17 May 2021|Female Founder Spotlight, Latest Posts, Meet the Successful Founder
Ofome is the founder and director of The Glow Pot an all- natural skincare brand formulated with women of darker skin tones in mind. She developed after struggled with my eczema for years and her brand focuses on gentle, effective, and affordable products for achieving glowing skin.
She started her business out of her bedroom testing her products on her flatmate who before The Glow Pot was born would come home to find Ofome with a face covered in all kinds of natural home remedies as she could not find the right products on the market. She found skincare was heavily targeted towards fairer skin tones, so felt it was time to start making her own. She then wanted to share my formulas with as many people as possible – and that is how The Glow Pot was born!
Ofome impressed judges during the Avon inaugural Beauty In Colour Start Up, a competition offering a life-changing opportunity for women of colour looking to make their mark in the beauty industry with her all-natural, vegan skincare range winning £20,000 to invest into her business, allowing her to focus on The Glow Pot full time as well as an exclusive mentorship with Avon.
Can you tell us a little about your background and the company?
My family are from Nigeria but I grew up in South East London and attended the University of Leicester and in 2017 I founded The Glow Pot which is a natural, vegan friendly skincare brand that helps people achieve more glowing, healthier looking skin.
How did the idea come to you for the company?
The idea for the company came to me after years of struggling with eczema, not being able to find treatments for my skin but also being shocked at the lack of research into and skincare products for people of colour.
How did you achieve awareness?
On social media, I built up my knowledge of skincare, skincare products and how to treat certain skin conditions and began sharing it with people. This helped me build up trust in the community so when I launched The Glow Pot people were eager to support and try my products.
Could you share with us how you have been able to gain funding and grow?
Very early on, a friend gave me some money towards my business, but the majority of it has been from my own pocket or start-up loans. I actually only left my job in March to go full time into the business, just before I found out I had won the Avon Beauty in Colour Start-Up competition.
What are the key successes?
The main one has to be winning the Avon Beauty In Colour Competition, but actually being able to build and run a business for the last few years, especially through a pandemic!
Winning the Avon Beauty in Colour competition is invaluable for me. I quit my job recently so I could focus all my energy on my business, so this could not have come at a better time. The £20,000 prize money and Avon’s mentorship means I can actualise my dreams and have a chance to take my business where I know it can go. As a woman of colour, I think I’ve definitely had less opportunities – doors like this don’t seem to open for people like me so I’m extremely grateful and excited for what the future holds.
What were/are the challenges and how have you overcome these?
Funding has always been a big challenge. You have to spend money to make money, which really isn’t easy especially in the earlier days. The £20,000 cash prize from Avon has been such a major help. Also I’m doing a lot of things for the very first time, so getting my head around things like marketing, advertising, social media and PR hasn’t been easy, but you just have to learn as you go along and I’ve got a great team to help with these things, as well as the support from Avon’s experts now too.
What are your plans now and for the future?
In the near future we are launching some new products such as our Glow Body Butter and an SPF Lotion. Long term I plan to keep growing the team so we can continue scaling the business and formulating more products to help more people find exactly what they need for their skin.
What would you like to share with others to encourage them to start their own entrepreneurship journey?
I would say just do it. Everyone starts from somewhere so you don’t need to be perfect because no business is perfect no matter how big or small you can always keep growing and making changes and getting better.
Can you share you top tips for entrepreneurial success?
Always do your research, know your customers and competitors, the market and where you would like to fit into it. Follow your own vision, it doesn’t matter if the vision changes over time as long as it’s still yours. Customer/Client service and satisfaction is really important; no matter how difficult the situation, always try your best to resolve it and give good service – this will go a long way. Don’t be afraid to ask for help because running a business is really hard and can be quite isolating so let people in your life and your community help you where possible.
Who are the 5 people who inspire you the most?
Of course, my mum (she’s not really on social media haha!),
Rihanna (actual Rihanna @badgalriri) because who isn’t inspired by Rihanna?
Yvonne Bajela (@yvonnebajela), Rachael and Joycelyn from Afrocenchix (@raecorson @joycelin_abi @afrocenchix)
Jamelia Dobson who runs Treasuretress (@jameliaisobsessed @treasuretress)
What is your favourite inspirational /motivational quotes?
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style.” – Maya Angelou
What are your social handles and website links so our readers can connect with you?
My Instagram is @theglowmuva and you can find The Glow Pot on Instagram and Twitter @theglowpot and www.theglowpot.com
