand around a mission or message, not around a product or service. Make that mission part everything you do – from your branding to your supply chains to the product / service itself. When you do that, your customers will stay with you for life and buy anything from you! Other people can compete on things like price, but if your mission and message are strong and resonate emotionally with your customers, it’s very difficult to compete with that.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why? 

My favourite app is Spotify because I’m obsessed with podcasts, and they also have amazing international music playlists so I can stay connected to the Middle East while I’m away. I can pop on a Fairuz playlist (the iconic Lebanese crooner) and pretend I’m sipping Arabic coffee in Beirut or Baghdad. Favourite book is an impossible question - there are so many! A very inspiring recent read was ‘The Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets That Change the World’.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I love Asana – it helps me organise my many projects and ideas into achievable tasks and is great for working collaboratively with a virtual team.

 Who is your business role model? Why?

Leila Janah was a social entrepreneur and author who believed vehemently in the power of meaningful, dignified work as a means of lifting people out of poverty. She was the founder of two social enterprises and wrote the incredible book, ‘Give Work’ – an essential read for entrepreneurs interested in social impact! Leila very sadly died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 37, but her legacy lives on through her companies and her book.

How do you balance work and life?

For me, the work-life balance paradigm is a little problematic. My work with Pink Jinn has enriched my personal life so much – particularly the relationships that I’ve been able to build and the travel that has come with – so I don’t necessarily believe that the two are separate or competing with one another. However, because Pink Jinn often doesn’t feel like work, I’m sometimes guilty of keeping going until I drop without realising it until the burnout sets in! I don’t think work-life balance is something you can ‘find’ or ‘succeed’ at, but a constant process that we must continuously redefine – it will look different at particular points in your life, so the important thing is to check in with yourself regularly and be honest about what you need.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

If I’m spending a lot of time on my own at my laptop, outdoor walks, family time and Grey’s Anatomy – depending on how extroverted I’m feeling – all help me switch my brain off. When possible, I find travel and meeting new people in new places hugely energising and helps me to switch off, reset and realign with my goals more than anything else.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Over the next six months I will be relocating from the UK to Africa, which is hugely exciting! I’ll also be adding a few new suppliers to the Pink Jinn Souq, along with developing Pink Jinn’s digital product offering with the aim of diversifying our revenue streams. 

How can our readers connect with you?

You can find us at www.pinkjinn.com and on Instagram at @pink_jinn / @pinkjinnsouq / @pinkjinnarabic

You can also subscribe to our newsletter for free resources, 10% off the Souq, and an insight into the inner workings of the business: https://mailchi.mp/c55ee203e83b/hump_day