LYDIA ON LIFE

Becoming a mother is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and life-altering experiences one can have. However, along with the joys of motherhood, there can be unexpected challenges, one of which I personally faced – postpartum hair loss. Little did I know that this experience would be the one to lead me down the path of entrepreneurship. 

So, in today’s blog post I wanted to share how I began my journey of transforming my experience with postpartum hair loss into a business venture and the challenges I faced along the way.

The Beginning of My Hair Loss Journey

As a new mother, the joy and excitement of welcoming a beautiful baby boy into my life were matched by the distress I felt as I watched clumps of my hair fall out postpartum. It’s common for women to experience hair loss after childbirth due to hormonal changes, but it was still a disheartening experience for me. I felt less confident and struggled with my self-esteem, which, as a new mom, was the last thing I needed.

My Quest for Solutions

Desperate for solutions to my hair loss problem, I embarked on a journey to find effective treatments and hair care routine. I tried numerous products and remedies like rice water treatments and hair fertiliser concoctions before consulting with an expert. Seeking help from my GP was unhelpful and I didn’t know any hairdressers I could trust so I continued covering up my frustration with wigs hoping it would get better. 

Co-Founding the Company 

Whilst working through my hair journey, I attended a YSYS start-up weekend workshop for a completely different business idea I had related to parenting. There I met Emilia, my now friend and co-founder where we bonded over the frustrating journey we’ve both experienced when it came to achieving our hair goal in spite of the amount of products and information that is marketed to us. With our shared experience we set out to find a solution that would make accessing personalised hair care products, resources and experts easier and simple whilst reminding all women that all hair is good hair. Thus, The Good Hair Co was born.

The Evolution of an Idea

Despite our lack of business experience, we were determined to make our idea a reality so we researched different ways of doing just that. First we thought of a subscription box service but quickly realised creating a personalised subscription box would require expert advice and consultation to make it truly work for our intended users. This then led us to researching the types of expertise we would need which introduced us to Trichology – the study of diseases and disorders of the hair and scalp, as well as their care. Although Trichologists are not doctors, they provide a holistic approach to hair care by advising you on your hair maintenance, scalp health, dietary needs and product usage. As I was still struggling with my hair loss, I decided to consult with a Trichologist to see if this would be the solution I needed. Although the consultation was expensive, I gained a wealth of knowledge about hair care, that once applied consistently over 12 months, I saw amazing results that I’m enjoying today.

Building the Business

The early days of building The Good Hair Co were challenging. We had to learn about the intricacies of running a business, from creating a business plan and securing funding to developing the app, marketing the business and finding professionals in the field of hair care. We partnered with experts, including trichologists, to provide comprehensive consultations to our early users of the first version of our app. With COVID-19 forcing us to navigate this in a new way it was a difficult but rewarding experience. It allowed me the opportunity to learn, build and exercise new skills I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. In addition to this, my hair and knowledge of how to maintain it also grew.

The Mumpreneur Burning Out

Whilst working on the business, I was also working full time in my 9-5 and homeschooling my son due to lockdown. During this time I was extremely passionate about our business and the potential impact it would have on so many women once our service was in their hands that I worked on it every moment I got. Although I wasn’t seeing the progress I wanted to see in our business, I saw enough to keep me motivated towards the bigger picture. As I began recovering from the aftermath of the pandemic, my motivation for our business grew but so did my guilt as a mother. The more time I spent working on our business the more resentful I felt about how much my role as a mother required of me. I would miss out on networking events, have interrupted meetings and just general tiredness from the responsibilities of motherhood. 

Not having anyone to really vent to out of fear of being a burden (or sounding like a bad mother) I keep it all inside. This would have probably been the best time to open up my laptop and write a blog post but I didn’t. Instead, I cried, I prayed and eventually decided to put the brakes on the business to direct my attention towards my other goals – buying my first house and being a less exhausted mum. My co-founder pursued her passion of making hair care products at lovemellie.com and I’m so proud of her.

So, this is where I’m at now.

My journey into the world of entrepreneurship might not seem like a startup success story I had hoped for, but as a mother and woman with no prior business experience it’s a testament to the power of passion, perseverance, and a deep belief in my personal mission – to live a life I love and that I’m proud of. The burnout is just a part of that story. I haven’t given up on the business nor am I saying I failed. I’m simply taking a step back and trusting the process knowing that if I’m meant to build this ark called The Good Hair Co then God will make a way. All I need to do is trust Him and His timing whilst doing what I can with the time, talents and treasures I have – which isn’t much now that I’m a homeowner. 

I’m still attending a few relevant networking events and founder programs that work around childcare and my life in Kent to rebuild my confidence and pace myself back into business. Although taking a step back was a hard decision for me, going back to square one won’t seem so hard once I have the right support system to complement the skills I’ve gained and the work we’ve already done. My story represents a broader trend of women entrepreneurs and mothers making their mark in various industries, even during difficult times. My hope is that by sharing my journey through entrepreneurship I can encourage others to know that not every ones journey looks the same but if we remain focused on our own, we will get to our destination.

So, if any of this resonates with you, then I invite you to stick around, engage with me and enjoy the ride.

Thank you for reading all the way to the end and I’ll see you in the next post.

With love and excitement,

Lydia x

P.S: Feel free to let me know if there is anything you’ve read so far that you would like me to share more of.