My dreams were similar to those of thousands of other entrepreneurs – and many of those ambitions remain unfulfilled. Almost five million UK businesses have between one and four employees. Just over 12,000 have between 100 and 249. Half of new businesses fold within three years. Growing a start-up into anything substantial is hard. Nourished has still got a long way to go, but it now has nearly 150 staff and is available around the world in markets including the USA, Japan and throughout Europe.
Daring to be different
I knew, from the outset, that we had to focus on being a disruptive innovator to be noticed by consumers in the crowded vitamins and minerals industry, which is worth £32 billion worldwide. Particularly in the VMS market, customers are increasingly opting for sustainable and unique solutions to help them optimise their health and well-being. We have focused on a concept based on a genuine gap in the market– authentically personalised nutrient gummies made on demand using patented 3D printing technology which we developed in-house. As a result, we’ve been able to ride the growing trend for personalised nutrition, a market expected to be worth over $16 billion worldwide by 2025.
Many consumer brands grow by outsourcing production, perhaps creating economies of scale and passing on lower prices to customers. However, at Rem3dy, our strategy has always been to maintain self-sufficiency by keeping our IP and operations in-house. By conducting all our manufacturing and new product development in-house, we ensure agility and maintain complete control over our growth. This approach allows us to quickly adapt to market changes, innovate rapidly, and uphold the highest quality standards, giving us a significant competitive advantage. It also means we can respond swiftly to customer feedback and develop new products in a matter of weeks, such as our recent Collagen+ and new Sliming Support ranges. The former was created following a surge in social-media attention of the protein’s skin-health properties, for instance.
Rem3dy Health holds 27 patents across our hardware and material processes and was awarded the King’s Award for Innovation in 2023. The agility of being solely in charge of our own innovation and operations has enabled us to scale our business quickly and efficiently, recently creating a new manufacturing line to launch a range of new SKUs for the European market in partnership with heritage pharmaceutical business UPSA. Other large corporations have wanted to work with us because our innovative technology allows us to develop new products much faster than them.
We haven’t been afraid to be experimental with our marketing either, such as our website’s personalised health questionnaire. It has homed in on the growing consumer interest in tailored health solutions. It also stands out from all those other online surveys that are vague, meaningless and are often just elaborate ways to get someone’s email address.
The right mindset
Not all start-ups and SMEs want to get much bigger. Some founders are happy to provide a solid-but-modest source of family income. Others are looking to create a venture that creates a very good lifestyle, but doesn’t involve managing dozens of people, big budgets and numerous customers.
I have always had a mindset for growth, though – to be able to provide personalised and impactful health solutions on an international scale. You have to have passion to allow you to cope with all the hard work and sacrifices that building a business entails. It also allows you to motivate your staff, showing them how you intend to take them on an exciting, rewarding career journey.
You can’t and won’t do it alone
I am fortunate to have a team around me that is as passionate about the Nourished brand and mission as I am. Trusting their expertise and being able to delegate is fundamental to our business’s growth and success. The team feel a profound sense of achievement from developing something from scratch and seeing it have a real impact on the lives of our customers. This also creates a strong sense of ownership and a desire to drive the business forward. It’s a big mistake for a company leader to assemble a team to just carry out tasks, while he or she is the only person with a sense of mission.
It’s also vital to invest in your team’s skills and allow them to develop as a person with you, rather than recruiting externally for new people every time.
Research, research, research
One of the major drivers for Rem3dy’s growth has been the substantial seed funding I raised in 2019, a UK record for a female founder. To achieve that, I investigated potential VC partners in huge detail, read every book on investment that was going and listened to every podcast. I scoured my network for anyone who might be able to help or introduce me to an investor who could be a good fit for our business.
My team and I take this investigative approach to everything we do, from analysing new products or territories to developing fresh marketing approaches. I’d much rather be over-informed than relying too much on instinct.
Find partners for specific projects
While remaining an independent, focused brand has allowed Nourished to thrive, we have been fortunate to team up with larger firms where there’s a shared vision and ethos on a particular venture. We worked with Colgate to produce stacks with an oral health focus, for instance. If a potential partner has the footprint and marketing muscle to take you up a level, don’t be afraid to work with them – provided it’s the right deal for your business and your brand is recognised in the collaboration.
