Building NEOM: Nicola Elliott on £45M Turnover, 150 Products & Self-Funding vs Investment

Description

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 NEOMBuilding in a ‘unique’ category150 products, 150 employees, £45M in annual turnover Strategically building for long term growth, not paceBenefits of investment vs self funding Real life sacrifices as a consequence of business Creating consumer x brand connectionDesigning business around your lifeWe Are Ladies Who Launch! CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction00:43 Before Wellness Was a Thing03:41 Anxiety Sparking the NEOM Idea06:15 From Blends to NEOM08:27 First Products and Candles11:40 Green Lights to Quitting Your 9-514:29 Building the Right Team17:58 Creating a New Category23:11 Retailer Placement Challenges26:32 Sponsor Break: Starling Tools27:42 Scaling With Steady Growth33:33 Slow Growth Wins34:00 Realities of Raising Money35:50 Founder Lifestyle Questions36:58 Motherhood While Building a Business40:01 Sacrifice And Seasons41:50 Work That Feeds You43:06 Protecting Brand Identity47:32 Customer Moments Strategy49:06 Founder Role Today52:39 Realistic Wellness Positioning53:47 Future Growth And Collabs55:56 Rocket Round5