F3_Laybuy HERO

At AllBright, our mission is to drive change for smart-minded women. By tapping into the power of sisterhood, we aim to help provide the tools you need to succeed both professionally, and personally. We speak often about , and to empower entrepreneurially minded women in our community to thrive, so, we’re sharing stories of women who have travelled that path. We spoke to Eshita Kabra, founder and CEO of ByRotation, as well as Robyn Rohloff, co-founder and Chief Brand Officer of Laybuy and Katy Cottam, founder of Luna Daily, for their top quick wins to supercharge your business.

Headshot Eshita Ka

Eshita Kabra, founder and CEO of ByRotation

What’s your story?

“I am the founder and CEO of By Rotation, the world's first social network for fashion rental. We've been dubbed the ‘Airbnb of fashion’ and ‘the Instagram of fashion.' You can save money, make money, dress in ‘new’ borrowed clothes from each other and make new friends. While I'm a Londoner, I'm very much a third culture kid and a global citizen with ties to India, Singapore, the US and UK.”

What are your top quick wins for women to build, scale and supercharge their business?

“I believe hard work and persistence is what builds a sustainable business. My two top quick wins:

“Conduct a SWOT analysis on yourself and your business, so you can understand the gaps you need to fill by either hiring or partnering externally, and really honing into your strengths and areas of expertise. This will give you focus, priorities and tunnel vision in achieving your goals.

“Keep a dashboard to track all your key metrics, and stay on top of them. Tangible results (quantitative and qualitative) are key to igniting the fire within your mind, heart and soul!”

How have you implemented these tips?

“I believe I am a very self-aware person and identified from the outset the areas in which I would need expertise – be that app development or logistics – so I hired a top-tier CTO and COO to create a very strong senior leadership team. As for the business, our superpower is our community and we closely partnered with them and keep our ears to the ground at all times.

As an ex-investment manager, I love numbers and I love seeing, analysing and working on them. Numbers are what give me confidence and back our purpose of transforming fashion consumption for good.”

Headshot Robyn R

Robyn Rohloff, co-founder and Chief Brand Officer of Laybuy

What’s your story?

“We started Laybuy following a conversation with our son around our family kitchen table, in 2017. He suggested that it would be a great idea if he was able to buy a pair of jeans online and spread the payments without having to pay interest. We all knew younger people, our sons included, were aware of the dangers of credit cards and did not want them. Instead, they were looking for a more responsible alternative. From this conversation, Laybuy was born.

“In the early days I was involved in all parts of the business but today, I am Laybuy’s Chief Brand Officer, responsible for all brand, global marketing and PR activity.

“Laybuy allows shoppers to buy now and spread their payments across six weeks without ever paying interest. Today we’ve grown Laybuy to be the market leader in New Zealand and one of the top three BNPL providers in the UK.”

What are your top quick wins for women to build, scale and supercharge their business?

“The best advice I can give is to keep it simple. Too often, we think that we need to come up with overly complicated business plans when you really just need to focus on doing the basics right.

“That means always focusing on your customer and making sure that you are putting them at the centre of everything you do. You need to continuously strive to better meet their needs and make their lives easier, because if you don’t, they’ll soon go somewhere else.

“It also means building a strong and collaborative team that shares your passion and vision of success. You can’t do everything, so don’t try to. Bring in people with the right skills who can help you achieve your goals. But remember the importance of team fit. You’ll achieve better results by building a team that has a positive and supportive culture, and that enjoys working together.

“Finally, and most importantly, don’t be vague. Remember why you started the business, what you want to achieve, and what success looks like. This needs to be your guiding light and understood and supported across the business.”

How have you implemented these tips?

“When it comes to implementation, you need to have the courage to back yourself. I have learnt over the years to always trust your gut, because it is almost always right. If something feels wrong, it probably is.

“You also need to have the courage to make decisions, even when they’re hard. But never be afraid to ask for more information to help you make them.

“And most importantly, remember that you need to be your own biggest cheerleader. While this might not come naturally to many women, if you don’t back yourself, why should anyone else?”

Headshot Katy C

Katy Cottam, founder of Luna Daily

What’s your story?

“I've spent most of my career working in the beauty and wellness industry, having spent years at L'Oreal and most recently as Global Head of Brand at Charlotte Tilbury, but I've had the idea for Luna Daily since I was a teenager. After getting thrush from a course of antibiotics, I wasn't able to use traditional shower gels or soaps to care for my intimate skin and I was really frustrated at having to use stigmatised, niche-use and frankly gross 'feminine hygiene' products which have been marketed to women for so long.

“After discovering via our pioneering research that I wasn't alone, with the help of expert gynaecologists, dermatologists and labs, I created Luna Daily – Head, vulva, knees and toes, it's natural balance for all skin, even your most intimate. We've launched three ranges to support women through all stages of Womanhood including motherhood and menopause, alongside our wider mission to normalise conversations and revolutionise education for women.”

What are your top quick wins for women to build, scale and supercharge their business?

Above everything else, brilliant people. Who are brilliant, who believe in your vision and who you genuinely like (as you'll be spending lots of time with them). As a CEO of a fast-paced, daily changing business I know need to have a great understanding of all areas of the business, but I've also been fortunate enough to have the support of the most brilliant minds to help.

“Be agile and scrappy where you can, but not when it comes to numbers and finances. Beyond a brilliant and unique brand, in the early stages of business cash (and cash flow) is so important, so ensure you're in all the detail on the numbers and have experienced people you can trust to manage them.

"Prioritisation. It sounds so simple but being super clear on what you're going to focus on, and what you're not."

How have you implemented these tips?

When setting up Luna Daily I made a list of the people I'd met through my career who really stood out as being epic in their business function and set out to get them involved. As a result, I'm surrounded by the most amazing team of advisors to Luna Daily, and now have a kick ass team to help execute and deliver our plans.

“Our CFO is ex-Gymshark and isn't afraid to challenge my thinking. Don’t be scared to pivot or change a plan – you'll do it regularly.

“When it comes to prioritisation, for example, we've got some huge retail launches coming up next year so every week we obsess over delivering this over everything else. It requires regular (sometimes daily) prioritisation and the confidence to say no, but it's essential!"

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