In this week's episode of Ladies Who Launch, Nicola Elliott, founder of NEOM, takes us behind the scenes of building a brand in a category that barely existed when she started. From the early days of product creation to scaling to 150 products, 150 employees, and £45M in annual turnover, Nicola gets into the mechanics of strategically building for long-term growth. We unpack the real decisions most founders agonise over: the benefits of taking investment versus staying self-funded, and the personal sacrifices that come as a direct consequence of business ambition.

Beyond the numbers, this conversation digs into what makes NEOM genuinely stick, how Nicola has built a deep consumer-to-brand connection at scale, and perhaps more importantly, how she's designed the business around the life she actually wants to live. It's an honest, tactical conversation for founders who want to build something substantial without losing themselves in the process.

In this episode, we cover:

• The journey of starting & building NEOM
• Building in a ‘unique’ category
• 150 products, 150 employees, £45M in annual turnover
• Strategically building for long term growth, not pace
• Benefits of investment vs self funding
• Real life sacrifices as a consequence of business
• Creating consumer x brand connection
• Designing business around your life

We Are Ladies Who Launch!

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

00:43 Before Wellness Was a Thing

03:41 Anxiety Sparking the NEOM Idea

06:15 From Blends to NEOM

08:27 First Products and Candles

11:40 Green Lights to Quitting Your 9-5

14:29 Building the Right Team

17:58 Creating a New Category

23:11 Retailer Placement Challenges

26:32 Sponsor Break: Starling Tools

27:42 Scaling With Steady Growth

33:33 Slow Growth Wins

34:00 Realities of Raising Money

35:50 Founder Lifestyle Questions

36:58 Motherhood While Building a Business

40:01 Sacrifice And Seasons

41:50 Work That Feeds You

43:06 Protecting Brand Identity

47:32 Customer Moments Strategy

49:06 Founder Role Today

52:39 Realistic Wellness Positioning

53:47 Future Growth And Collabs

55:56 Rocket Round

58:15 Curating Your Circle

59:35 Patience Builds Brands

01:00:34 Nicola’s Dream Collab

01:02:00 Finding A Mentor

01:03:14 Founder Money Habits

01:07:21 Financial Myths Debunked

01:09:30 Profitability Over Hype

01:12:23 Design Success Your Way

01:14:55 Nicola’s Ideal Lunch

01:17:49 Wrap Up And Subscribe

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