“I set up a £15m wellness business at 50!”
Maxine Laceby, CEO and founder of Absolute Collagen, started her now multimillion-pound company from from her kitchen table, here’s how...
Maxine, 55, says, “I left school at 16 and worked in a factory, then after a couple of years I went on to various jobs in retail, sales and marketing, stopping work at 25 to look after my stepchildren. A few years later, my daughters, Darcy and Margot, came along and I really enjoyed being a stay-at-home mum. I never set out to be a business woman, but my skills as a mother have been my biggest asset in the boardroom, things like patience and intuition are key.”
ACCIDENTAL IDEA
“When I was 50, my eldest, Darcy, was going to university and my youngest, Margot, was doing her A-levels, so I had time on my hands. It was then that I stumbled across the idea for my business. I started making and drinking my own bone broth and, within weeks, my eyes were sparkling and I felt so energised. My skin was glowing and it felt dewier, and my friends were asking what I was doing, so I started making it for them too.”
SPOTTING A NICHE
“I started investigating bone broth and realised it was the collagen that was making such a difference [a 2019 study found that taking collagen restores skin hydration, elasticity and density]. I then looked at what collagen was out there and found that the few products that did exist were either too expensive, or had to be stored in the fridge.
“I thought about what I wanted – ready-mixed, easy to take and cost-effective collagen – so the idea for Absolute Collagen sachets was born! Once I had the idea, I phoned the Food Standards Agency and asked every expert I could find lots of questions.”
LIMITATIONS
“I developed the product myself after finding an amazing supplier. Our collagen is marine-based, sourced from fish [vegans can also get collagen from plantbased supplements and protein powders]. I’m not techy and my marketing skills were out of date, so bringing in people to strengthen my weaknesses was key. I met an IT guy through a friend who I paid by the hour to make my website, but I’d phone him every day with questions so, soon after, he started full-time.”
SPENDING WISELY
“I knew branding would be key so I did some research and found an agency and when we met our morals were completely aligned. I borrowed money from a friend and spent some of it on branding, which was scary but necessary. I told the girls, ‘If this doesn’t work, we may have to sell the house’, but they told me to go for it. I spent about £10,000 on branding to launch – which is a lot – but the agency came up with the brand look, colours, fonts, logo and voice. They created campaigns for social media and magazines, too, all of which spread the message.
TIME TO LAUNCH
“I felt nervous spending that kind of money, but I knew the product worked and I had to get it out there. I launched the website in May 2017 and it felt like a battle every day; no one took me seriously and everything took me longer than it would have taken an experienced businessperson, not least due to my dyslexia and ADHD, but neither held me back, because I am always happy to ask questions until I understand. I learned on the job and persevered.
LIFE CHANGING
“At first it was just me, my IT guy and the branding agency, then my daughters came to work for me, and in 2020 I took on more employees – 40 people work for me now, and we are set to turn over £15 million this year. One of the keys to our success is putting our customers at the forefront of everything we do. We answer every question and
want them to feel empowered and never let down.
“I am completely focused on our ‘Absoluters’. You’ll even find me in the warehouse, packing – I want to know what our customers see when they get their parcels! I love reading the reviews. So many women say, ‘You’ve changed my life, I’ve got the courage to post a selfie.’ It makes me so happy.
FEMALE STRENGTH
“I value emotional intelligence, and I think most women have it. The skills I need as an entrepreneur I learned as a mother. Things like intuition; as a mum you have to walk into a room and assess the situation: who’s hungry?
Who’s fed up? Who’s tired?
Has anyone fallen out? It’s the same with business, looking at the overview and identifying issues and checking everything is running well. I want to be the voice for middle-aged women who have so much to give.”
● Visit absolutecollagen.com