HEALTH meets architect and entrepreneur Nina Parvaresh, the Founder and brains behind Concept-Me, a multidisciplinary design studio founded in Paris in 2009. She discusses her work ethic and how her drive to break boundaries between design fields paved the way for her business.
What else would you be doing if not this…
“I love what I do so it’s difficult not to be an architect and interior designer in my imagination. Otherwise, I am a real TV fan – I would have loved hosting a TV show discovering all the amazing cities in the world: travelling from one place to another, constantly meeting new people, visiting great architectures, and trying as much good food as I can.”
Your work philosophy is…
“I follow the ‘work hard, play hard’ philosophy half of the year. I switch between 6 months of home to office to sleep 24/7 and then the following 6 months where I need to party like crazy. I still remember partying 24 hours straight last summer and straight from Mykonos to a super serious meeting. I am reaching my work hibernation limit soon and I can’t wait for a vacation.”
The gift giving concept means….
“To me, a perfect gift should be a combination of humor, care, love, and creativity. The value really doesn’t matter; last week a friend of mine sent me a box of Kinder chocolate by DHL that you can only find in Paris. And believe it or not, it made me cry because through a Dhs 25 chocolate box, my friend was simply telling me she was here for me, even 6000 kilometers away, she just knew how to make me feel better. The objects we are sourcing and selling at Concept-Me, each have a story and are aiming to generate emotions and build ties.”
The value of social media for your business is….
“Major! And unfortunately, I barely have the time to take care of it – we are looking for someone to take care of it for Concept-Me as it is the best platform to gain exposure for any brand. We accumulate so much content that we later forget to share – telling stories through the spaces we are creating is so important and this is what social media is about, the art of story making…”
The person with admirable business acumen is…
“Coco Chanel, not only because of the business acumen, but also because of her lifelong determination, ambition, energy, and vision to liberate women post World War I through her new ilhouette design. Because her business vision was way beyond her own persona and a century ahead of her time, her vision made Chanel one of the biggest fashion labels worldwide.”
The biggest challenges of owning your own business are…
“To never give up, to be able to fight to succeed even when the only thing you want to do is to sleep to forget all the responsibilities on your shoulders! Also, to accept failures and see them as learning curves, which will make your business grow.”
