Founder’s Story: Turning passion into purpose
Rachel Williams BSc (Hons) MSc (Dist), Founder of Albus & Flora
When Rachel Williams couldn’t find the skincare product she was looking for, in the spirit of a true entrepreneur, she made it herself.
With a background in physiology and a passion for skincare, Rachel created Albus & Flora to provide targeted lip and peri-oral skin solutions for customers of all ages and needs.
From an idea born in the French Alps, to a thriving business in the heart of Lancashire, Albus & Flora products are now stocked around the world, including the UK, Ireland, EU, Asia and Australia. The success driven by Rachel, certainly serves as an inspiration for female entrepreneurs.
We caught up with Rosebud alumni, Rachel, as she shared her experiences as a female entrepreneur, the challenges faced by women in business and a call to action for the business community to encourage more female founders.
Q: What inspired you to start your business, Albus & Flora?
I have always loved beauty and skincare, and as a physiologist, I’ve always been fascinated by how the body works. Helping customers understand and improve their skin felt like a natural extension of my skills and passion. Albus & Flora offers targeted solutions specifically for lips and peri-oral skincare (the area around the mouth).
As a specialist brand, we help women feel more confident about their lips and peri-oral skin at any age, with or without aesthetic treatments. Our products help to protect against and lines & wrinkles, and hydrate & plump lips. Our products also help both men and women protect against UV damage, reduce the risk of lip cancer, cold sores and sunburn – it’s super important to use broad spectrum UV protection every day to reduce the risk of premature ageing – yet it’s an easy step many people forget. They also provide comfort during illness when skincare can be particularly challenging.
My focus on lips began during my years living in the French Alps. I was out on the mountains daily and needed a high-performance SPF lip product that protected but also nourished, felt good, and looked good. Most of the options in the market were chemical-filled balms in plastic tubes.
I wanted something packed with natural oils, in nice colour options that also was nicely packaged. So, I made one!
Q: What advice would you give to women hesitating to take the first step into business?
- Take the first step & believe anything is possible.
- Research your industry and your idea, create it, test it, review, learn and improve it.
- Most importantly – be resilient.
When someone says “no” or “you can’t do it,” simply find another way to make it happen.
Q: Do you feel you faced any additional challenges or barriers as a female founder?
Some challenges have been internal and others external.
Women often struggle a bit more with confidence and imposter syndrome. Personally, I have been guilty of delaying launches, waiting for things to be ‘perfect’. The beauty industry, and business in general, doesn’t wait for perfection. You need to act and move forward. Confidence can sometimes take longer to cultivate.
However, women still face challenges when it comes to accessing investment. More male founders receive funding than female founders, and that’s not a new problem. While it is improving, it’s still tough, especially when women’s businesses are often aimed at female consumers. If investment panels are predominantly male, they may undervalue the business simply due to lack of understanding or genuine connection with the product.
Q: What role did Rosebud play in supporting your success?
Rosebud provided not only a loan but also supported me and the business during the early growth phase. Rosebud was incredibly supportive, offering quality advice on both business and financial planning. Since then, the ongoing advice and opportunities to attend events has been brilliant. At the last event, I made some great contacts and listened to inspiring speakers, it has made me feel part of a supportive community of entrepreneurs.
Q: In your opinion, what action can we take to encourage more women-led businesses?
I have found women in business to be incredibly supportive of each other and very generous in terms of sharing ideas, connections and support. It’s a lonely and tough life being a solo entrepreneur so creating more meetups and networks, with a balance of professional development and self-care can make a huge difference. Events and networking with other business owners can have such a positive effect on women and re-energise them.
Seeing women succeed across all age groups is deeply inspiring, it shows that starting a business isn’t just for the young. I had two successful careers before starting Albus & Flora in my 40s, and now in my early 50s, I feel like I’m only just getting started. It’s never too late.
Seeing women succeed across all age groups is deeply inspiring, it shows that starting a business isn’t just for the young. Now in my early 50s, I feel like I’m only just getting started.
For more information about how Rosebud could help your business and to see our T&Cs visit: https://www.rosebudfinance.co.uk/business-loans-lancashire/
