Natural. Eco-friendly. Breaking the Bias.
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March 11, 2022
Naturally Lady produces high-quality, eco-friendly reusable sanitary products. Born out of a vision to find an environmentally-friendly alternative to disposable sanitary pads, the company’s Founder Mariani Robinson has worked hard to raise awareness and provide sustainable products not only for women’s comfort but to help to reduce carbon footprint and carbon emissions as well.
Mariani has shared her story as part of a special report to mark International Women’s Day from Harper James, a modern law firm purpose-built to support entrepreneurial businesses from start-up to scale-up and beyond.
Female-led start-ups received just 2.3% of VC funding in 2020, according to reports. How can businesses owned by women achieve a stronger and fairer share in the future?
I believe it all depends on the resources available, such as information, training and specific funding schemes for female entrepreneurs to succeed and thrive. To be an entrepreneur requires a certain level of confidence in knowing the product or service you want to offer, understanding the industry and its consumers and your main competitors. Think outside of the box, as a consumer yourself, what would attract you to buy your service or your product that differentiate you from your competitors?
As a female entrepreneur, what do you believe the biggest challenges are that you face on a day-to-day basis?
It is not about gender, but as a woman, we are more emotionally linked to decisions and if we are well informed of our options, we are more likely to make these decisions, even the riskier ones. Entrepreneurs must have some level of risk and gamble and should not be afraid of failing and learning from their mistakes.
However, as a woman, mother, wife, sister and daughter, sometimes we ponder too much what is right or wrong. Whereas men tend to focus on what they want to get out of the deal and just decide on what is necessary to get there.
Can you share three tips that might help women accelerate their entrepreneurial growth?
Be brave. Believe in yourself. Go for it, now is the time. Don’t leave tomorrow what you can do today.
What might the Government do to better support female entrepreneurs?
Offer training for women in entrepreneurial skills such as offering special support together with a line of credit for startups.
What advice would you give to a young woman planning to set up her own business?
Believe in your dream and idea and go for it. Failure or errors may occur on the way, but you will overcome them and come out stronger and more experienced.
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