Zuleikha Assenjee trained as an accountant and worked for several years as a financial adviser before she discovered the wonders of aromatherapy in the late 90s. At the time Zuleikha was experiencing personal difficulties and had also developed a painful back condition. The oils helped her enormously - “the wonderful aromas of the oil and their therapeutic effects was so beneficial to me at a time when fundamental changes were taking place in my life that I decided to pursue in depth studies in aromatherapy and combine it with my Yoga practice.”

In 2003 Zuleikha completed a diploma in Aromatherapy at the Tisserand Institute in London and became a member of the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA) and following her studies she experimented with producing her own creams with added essential oils.She sought business advice and training from Enterprise Enfield and was selected onto the agency’s RSA Trust Inspiring Women Programme. This 6 month long scheme, (funded by The RSA Trust), is specifically designed to provide women in Enfield with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to start and develop their own businesses – and includes a range of bespoke training seminars, business and personal mentoring sessions, residential weekends and networking opportunities. Zuleikha benefited enormously from this intensive support which enabled her to develop her business plan, research the market, develop her products, branding and packaging, she says:

“I did not know where to start, I knew my subject, but it was something else turning an idea into a business. Attending the various seminars and monthly advice sessions gave me the skills, confidence and motivation to start up and succeed in business.”

Zuleikha also received support from a mentor under the Ready to Start Programme, which is run by Leonard Cheshire and Barclays to help people with disabilities start their own businesses. Both Enterprise Enfield and Ready to Start were able to provide Zuleikha with funding which helped towards the costs of building the Aromatherapy Care website - the main outlet for the sale of her products. 

Zuleikha has now developed an impressive range of products including face creams, cleansers, toners, shampoos, conditioners which all contain top quality essential oils imported from specialist growers in countries such as Madagascar, India and Europe. Aromatherapy Care also provides a range of creams – which are made using an aloe vera base to which customers can add essential oils of their choice, as well as a personalised service which enables products to be specifically tailored to customer requirements to help with a variety of conditions such as back pain, sleeplessness, burns, migraine, skin complaints, asthma etc.

“My vision is for my business to be on of the leading aromatherapy business for skincare and haircare, a household name.   I would encourage others starting up to have a mentor and someone to be accountable to. Using the support services of Enterprise Enfield made all the difference in getting me motivated and organized.”

For more information about Aromatherapy Care, call Zuleikha on 020 8886 6422 or visit www.aromatherapy-care.com