Rebuilding After Business Failure with Emaan Abbass

📌 TAKE OUR FREE QUIZ ➡️ https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/indepen... What happens if you take the leap - and it doesn’t work out? It’s one of the questions that can keep even the most accomplished executives in careers they’ve outgrown. Emaan Abbass has lived the answer. After building her career at Target, Sephora and Huda Beauty, Emaan founded Ketish, a feminine and sexual wellness brand that went on to reach Sephora shelves across two continents and was named Most Promising Brand of the Year by Entrepreneur Magazine. And then it closed suddenly. In this episode of Independent Executive, Emaan joins Sabine Kühn for a candid conversation about what happens when something you’ve poured your ambition, identity and energy into comes to an end — and how you begin again. They explore the reality of rebuilding after professional failure, separating your identity from what you built, rediscovering the value of your experience, and the decisions Emaan made differently the second time around. Today, Emaan leads The Calling Collective, bringing senior expertise to founders and brands without the traditional full-time model. Her story is an important reminder for anyone contemplating a move beyond corporate life: what you build might fail. That doesn’t mean you have. Timestamps 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:22 Meet Emaan: from target to Sephora to Huda Beauty 00:05:28 The early days at Huda Beauty 00:10:31 Building someone else's dream 00:15:05 From Huda Beauty to founding Ketish 00:19:36 Launching Ketish: Vogue, Sephora and an award 00:23:23 When Ketish was shut down overnight 00:30:53 Picking herself back up 00:34:44 Building The Calling Collective 00:41:19 Advice for new independents: know your worth 00:45:49 Her next calling 00:47:36 How she defines success now About Emaan Emaan Abbass is the Founder and Lead Creative Consultant at The Calling Collective, an agency and network of specialists helping founders and established brands build and grow. Originally from California, she began her career at Target before moving to Sephora and later relocating to Dubai to join Huda Beauty during a significant period of the brand’s growth. She went on to found Ketish, which became one of the first feminine wellness brands in Sephora Europe and the first in Sephora Middle East before closing in 2023. Today, through The Calling Collective, Emaan applies that experience to helping other founders and brands build their businesses. Connect with Emaan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emaan-abbass-1... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theycallme_emaan... About Independent Executive Independent Executive is a podcast for accomplished executives who want to build a career with more independence, choice and ownership. Hosted by Executive Strategist Sabine Kühn, each episode features a candid conversation with an executive who has left corporate life to build something of their own. Subscribe wherever you listen: Spotify 🎧 - https://open.spotify.com/show/6px2hXvIKj9e... Apple Podcasts 🎧 - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inde... YouTube 🖥️ -    / @independentexecutive   Follow the show: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/independentexecu... LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/independe... Connect with Sabine: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabine-kuhn/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sabinek___/ Work with Talent & Truth: https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/executi...