Sharmadean Reid founded WAH Nails as a side project in 2009 – now it is a huge global well-known business.
In this episode I chat to Sharmadean about productivity and distraction. She has a brilliant Guardian column called Bossing It where she answers modern work questions.
She wrote two WAH nails books, delivered global pop up nail salons for 100s of brands, created a product line with Walgreen Boots Alliance and was awarded an MBE for services to Beauty.
So now she is building a new way to book beauty online with her new company Beauty Stack.
We talk about what she’d learned from starting businesses. Sharmadean’s also working on a new campaign with NatWest which is all about helping small businesses be the best they can be. A big focus is on helping small businesses do more with less and improve their productivity through the NatWest Productivity Blueprint.
The medium article I reference in the opening section of the interview is called “Growing Up Too Fast — Or Why I Closed WAH Nails Topshop”.
Soundbites I love from this episode:
“Why not write a completely new rule for how we determine success?”
“Create your own pic ‘n’ mix from other people’s successful bios”
“You can’t copy someone else’s path”
“Being productive doesn’t mean being chained your desk the whole time.”
Martha Beck (Replay): Why You Should Tell The Truth
Meg Mason (Replay): From Almost Binning Her Book, To Bestseller
Genelle Aldred (Replay): How To Communicate Like a Pro
Goodbye Ctrl Alt Delete! A Final Voicenote from Emma 🎙
Samantha Clarke (Replay): Life As A Happiness Consultant
Dr Emma Hepburn (Replay): How To Have A Happy Brain
Sophie Heawood (Replay): What To Expect When You Weren't Expecting To Be Expecting
Rana Foroohar (Replay): Are Big Tech Companies Evil?
Oliver Burkeman (Replay): Productivity Is A Trap
Naomi Alderman (Replay): Life As A Polymath
Sophie Walker (Replay): How To Be More Activist
Emma Forrest (Replay): Terrible First Drafts & Writing Your Life
Natalie Lue (Replay): How To Actually Get Stuff Done
#368 Does Hybrid Working Help Or Hinder Our Health & Wellbeing?
Laura Dockrill (Replay): Motherhood, Mental Health & Me
Christine Armstrong (Replay): The Myth Of Work-Life Balance
#367 Anisah Osman Britton: On How Tech Can Empower You
Africa Brooke (Replay): Why Uncomfortable Conversations Matter
Anna Codrea-Rado (Replay): The Carrie Bradshaw Freelance Myth
Ann Friedman (Replay): Can Work And Friendship Mix?
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