SharkPod #77 ”Aiming for €50,000,000” - Pamela Laird - CEO, Moxi Loves

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode, Luke and Mark chat to Entrepreneur and former contestant from BBC's 'The Apprentice' - Pamela Laird. Pamela is the founder and CEO of the Moxi Loves, a beauty product business that provides innovative, waterless, and sustainable products.

Moxi Loves is stocked by some of the the biggest retail operations (Boots, Pennys and national pharmacy chains) in Ireland and the UK and will soon be available in Australia also. 

The guys dig into Pamela's experience competing on 'The Apprentice' in the UK and also her appearance on the 'Dragon's Den' here in Ireland.

Key Takeaways:

1. Distribution is key but not the most difficult part of the FMCG business. Pamela speaks about how important the product is as well as the packing and over all branding in being stocked by leading retail companies.

2. Working with a distribution company will help you get your product into retail chains but you will need to build up your own capacity for sales and marketing in order to keep momentum. There are risks involved with using distributers as they can become very important to your business, thus giving them a lot of negotiating power. 

3. Build your brand to sell - Pamela tries to allow the Moxi Loves brand to be independent from her personal brand. In this way she is building a business with performance not tied directly to her, allowing investors or buyers to evaluate the business on its own merits.

4. The UK is a great source for investment for Irish Entrepreneurs. Getting involved with UK based shows (like The Apprentice) can help you build your profile there. 

5. Momentum is the hardest thing about this business. New products, new markets, and finding new customers who are loyal to your brand in the long term is difficult when competing with some of the biggest companies in the world.

For more information on Moxi Loves: https://moxiloves.com/

For Feedback: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!