Sudden entrepreneur

The ex-editor behind natural beauty brand Neom

After spending her early 20s flying all over the world to interview celebrities, journalist Nicola Elliott was at the top of her game in women’s magazines. But working 60 hours a week took its toll, and when her mental health started to suffer and she was on the brink of burnout, she knew something needed to change. So she gave it all up to start Neom Organics, a natural beauty and wellness brand, in 2005. Now the business boasts sales of more than £25 million, is stocked in Selfridges and John Lewis & Partners, and is loved by everyone from Gwyneth Paltrow to the England rugby squad. Here, Elliott shares her advice.

Before you hand in your notice, experiment.

Working at Glamour magazine in its heyday was great fun – I loved my job – but I put in really long hours, and often found myself with too much on my plate. I was constantly on the move, flying to New York to interview cover stars such as Charlize Theron and Kate Winslet. Coupled with late nights, infrequent exercise and eating rubbish, my anxiety levels went through the roof. At 27, I realised I had to start looking after myself better, and, in a bid to boost my mood,

I took up aromatherapy. I began experimenting with different oils in my tiny bathroom at home in Islington – pretending it was a luxury apothecary. I’d mix up blends for my then-boyfriend – who’d spend Saturdays playing football, then sit in the bath exhausted – with lemon, basil and rosemary to give him an energy burst. I even made up a bottle for each member of his football team – suddenly, I realised I could do something with this.

Find a cofounder who complements you.

I retrained as an aromatherapist – studying online in my evenings and weekends – and negotiated a four-day week at work, which gave me an extra day to spend on my fledgling side-hustle. I hatched a plan with a friend of mine, Oliver Mennell, who I’d known since I was in my teens, and, though we had entirely different skill sets – he was in finance, working for a Japanese private equity bank – it worked. My plan was to create well products, being such as scented candles and fragrances, to help stressed-out individuals relax.

It can be a leap of faith.

I sold my old car, a bashed-up BMW, for £5,000, and along with Ollie’s savings, we had £10,000 to start with and buy candle stock – our first product. I’d spend my evenings frantically researching, tackling it like a piece of journalism. I had huge lever-arch files divided up into sections: suppliers, ingredients and wax information. When the stock eventually arrived, we lugged box after box down to my basement flat and used my second bedroom as a warehouse. You could smell the flat from the street.

Be prepared for setbacks.

I left my job in 2006 and eventually moved into an office space above Liberty department store in London. I lived on a shoestring and it was a long, hard slog, where the answer was often no rather than yes. Well-being wasn’t a ‘thing’ back then. John Lewis turned us down for seven years. I began to lose my earlier confidence and wondered whether we’d bitten off too much. After five years of operating, I still wasn’t earning as much as I had as an editor.

Celebrate your victories.

Tides turn and there were green shoots too – Selfridges picked us up after they’d read how Kylie Minogue had used one of our candles to revive herself before performing. And when we moved into the high street in 2015, opening our first retail shop in Wimbledon Village, our presence there helped bring the brand to life. We really have built it brick by brick. neomorganics.com