Naetive Studio, a business founded by Mollie Warrington that specializes in handmade mugs, has taken off amid the pandemic. Warrington, who started planning the business while pregnant, used her maternity leave to launch Naetive Studio in 2022. While the company began with small drops of 15 mugs a week that quickly sold out, today it comprises a team of 12 individuals who create 400 custom orders a week and stock shops like Anthropologie.
Mum-guilt is Warrington’s biggest challenge, though experts point to other challenges faced by female entrepreneurs, like pressure to “have it all” and juggle motherhood with the demands of starting and growing a business. These challenges can form substantial barriers for women, including a lack of funding available to female-led businesses.
Fortunately, Business Wales has taken steps to foster equality and help female-led businesses overcome these challenges. The organization has supported nearly 4,000 start-ups led by female entrepreneurs since 2016, which represents 55% of all businesses it has supported. Additionally, Business Wales has helped nearly 6,500 existing female-led businesses with their growth and development plans over the same period, which represents about 46.8% of all businesses it has supported.
Lauren Josie Thomas, an academic from the University of South Wales who has spent the last year studying women and leadership in Wales, called attention to the additional pressures placed on female entrepreneurs. She noted that entrepreneurship can present similar challenges to being a mother, requiring individuals to be present in a business and make good decisions even when it requires 100% of their attention.
Despite these challenges, Warrington’s business has soared since its launch. After producing mugs for influencers in the hope of their sharing them, Naetive Studio earned a boost after former Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague endorsed the business, resulting in around 40,000 people visiting the website within a day. With that kind of demand, Warrington quickly realized the need to expand her manufacturing capabilities. Today, Naetive Studio operates two production units to accommodate its exponential growth
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