Life today
real business begins at 50!
Think start-ups are the preserve of twentysomethings? not any more. Research shows that there’s been a rise by as much as 30% in the past two years in female entrepreneurs aged over 50. These women are proof that, with a little determination and hard work, you can turn a bright idea into a burgeoning business – no matter your age. Clare milford Haven, 56, is from Hampshire. She runs a charity in memory of her son James and is married with four grown-up children. Philippa Ravenscroft, 61, is a private chef. She lives near Hungerford in Berkshire.
a few years ago, the close friends came up with the idea for a gadget to squeeze the last drops of moisturiser, hand cream or toothpaste out of tubes. They launched Squidger in 2016.
Light-bulb moment
One day we were moaning to each other about always having to cut the top off the tube of expensive face cream to get the last drops out. It’s our pet hate. We decided there must be many other women who resented paying a lot of money for products when a good chunk gets stuck in the tube. Over a glass of wine later, we thought impulsively, ‘Let’s do something about it!’ – without realising how much work and commitment it would be.
First steps
We needed the help of an inventor. A friend suggested Adam Sutcliffe, who runs design agency Mental, and is a senior lecturer in design and engineering at Queen Mary, University of London. At first he was a bit bemused, but once he realised the money it would save consumers, he was 100% on board and is now our partner. The initial prototypes looked very odd, so we kept modifying the design until we were all happy with the look and effectiveness. We considered crowdfunding, but as our start-up costs were not extortionate, we each put in money from our savings.
The launch
We have started small and are doing everything ourselves, from printing labels to packing Squidgers for despatch in the warehouse. Our first sales came via our website. Every time a Squidger sold, it sounded an alert like an old-fashioned cash register; when it first went ‘ker-ching’, we
nearly fell off our chairs. Our first wholesale order came from a friend who saw the launch announcement on Facebook and ordered 10 in each colour for her shop; she then sold six within half an hour of us dropping them off. We are continuing to pursue our other work commitments until the business gets to a stage where we can go full-time.
Age advantage
Clare says: I think that when you get to 50, you are no longer ambivalent about life and want to grab it with both hands. I have never been so busy, even when my children were small, and my friends all say the same thing. If you are going to do something, then don’t hang about – just get on and do it! There are so many opportunities to be had and with the internet and social media it is much easier to get a new idea out there. Philippa says: I found the confidence to begin to explore other avenues. I feel this awareness really only comes when you realise how short life can be. motto: #getmoreout. ✱ squidger.co.uk