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Runway to Excellence - The Official SJR London PodcastAuthor: Stephanie Jackson
Welcome to the Runway to excellence! The exciting new podcast hosted by Stephanie Jackson of SJR London. Language: en-gb Genres: Arts, Fashion & Beauty Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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#21 Pavan Beauty: I Nearly Gave Up… Then Selfridges Changed Everything
Sunday, 15 February, 2026
How do you get your brand into Selfridges - and what really happens when you pitch on Dragon’s Den UK?In this episode, luxury beauty founder Pavan reveals how she built a retail-ready brand from a one-metre pop-up to national TV investment.In this episode of Runway To Excellence, Stephanie Jackson sits down with Pavan Ahluwalia Dhanjal BEM, founder of a pioneering henna brand Pavan Beauty, that redefined experiential retail inside Selfridges and expanded globally.From holding a Guinness World Record to successfully gaining investment from Dragon’s Den (before eventually turning it down), retail trend changes, and scale-up investment conversations, Pavan shares the truth behind building and scaling a beauty business in premium retail.This podcast is brought to you by SJR London, trusted talent partner for Luxury Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle recruitment - for more on how they deliver talent that defines luxury, visit https://www.sjrlondon.com/ This episode covers:How to get into Selfridges as a small brand Retail pop-up strategy and proof of concept What Dragon’s Den is really like behind the scenes Scaling from service to product in beauty Hiring in luxury retail environments Founder resilience and navigating grief while building a businessIf you work in luxury retail, beauty, fashion or are building your own brand - this conversation is essential.Key Moments: 00:00 – How Pavan Beauty turned niche henna art into a mainstream beauty brand02:20 – Growing up in East London: immigrant parents, entrepreneurship and work ethic07:50 – Retail jobs, discipline and why office life didn’t fit a creative founder09:40 – Falling in love with henna and spotting a gap in the Western beauty market12:00 – Breaking a Guinness World Record and pitching henna to the BBC13:30 – Creating the first henna bar concept and landing a Topshop pop-up15:10 – From Topshop proof of concept to 11 years in Selfridges18:20 – The reality of retail targets, pop-ups and experience-led beauty21:20 – How COVID changed beauty retail and forced a business pivot24:00 – Self-funded growth, cash flow struggles and scaling a service business27:20 – Why Pavan chose Dragon’s Den: PR, investment and learning to pitch32:00 – Behind the scenes of Dragon’s Den: negotiation, offers and due diligence36:30 – Losing her dad, grief during COVID and not giving up on the business41:20 – Gratitude, kindness and building a personal brand that opens doors46:20 – Hiring henna artists, staff loyalty and the challenge of modern work culture52:00 – Why relationships, networking and energy are everything in luxury retail57:20 – What’s next: product expansion, “Inking Big” YouTube and The Ink Drop newsletter
