Building a Global Beauty Empire From Africa

For Sonal Haria, entrepreneurship was never simply about starting a company. It was about creating something that could grow beyond borders, challenge expectations and make other people believe that they could build something of their own too.

Today, Sonal is an entrepreneur, brand strategist, Founder of Canvas Cosmetics and Co-Founder and CEO of CB Media Group. Her career has taken her through marketing, brand building, beauty, media and international business, with work spanning Africa, the Middle East, the UK and other global markets.

But behind those titles is a much more personal story. It is a story about growing up between cultures, recognising opportunities where others saw limitations and choosing to build rather than wait.

A Global Perspective Shaped From a Young Age

Born and raised in Kenya, Sonal’s worldview was shaped by experiences across different countries and cultures. Her South Asian heritage, Kenyan upbringing and time living and studying in the UK and Canada gave her a perspective that does not fit neatly into one geography.

That international outlook has become an important part of how she approaches business.

For Sonal, identity and ambition are not restricted by borders. Instead, different cultures, experiences and environments can come together to create something stronger.

This perspective has influenced the businesses she has built and the markets she wants to reach. Rather than viewing Africa as separate from the global business conversation, she sees African businesses and entrepreneurs as capable of competing, growing and creating influence on an international stage.

Her journey is therefore not simply about taking businesses abroad. It is about showing what can be created when global thinking is combined with local understanding.

The Entrepreneurial Journey Started With a Laptop

Sonal’s entrepreneurial story began more than a decade ago with surprisingly little infrastructure.

There was no large office or established business empire. There was a laptop, café Wi-Fi, a cappuccino and plenty of ambition.

With a background in marketing and entrepreneurship, Sonal started building her career by helping businesses understand their brands and grow their presence. Working with different companies gave her a valuable education that could not be found entirely in classrooms.

She saw how businesses were positioned, how customers responded to brands and how strong ideas could be transformed into commercially successful businesses.

Over time, however, building brands for other people created another desire.

Sonal wanted to build something of her own.

That ambition eventually led her towards the beauty industry, where she noticed a gap that felt both commercial and personal.

The Gap That Became Canvas Cosmetics

While working with beauty businesses, Sonal began noticing how underserved many African consumers were, particularly women of colour.

International beauty trends were becoming increasingly influential, but access to products designed with diverse skin tones and local consumers in mind remained a challenge.

Instead of simply identifying the problem, Sonal decided to act on it.

That decision became the foundation for Canvas Cosmetics.

The brand was created from a simple but powerful idea: women should not have to compromise when it comes to quality, accessibility, representation and self-expression.

What began as an idea in Nairobi gradually developed into an independent Kenyan colour cosmetics brand with ambitions far beyond its home market.

Canvas Cosmetics became more than a beauty company. It became a reflection of Sonal’s belief that African brands can create products for local consumers while also building a place for themselves in international markets.

Beauty as a Tool for Confidence and Ambition

For Sonal, beauty is not only about appearance.

She sees it as a form of self-expression and, in many ways, a power tool.

That philosophy is visible in the way she talks about Canvas and the women around the brand. Beauty can help people feel confident, visible and ready to take on opportunities.

This is particularly important to Sonal because her broader mission extends beyond cosmetics.

She wants women to feel comfortable taking up space as founders, leaders, wealth creators and decision-makers.

Her message challenges the idea that women have to choose between femininity and leadership, ambition and family, cultural identity and global success.

Canvas represents that philosophy through its combination of African roots, South Asian heritage, contemporary beauty and international ambition.

Sonal Haria Building Beyond One Business

While Canvas Cosmetics has become a major part of Sonal’s entrepreneurial identity, it is not the only business she is building.

Through CB Media Group and her wider consulting work, she continues to work with ambitious businesses and founders across international markets.

Her experience gives her a practical understanding of what it takes to move from an idea to a functioning business and from local recognition to international opportunity.

For Sonal, brand strategy is not simply about making a company look good. It is about understanding its identity, communicating its value and creating the foundations for sustainable growth.

That experience also gives her the ability to see connections between markets that might otherwise appear very different.

Africa, the UAE and the UK may have distinct consumer environments, but ambitious entrepreneurs in each market often face similar questions about positioning, growth, visibility and expansion.

Sonal wants to help businesses answer those questions.

A New Focus on Global Beauty

Looking ahead, Sonal’s ambitions for Canvas Cosmetics are firmly international.

Her goal is to build what she describes as a vision of Global Beauty, creating a world-class brand with African roots and South Asian heritage.

International expansion is therefore not simply about entering more markets. It is about changing the perception of where globally relevant brands can come from.

For Sonal, a Kenyan-founded beauty company can have global relevance without losing the identity that made it distinctive in the first place.

That balance between heritage and international ambition is becoming one of the defining themes of her entrepreneurial journey.

Creating Space for More Women to Rise

Perhaps the most meaningful part of Sonal’s work sits outside traditional business metrics.

She is passionate about creating communities where female entrepreneurs can connect, collaborate, learn and speak honestly about the realities of building businesses.

Entrepreneurship can often be presented as a polished success story. Sonal’s own experience reflects something more realistic.

There are risks, uncertain periods, setbacks and moments when the future does not appear clear.

Her philosophy is simple: keep moving.

She believes opportunities often appear after difficult moments and that what looks like a closed door can sometimes become a redirection towards something better.

That optimism has helped shape how she approaches both business and life.

The Achievement That Matters Most

Despite the companies she has built and the international markets she has entered, Sonal does not define achievement through one particular milestone.

For her, the deeper achievement is becoming someone her younger self would be proud of.

That perspective gives her entrepreneurial story a different meaning.

The value of building Canvas Cosmetics or growing CB Media Group is not simply measured through business growth. It is also measured by what those achievements represent.

They represent taking risks, creating opportunities and refusing to accept that ambition should be limited by background, geography or expectations.

More importantly, Sonal hopes her journey gives another woman permission to believe that she can do the same.

If someone sees a Kenyan-born, South Asian woman building businesses across continents and thinks that perhaps she can build something too, Sonal considers that a success far greater than any business milestone.

Choosing Possibility Over Regret

Sonal’s message to aspiring entrepreneurs is ultimately straightforward.

Life is limited, and opportunities should not be ignored simply because the outcome is uncertain.

She believes it is better to try, learn and even fail than spend years wondering what might have happened.

That philosophy continues to influence the next chapter of her journey.

With Canvas Cosmetics, CB Media Group and a growing commitment to supporting ambitious women and African-born businesses, Sonal is still building.

Her story is not presented as a finished success story, and perhaps that is what makes it compelling.

There is still more to create, more markets to explore and more ideas waiting to become businesses.

For Sonal, the journey continues with the same spirit that started it all: a bold idea, the courage to begin and the belief that the next door will eventually open.

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