How I got to the top: Heidi Shara, CEO and founder of Wear That

What does your company do?

Wear That is a digital platform that creates personalised looks for women to try on before they buy in the comfort of their own home, with a real-life personal stylist.

What inspired you to develop your idea?

Having styled thousands of women all over the world in both luxury and mass markets, I witnessed the lack of styling services available to everyday women. 

I embarked on a mission to create change and offer real women access to something traditionally available only to celebrities or VIPs.

Our mission here at Wear That is to be every girl’s styling solution. We want every woman to be able to experience a personalised stylist. We built Wear That to save women time, make them feel awesome, and give them an opportunity to be styled.

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How have your priorities changed from when you first started?

My priorities remain consistent with when I first started my business: employing superb, customer-friendly stylists who give great recommendations on clothes. 

Now I have different things to consider, like managing a team, and ensuring we have a positive work culture.

What do you look for when hiring talent?

I look for staff who express the same values as the company. That’s people who are super-aligned with what we are looking to achieve. I look for how well anyone can interact with our clients, the relationships they could build, and how personable they are.

What counts more: luck or hard work?

I believe that any success in life comes from just being consistent every single day. I can honestly say it is just a hard work ethic to get up and go every day.

What one thing do you wish you’d done differently?

I wish we’d scaled faster.

What factors do entrepreneurs misjudge about the Gulf market?

1. Sometimes local business owners don’t understand their consumers and their different needs. It’s important to understand nuances.
2. They also think that starting their own business will be easy – which simply isn’t true.

Dream mentor?

Emily Weiss, CEO of Glossier.