AMA: Claire Nield, founder of The Flower Power Company

Skinimalism is a beauty trend with the ethos less is more. Simplifying skincare regimes with multitasking ingredients.

Skinimalism champion, Claire Nield, founded The Flower Power Company, to produce vegan, organic, cruelty-free products inspired by nature.

Tell us a bit about your company and how the idea came about?

The Flower Power Company story began 4 decades ago while I picked flowers in my childhood garden and tried to make beauty products from them with little success.

Life got in the way and my childhood dreams were forgotten until a series of difficult events occurred.

First I lost my wonderful mum and dad within a year of each other to cancer in 2017-18. Then I moved my family to my childhood home. I found such comfort in the garden during intense grief.

Later I received a melanoma skin cancer diagnosis, which confirmed to me that there is no time like the present to really do what you want to do.

Two lots of surgery later, things are looking OK with my skin but I was suddenly so much more conscious about what I was using on it.

I wanted to find a natural, organic and pure way to nourish my skin rather than the host of artificial chemicals that were lurking in my bathroom drawer.

After working with professional natural ingredient specialists and a dermatologist, The Flower Power Company was launched with the new Radiant Flower Facial Oil.

So sorry for your loss. That's really moving. A source of inspiration for your team too no doubt. What does company culture mean to you?

Having a shared goal and passion. For The Flower Power Company, our company culture is all focused on making the world a more beautiful place. To meet this, we promise to give or grow flower seeds with every purchase.

What a great idea. How do you keep your team aligned?

I have found ASANA a really useful project management tool to keep all the balls spinning at the correct time. But ultimately, remote working is no different from working in a large company; the one critical factor is clear communication at all times.

Can you share any practical tips or processes to help people work remotely?

The Flower Power Company team is small and spread remotely. Our products are made by hand in the UK at a bespoke laboratory to ensure the purity and quality of the end product.

I have an assistant in Kenya who is an expert in natural skincare ingredients used for centuries across the globe and my designer works from home in the UK.

I have worked from home for 13 years now. My tips:

1. Have a dedicated place to work, however small it is. You need somewhere that is just about work so that you can walk away from it at the end of the day otherwise it is difficult to shut off and relax.
   
   
2. Routine is crucial. Get into a habit of working certain hours then having a certain cut off time, just as you would in an office. Often it is in the downtime when the magic happens so allow yourself downtime.
   
   
3. Communicate to others when you are in work mode and when you are not. I am a dedicated follower of "less is more" in life so focusing on what is important and getting it done are more important than ticking endless meaningless tasks off a to-do list.

Do you have a share or option scheme in place for your team? 

Not yet as the business is in the very early stages of development but the idea of a share scheme is something that appeals to me for the future.

What would you say is the biggest mistake you've made as an entrepreneur?

The more you fail the more you are likely to win.

The biggest mistake I've made is being hard on myself when things have not gone perfectly. It takes a lot of resilience to be an entrepreneur but getting back up again when things go wrong is the biggest lesson of all.

Totally agree. Did you ever experience a business disappointment that led to something better?

All the time! Being an entrepreneur means facing tough situations and rolling with the punches sometimes. Every disappointment, however small, teaches you something if you are prepared to listen.

I always say the highs are higher and the lows can be lower running your own business but the key is understanding that if you are continually learning from the problems you face, you can’t go far wrong.

Great advice. Give us an interesting fact about yourself that the business community doesn’t know.

I have travelled widely from the Falkland’s, Cape Horn, the edge of the North Pole, Japan, Russia, China, India, Central America and many places in between.

Wow!

Travel really does broaden the mind and makes you realise you are just a mere dot in the world. A valuable perspective to have.

And finally, who would play you in a film of your life?

Me. I would be an absolutely terrible actor and nobody would watch it, but I am a firm believer that only you can be you.

We'd watch it! Thanks so much for your time Claire. It's been a pleasure.