Building Success Stories: Rosey Kurniawan-Valentine's Roshi Color Consultant , the company that helps you find your perfect styling match!

photography_by_hiraiqbal

Rosey Kurniawan-Valentine is the founder of Roshi Color Consultant. Roshi Color Consultant emerged in Denmark and made its way to the Netherlands! Using the color theory, Rosey’s company helps you find your perfect styling match to boost your confidence and feel your best self! 

What inspired you to start your own business? And why this business, what drives you? 

This is a very personal story, I have a close friend who struggled with her bodyweight. People would make comments about it. It was continual up to 2014 and I was so broken to see that. So in 2022 after I quit working at an international daycare, I followed my husband’s rotation and ended up in a silent ‘retreat’ in a small island called Bornholm. I prayed to have a job that would help people to be happy. It was meant to be, the last few days of that particular rotation I learned about bone structure styling. A theory that will not change your styling whether you lose or gain weight. Then I learned about essence, a term to understand our face impressions. Then I combine those two theories with color theory from my study in university. 

I help people to find their undertones, their essence, their bone structure style for a tailored fashion styling that will last forever, no matter the age! Measurements are important to calculate the outfit, therefore I always get to know my clients whether or not they struggle with body dysmorphia, then I will show them examples rather than measuring them! I want them to feel good, safe and comfortable. Men and women are alike in body awareness area, we all unfortunately feel insecure with certain parts of our body. But after they understant the bone structure theory, they own their identity and grow more confident!

What are some of the most essential things you did to get your business off the ground?

L-I-H-A-T (pronounced lee-hut) means ‘to see’in Indonesian. The way we understand ourselves, fellow entrepreneurs and clients are formed in how we see everything from the root. LIHAT can be explained as such. Listening saved us time to get to know the most effective SOM that our company needed. There is always something more than meets the eye. Secondly, Identity. One person can have several identities they want to wear during the day. In front of a client, I am a different person than I am with a family-member. As a team-leader, you act the same way as you will in front of your 8 year-old. You need to always look for the core identity that the client wants to improve on, then spread to develop the details according to their signature personality. I had to figure out what were the real needs of our SOM. If it’s not helping them, or solving their problem, we are not selling and they are not buying.  Path in entrepreneurship is always a lonely path no matter how big and how small we start. Either we collaborate with a partner or you go solo. Always build and bring everyone at the table to raise opportunities! If this is not for you, it is for another entrepreneur. I believe in good karma and what we plant is what we harvest. Lastly, target. Knowing your “why” is not enough. Think deeper and set a target. Make little steps along the way. A realistic one that will lead us closer to the target. Failing means we are closer to the target, therefore befriend failure and get back up again.

How did you build your customer base and grow your business?

Interesting question! My clients are mostly discreet. They don’t like to be seen in social media as part of promotional tools. Therefore they spread the words among their friends and family. Trust is the most precious thing here; always get the client’s trust by not sharing any of their information even to their own family member. Consent is also a key element(in a form, recorded video, email or simple chat-screen capture it) and have it signed by them. When it comes to company/group workshop in an office, make sure to know their faces and profile first, so you know roughly what to discuss and how you present yourself. It will also make you less anxious. Lastly, take notes of a small detail from every client you visit. For instance the name of the children, or their favorite color, or the place of their engagement. It  makes them feel special and it is always nice to make someone feel special!

What are some of the biggest mistakes you made along the way, and what did you learn from them?

I made the mistake of giving a sensitive opinion to a client. He still wanted to be my client and so did his daughter! It was at the beginning of Roshi Color Consultant in Denmark, and I was excited to share everything I had learned. Not only it was received poorly, it is now remembered as a joke! Now, I am mindful in how I deliver my points. Specifically in consultancy business, how our message comes across the room is more important than the message itself. You never know what a person is and isn’t comfortable with and what they expect from you as a consultant. You need to be careful with your delivery! 

What is your biggest achievement since founding the company, and how did you get there?

Growing up in a turbulent family environment is not a jolly start to success. I am Indonesian, born Chinese. As a Chinese woman raised within South East Asia culture, having porcelain skin is a business commodity and target-market for beauty products. It is also considered to be a must-have for a good luck. I am the eldest yet the darkest one in my family. I lived in a financially comfortable and big family, which meant I always had to look happy for our family company’s image. It was suffocating. I was searching for my identity; too dark for chinese but too white to be considered as an Indonesian lady. 

When I came to the Netherland and learned a new language, adjusted to a new culture; I became outspoken and I consider it to be my winning point in life! Empowered by my husband Tri and immensely supported with my international female-community, I am born anew!  Since the start of Roshi Color Consultant, I have been trying to convince people that every skin tone (and undertone) is rich of beauty. You are not what people say you are. Your colors are not limited. The more I convince my clients, the more fueled I am with fire to get up and spread the power of owning your identity and be proud of it. I still see myself far from being done whenever I see young people on the street wearing what doesn’t work for them or not feeling comfortable with what they wear. That is the identity they present to the world. So, it is still a long journey ahead from success. One win a day at a time.

What advice do you have for other women who want to start their own business?

Your closest circle will be the one who will try to discourage you, doubt you, and even negotiate your price. Be careful on how you filter suggestions and critics. Not all critics are bad, they can be a risk-calculating solution. Not all suggestion is aligned with your vision. So, set your vision and trust it! Know EXACTLY what you want, how it serves your community, how it will shape impact to the world and future. The small steps make it a real business. If you are lacking of some knowledge, ASK. Ask about everything you need to know. Stay curious. Be brave to feel embarrassed of asking questions. No one is going to make you learn and grow, only you can. Take it all in, teach and inspire others,, share as much knowledge as possible with others, and be humble enough to acknowledge your mistakes!

If you would like to know more about Rushi Color Consultant, check Rosey’s socials here!