Wednesday was International Women’s Day and what better way to celebrate, than to spotlight one of Liverpool’s most remarkable women.
Meet Stacey Pritchard, 38, a mum of one, chronic over sharer and over worker, from Aigburth. Once a corporate girly, now a serial entrepreneur, Stacey is the founder and CEO of not one, but two businesses.
After being made redundant in 2018, Stacey gave herself six months to try her hand at building a brand. Four years later and two businesses launched, Stacey is officially unemployable. This week, I chatted to her about how she's done it, starting with the most common question women in business get asked.
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How do you balance your home life with work?
"I am a single parent in a neurodivergent household. My 12 year is old diagnosed with both ASD and ADHD and I’m in the process of shedding light on the possibility of my own neurodiversity.
"As you can imagine, this makes for a very fun, yet unpredictable household. Being three minutes later (later not late) in the morning can cause a week of upset and stress. You have to put extra thought into everything you say, plan and do, as a neurodivergent parent. It becomes second nature to be ultra aware of another person's needs and pre-empting anything and everything that could go wrong.
"It can be exhausting some days, but it doesn't take away from the absolute hilarious little guy he is. I’d take this stress any day, to hear his daily musings that crack me up. Living with someone who sees the world in such a unique way, is a blast.
"Being an SEN mum gives you the unshakeable skill of advocating for both others and yourself. It makes you think outside the box, and allows you to adapt to any situation. Because of him I’m confident I can overcome any roadblock. So when people ask me how I deal with running two businesses, I genuinely credit being his mum, giving me the skill set to always keep going."
What inspired the first company you founded?
"I loved the corporate life, mainly for the wardrobe. But I took it as a blessing when I was made redundant and decided that in the long term I did need to be at home more, if my son was going to thrive. I knew the life we needed and it was up to me to create it.
"The first business I launched was Planthaya. After suffering with migraines for years I tried CBD and became a huge fan. Being the over sharer that I am, I wanted everyone to know how amazing it was.
"We started out as CBD retailer, but it wasn’t long before I realised that I could do what the manufactures did, but better. So, I travelled to San Diego to find the perfect producer for our own range.
"Mine has now won industry awards and even been nominated in the World CBD Awards this year. We’ve grown so much and now focus on making supplements that are easy to choose and simple to use.
"The industry as I see it, can often be very complicated and confusing. As a busy mum myself, I know people don’t have time to research a degree’s worth of information, just to buy a simple product. We’re are on a mission to bridge that gap. Our Mushroom supplements have now overtaken CBD as our best selling products. And we created two more unique formulations for skin and stress."
You also co-founded a women's clothing brand with a difference
"After Planthaya I realised how much I loved building a brand I’m passionate about. So in 2021 I launched FEMSS with my best friend of 26 years. We were both at a point in life where buying clothes requires a little more thought. A lot of the stuff we liked wasn’t suitable because it didn’t offer the support, or it didn’t have a fit that was flattering for our body.
"Sam has had a very successful career in fashion. Teamed with my love of solving a problem, FEMSS was born. We design pieces that are made to support, fit and flatter, without compromising on style.
"Last year FEMSS took off when our 'No Bra Tank' became a huge hit. The feedback was incredible! We celebrate each time a woman with a bigger bust messages to say she is bra free.
"We sold out the tank, twice over. We have just launched our higher waist extra coverage leggings that have our signature compressive fabric. And we have another exciting launch at the of March.
"We are working with a fuller bust lingerie model in the States, on our fuller bust small waist size range. As we are shipping products to the States, Australia and Canada, weekly. Our plans for FEMSS are huge!
"We listen to our customers and take their lead on where to take our styles next. We have found a whole community of women who struggle to find clothes that fit and flatter, and want to bring them as many exciting styles as we can. We truly believe that if the clothes don’t fit, you should change the clothes not your body. Everyone deserves to feel confident in their clothes and body."
Tell us about your female role models
"This may sound like a lot of work for one person, and I certainly couldn’t do it without having such a supportive family. My mum and sister are my biggest cheerleaders, and support us endlessly. My mum is the most selfless person I know and that’s why, after she wrote three books during lockdown, whilst also fostering, I appointed myself her agent and pushed her to self publish. Her book Red Doors will be launching on Amazon on March 17 and I couldn’t be more proud. Or tired.
"I am exhausted daily, but I love my life. I get to do something I love every day, and my work allows me to always be there for the person I love most.". Find our more about Stacey's businesses at www.Femss.co.uk and www.planthaya.com
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