She started with lathe and levelling now she beautifies
She takes her first step in the business life in a clothes store in middle school. Even though she grows up with the understanding of ‘What other people say’, she has the courage of her convictions.
Hatice Nur Uzgenç studies lathe-levelling in a technical high school in order to be able to have a job in an easy way. In the factory where she started as an intern, she is promoted to the assembly chief. Even though Uzgenç was away from work due to her marriage, she participates in many courses. After a while, she started to cosmetics marketing business. Instead of selling products, she grows by making people a member.
Hatice Nur Uzgenç sells her bracelets in Manisa in 1997 and opens a beauty centre in 75 square meters. Uzgenç who carries her business to İzmir in 2000, enlarges her business on the one hand and on the other hand she raises the personnel that the industry needs with the academy she established. ‘Health centre in the village’ remains on the agenda of Hatice Nur Uzgenç who has reached 6 branches with Nets brand today.
Hatice Nur Uzgenç… Even though she had a very difficult times with her children, she is a woman entrepreneur who never gives up and achieves the success by surviving the hardship alone. She, as combative and powerful person, is a businessperson who is a role model for her fellows. We talked Nets founder, Hatice Nur Uzgenç many issues from entrepreneurship adventure to future plans. Hatice Nur Uzgenç, born in Manisa in 1964, started to struggle with life in the first minute when she opened her eyes to the world. Uzgenç explained the process as follows:
SHE IGNORED THAT UNDERSTANDING
“After three daughters of a father who works as a tractor mechanic and a housewife mother, me and my twin Ali were born. The presence of my twin was a significant factor to shape my life. Thanks to him, I had to scramble first in the family. I have worked with my combative habit since I was a child. We grew up with the understanding of ‘What other people say’. I take my own way by saying to my mother ‘No matter what they say, I do not do anything wrong, I do good things. Do not worry’. I got a job in a store selling jeans when I was in middle school and I worked there on summer holidays and weekends.”
SHE WENT TO MALE HIGH SCHOOL
Hatice Nur Uzgenç went to technical high school in order to get a job after the middle school as many people did in those years. Uzgenç who said that she was planning to be a machine designer, shared the difficulties of professional business life by saying “However, this department was not available at this school and I chose the lathe-levelling department because I wanted to study in the science. After a while, I took the officially step into the business life as an intern in a factory. I got a job at the same place after the school. I was doing the installation of pressure brake hose of the truck. I was promoted to the assembly chief. But it was very hard to work as a woman in the factory. I was counting the minutes to end the work when I went to work every day.”
SHE SOLD HER BRACELETS AND…
Uzgenç who took a pause from her career due to the marriage, explained her story as follows:
“When I got married, I did not stop doing something. I participated in all the courses from embroidery to painting organized by girls’ vocational school. I sold what I did here. Then, I had the opportunity to meet the cosmetic life through a firm working with a storied marketing system. In the company, I made good gains by increasing the number of distributors and taking care of the system instead of selling cosmetic products. I always had a job about beauty in my mind. For this reason, I went to beauty course in Izmir. I left my two daughters in Manisa and take a training in a clinic in Istanbul to get to know the equipment. I opened a beauty center and a course organized by National Education at a 75 square meter shop in Manisa in 1997. We talked about our job compared to hairdressers. When my daughters started to school in 2000, we moved to Izmir together. We kept the spa departments of the beauty centres and hotels of the military We expanded the business. We came to these days by having many branches.”
NEXT PLAN IS HEALTH VILLAGE
Hatice Nur Uzgenç who expressed that they converted the process of BEAUTY centre to a beauty polyclinic, training academy, salon management and a structure with 6 branches today, shared her future plans saying “We have approximately 100 thousand registered members. 60 thousand of them are active. We are growing by investing in technology. We have an edge to franchise. We plan to grow with our own opportunities. We have ‘Health Centre in the Village’ Project in our agenda. We established a centre in the Kayadibi Village on the Homeros Vallet in Bornova. It is like a boutique hotel. We, as Nets Vadi, are aiming for a new formation here. It will be like a detox centre.”
WE HAVE THE SAME STORY
BUT DIFFERENT HEROES
Hatice Nur Uzgenç who had grown her business, made two daughters to study in good schools and on the other hand, spent a lot of time trying to be a model for other women, established the ‘Strong Women’s Association’ for this. Uzgenç says “We aim to help women to participate in production and to transform them into the gain of the family and society. We provide vocational trainings. For this reason, I have written a book called ‘We have the same story but different heroes’ where I have included sections of my life. I transfer all income coming from the sale of the book to this association.”
BRIEFLY
* Hatice Nur Uzgenç says “Both of my daughters are involved in this business from their childhood. My architect daughter, Elvan is with us. Sevgi, a veterinarian and agricultural engineer, has different plans.” by stating that the second generation was also involved in the business.
* Hatice Nur Uzgenç, the owner of successful entrepreneurship award of Turkey Enterprise and Business World Confederation (TÜRKONFED) in 2016, says “This award is an indication that we are on the right way.”