Introducing Rebekah Brown, Founder of MPowder, nutritional supplements for menopausal women
Rebekah Brown, founder MPowder
Meet Rebekah Brown, founder of MPowder, nutritional supplements for menopausal women.
Rebekah’s mission with MPowder is to provide women with a range of plant-based powders to nourish them through the three stages of menopause: Peri-Boost, Meno-Boost and Post-Boost. With MPowder, Rebekah is championing open and honest conversation around the menopause, where women feel included and part of a community. This is a personal journey that became a public mission.
Website: mpowder.store | linkedin: Rebekah brown
“I am the founder of the vibrant midlife community and powdered supplement range, MPowder. Launched in 2020 as a response to my own journey into menopause, MPowder’s ambition is to make midlife a superpower for women everywhere - through its product range, which is developed with medical doctors, naturopaths and herbalists, its community of women who trial every recipe to measure impact, and its team of experts that ensure a whole body and mind approach to ‘Part 2’.”
What inspired you to set up an e-commerce company focussed on helping menopausal women?
Great question. MPowder came about as a result of my own difficult peri-menopause journey. I’m a planner by trade. So I’ve spent my career listening to the wants and needs of people on behalf of business, establishing how companies can deliver greater value, how they can shift from transactional relationships to symbiotic ones where people want them in their lives. So, I’d actually argue that we’re a community first and foremost, and the e-commerce offering is our vehicle for sharing our innovation. We co-create products and programmes for women in menopause.
What were your symptoms of the perimenopause?
I loved my career. Then perimenopause hit. I found myself struggling from extreme anxiety almost overnight. My body seemed to be betraying me. I was bloated. I had hormonal acne (which felt particularly unfair, as I’d struggled with skin problems in my teens too!). My bones hurt. I felt really unwell.
I had no idea that the symptoms I was experiencing at the age of 43 were perimenopause. Like many women, I assumed menopause happened to people much older than me! - and that, if you did notice it happening, it would be hot flashes and night sweats.
How was your experience with traditional doctors?
Again, like many women, I was also misdiagnosed by my GP, who told me I was ‘too young’ to be menopausal. My ambition and the pressures of a busy home life led him to diagnose burn out ‘or depression’. I was told to take time off, and that I would recover with rest. I was lucky that I could prioritise my health. I took a 6-month sabbatical - and, because of my job and the way my mind works, I did what I always do when I don’t understand something, I started to research my symptoms. Fast- forward 6 months, I had changed my diet, my supplementation regime. I’d looked at how I digested stress. I’d introduced new routines to my day. And I was feeling really good. But I was also really cross. Why wasn’t I prepared for this stage of life? Why didn’t my doctor know more about the tell-tale signs? And, why did the space feel like an ‘end of life category’ rather than a midlife category?
Rebekah Brown, Founder MPowder
What was the process to get started on your business?
At the start I simply wanted to understand whether others had experienced the same misdiagnosis in surgery, how they felt about the brands and products available to them, what they wish their younger selves had known about their hormones...and as the stories flooded in, I realised that there was an urgent need to do more than simply listen. But I felt passionately that any development needed to be collectively built. That any new business entering such an underserved market had a responsibility to amplify the voices of the individuals transitioning through menopause. I didn’t want to sell stuff. I wanted to collaborate - with experts, yes, but also with the women seeking better options.
You successfully raised a £500k seed round, through Pink Salt Ventures, Founders Factory and other strategic investors including Mumsnet co-founder, Carrie Longton. What was the process and how did you navigate it?
The process was unique because we were in unprecedented times! I learned to say yes to every conversation, to go into every chat with a clear view of what I could learn (which is entirely distinct from the desire to secure funds) and to end every conversation with an ask. I also learned that, as an early mover, you have to educate first. And that takes time.
What are your future goals and vision for MPowder?
To reach as many women in midlife as possible! To reframe this life-stage as a superpower. And to ensure that no one has to navigate it alone.
The Peri Boost is the first of MPowder's supplements, which specifically helps women going through the perimenopause phase / MPowder
What would you say is the biggest business lesson you’ve learnt through Covid-19?
Don’t be transactional. We’re a pandemic baby. We launched during the first lockdown. And we’ve seen first hand what happens when you involve your community in your direction of travel. We’ve been out of stock. We’ve had packaging issues. We’ve had courier issues. But our customers are invested in our journey - they appreciate our honesty. We give a lot. But we get so much back from them in terms of support and a desire to see us succeed.
What do you think are the three biggest health and wellness trends for 2021 and beyond?
Menopause is undeniably a ‘trend’ to watch right now. I hate the label, but I appreciate the fact that it will result in innovation, greater competition and better solutions. I think meds-health will continue to evolve from simply replicating in-surgery experience online to more creative ways of democratising private consultations. And I think we’ll see further converging of beauty and wellness - as consumers continue to focus on ingesting beauty.
What are your most valuable business resources?
The Financial Times is often undervalued as a resource but their journalism consistently spots future trends. I’ve subscribed for years and see it as a real investment. Otter.ai for its ability to transcribe conversations or voice notes. And our community. Social channels give you immediate access to the people you want to serve.
Rebekah Brown, Founder MPowder
Have you faced any challenges as a woman in business? If so, how have you dealt with this?
When starting MPowder I knew the likelihood of securing funding was slim. I was addressing a taboo topic. I was focused on women. I wanted to create a community, but I also wanted to create products and programmes too. And that is risky. And I was a sole female founder.
Women founders receive just 2.3% of VC dollars across all sectors
Femtech receives just 1.8% of VC funding in the digital health space
Of this just 5% is invested in menopause
I dealt with it by starting every session by diffusing the discomfort. I made my story the route into the story of the brand. I allowed people to ask the questions they often feel uncomfortable asking. I highlighted that 51% of the population is not niche. Unconscious bias is just that - unconscious. By allowing people to learn first, without judgement, I have been able to bring people into the mission rather than alienating them.
What are your 5 go-to tips for running a business?
It’s a marathon not a sprint. Make sure you’re not running on empty
Put your consumer at the heart of all you do.
Find the extra-milers. Skills can be taught. Attitude can’t.
Focus on culture from day 1. It powers the business through tough times. And it acts as an anchor as you grow.
Ask for help. People are much more generous than you think.
What do you wish you had known before you started?
I actually think a good dollop of naivety is incredibly helpful when you’re an entrepreneur! But I wish I’d known how the investment space works - so often it is about conversations that bear fruit much further down the line. And that is ok.
W E A L T H
Describe your relationship with money and personal finance:
I’m a saver but I recognise the value in spending for experiences and moments. They’re priceless.
How do you define wealth?
Health, time and enough funds to not be kept awake at night.
What do you feel are the differences between the way you run your personal and your business finances?
Very little.
What is the best financial decision you have ever made?
Overstretching and living through a year of austerity with our current home! Not because of its increase in value - but because it is home.
What did you learn about finance and money when you were growing up?
My family was lower middle class so money was always a worry for my parents. They’d not had enough and there was a sense that we may not too. I learned restraint, only buying what I could afford (until that house!) and reusing and recycling.
Who manages the finances in your household?
My partner and I share the finances between us.
Which area of finance do you wish you knew more about?
I made it my business to take agency for my own finances about 10 years’ ago - and Im so grateful I did.
Do you currently invest? If so, in what and why?
Yes. In ethical funds. Because it makes sense to apply a little risk with the interest rates so suppressed.
What’s your guilty pleasure purchase?
Oat milk lattes.
What’s your money secret?
Only buy stuff that brings you joy.
Website: mpowder.store | linkedin: Rebekah brown
Thank you Rebekah
