
“Everything I’ve done is about
creating spaces for women to find
community, to gain the knowledge
and network to thrive.”
Sharmadean Reid MBE is the founder and CEO of The Stack,
a platform created for a generation of mission driven women.
Á: Why did you create The Stack and The Stack World?
SR: When I reflect on the last 15 years, everything I’ve done is about creating spaces for women to find community, to gain the knowledge and network to thrive.
Á: You are known for empowering women through media and technology and began as a beauty entrepreneur. Can you tell us more about your experience navigating these industries?
SR: In terms of navigating these different industries, I make sure to remember why I started my business in the first place.
Starting a business because you want to become part of a particular industry is the wrong reason to start a business. You don’t start a property company because you want to be part of the property industry. I make sure to remind myself of my mission and why I’m doing this, because it’s very easy to get distracted. If I ever feel rejected or like an outsider in certain industries, I just remind myself that I didn’t start my business to become an insider anyway. So, it doesn’t really matter to me.
Á: What advice would you give 16-year-old Sharmadean?
SR: I would say study something at university that you would never get to study again – like Philosophy, for example. I wish I had done a degree in something like that. Or Art History maybe. I did a really functional Fashion Communication degree, which was really good and gave me really good skills, but that period of studying for three years is such a rare time in your life. You will probably never get to do that again, so pick something that you would truly like to explore.
Á: What advice would you give to Sharmadean who had just graduated?
SR: That period between graduating and getting into a serious relationship was the best year of my life. What you need to do in that pivotal period after graduating is focus on your own wellbeing and your career. Post-graduation is the time to find yourself.
Á: If you could change anything about your journey so far, what would it be?
SR: Firstly, I would have made a product much earlier to create passive income. With WAH, we didn’t make a nail polish until year five into the journey. Even if we had tested a polish in year one, we would have been able to use that revenue to essentially grow the business in other areas. The second thing is understanding digital marketing earlier. I grew my business when algorithms were not really in existence. So, I grew my audience through organic traffic. I didn’t make an effort to understand digital marketing because I had always done things very organically. I would release something and people would like it, but that’s just not the way things work now.
Á: What are your three top tips for those who are ready to turn their ideas into something tangible?
SR: I would say the first step is to create a directly owned digital presence like a newsletter. Just have something online where people can go. Then you can test different call-to-actions and different splash pages etc. The minute you have an idea, e.g. cleaning carpets, you can put plans in place and have an email address within 10 minutes. The second thing I would do to make it tangible, is produce a deck. Having a deck allows you to communicate your idea to customers, investors, employees or anyone you want to hire. Thirdly, I would always make sure you know what your business model is and what the product you are selling is. Really understand how you are going to make money out of your business. Fundamentally, that’s what a business model is – how you are going to make money. Once you have those things in place, you just need to take the next step. The next step really depends on your business.
Á: What should you do if you are struggling with people in your life not supporting your business idea?
SR: Ask yourself why you value their opinion so much. Why should their opinions matter? You should only care about your customers’ opinions. In this world there is always someone who is into something that someone else is putting out. Once you find that customer, you just need to figure out why your product is resonating with them and then do more of that. You can even contact them directly and ask them why they are interested in your product. Always double down on positive feedback until you reach scale. Then you can also think about the criticisms. Other opinions don’t really matter.
Á: What needs to change in media and tech for women?
SR: I’m always thinking about how we can upskill the next generation of women who are going to be leading in media and tech. We can say that we want more diversity, but if women are coming in at entry level and not progressing to the top, then nothing much is changing. The entry point can be relatively easy, it’s the career growth that is difficult. There needs to be more focus on how we can give women the skills that they need to become the next editors-in-chief of mainstream magazines or newspapers etc.
Á: How can people take steps to upskill themselves?
SR: Joining networks (like The Stack World) is really important. Join courses, keep learning and study the people who are where you want to be. Analyse their journey and see what is relevant and right for you. For example, if you know someone who has a job that you are aspiring to have and you found that they got an MBA, you can look into getting an MBA yourself. If someone did a course at a particular school, you can see if that is the right choice for you. That is what I would do in terms of acquiring skills. I do a lot of courses, I love them. It’s important to keep learning, always.
You can keep up with Sharmadean here and here.
You can become a member of The Stack World here and download the app here.
“Everything I’ve done
is about creating spaces
for women to find
community, to gain the
knowledge and network
to thrive.”
Sharmadean Reid MBE is the founder and CEO of The Stack,
a platform created for a generation of mission driven women.
Á: Why did you create The Stack and The Stack World?
SR: When I reflect on the last 15 years, everything I’ve done is about creating spaces for women to find community, to gain the knowledge and network to thrive.
Á: You are known for empowering women through media and technology and began as a beauty entrepreneur. Can you tell us more about your experience navigating these industries?
SR: In terms of navigating these different industries, I make sure to remember why I started my business in the first place.
Starting a business because you want to become part of a particular industry is the wrong reason to start a business. You don’t start a property company because you want to be part of the property industry. I make sure to remind myself of my mission and why I’m doing this, because it’s very easy to get distracted. If I ever feel rejected or like an outsider in certain industries, I just remind myself that I didn’t start my business to become an insider anyway. So, it doesn’t really matter to me.
Á: What advice would you give 16-year-old Sharmadean?
SR: I would say study something at university that you would never get to study again – like Philosophy, for example. I wish I had done a degree in something like that. Or Art History maybe. I did a really functional Fashion Communication degree, which was really good and gave me really good skills, but that period of studying for three years is such a rare time in your life. You will probably never get to do that again, so pick something that you would truly like to explore.
Á: What advice would you give to Sharmadean who had just graduated?
SR: That period between graduating and getting into a serious relationship was the best year of my life. What you need to do in that pivotal period after graduating is focus on your own wellbeing and your career. Post-graduation is the time to find yourself.
Á: If you could change anything about your journey so far, what would it be?
SR: Firstly, I would have made a product much earlier to create passive income. With WAH, we didn’t make a nail polish until year five into the journey. Even if we had tested a polish in year one, we would have been able to use that revenue to essentially grow the business in other areas. The second thing is understanding digital marketing earlier. I grew my business when algorithms were not really in existence. So, I grew my audience through organic traffic. I didn’t make an effort to understand digital marketing because I had always done things very organically. I would release something and people would like it, but that’s just not the way things work now.
Á: What are your three top tips for those who are ready to turn their ideas into something tangible?
SR: I would say the first step is to create a directly owned digital presence like a newsletter. Just have something online where people can go. Then you can test different call-to-actions and different splash pages etc. The minute you have an idea, e.g. cleaning carpets, you can put plans in place and have an email address within 10 minutes. The second thing I would do to make it tangible, is produce a deck. Having a deck allows you to communicate your idea to customers, investors, employees or anyone you want to hire. Thirdly, I would always make sure you know what your business model is and what the product you are selling is. Really understand how you are going to make money out of your business. Fundamentally, that’s what a business model is – how you are going to make money. Once you have those things in place, you just need to take the next step. The next step really depends on your business.
Á: What should you do if you are struggling with people in your life not supporting your business idea?
SR: Ask yourself why you value their opinion so much. Why should their opinions matter? You should only care about your customers’ opinions. In this world there is always someone who is into something that someone else is putting out. Once you find that customer, you just need to figure out why your product is resonating with them and then do more of that. You can even contact them directly and ask them why they are interested in your product. Always double down on positive feedback until you reach scale. Then you can also think about the criticisms. Other opinions don’t really matter.
Á: What needs to change in media and tech for women?
SR: I’m always thinking about how we can upskill the next generation of women who are going to be leading in media and tech. We can say that we want more diversity, but if women are coming in at entry level and not progressing to the top, then nothing much is changing. The entry point can be relatively easy, it’s the career growth that is difficult. There needs to be more focus on how we can give women the skills that they need to become the next editors-in-chief of mainstream magazines or newspapers etc.
Á: How can people take steps to upskill themselves?
SR: Joining networks (like The Stack World) is really important. Join courses, keep learning and study the people who are where you want to be. Analyse their journey and see what is relevant and right for you. For example, if you know someone who has a job that you are aspiring to have and you found that they got an MBA, you can look into getting an MBA yourself. If someone did a course at a particular school, you can see if that is the right choice for you. That is what I would do in terms of acquiring skills. I do a lot of courses, I love them. It’s important to keep learning, always.