Abbie launched the business in 2016 with her co-founder and sister Maizie, with Abbie managing design and Mazie heading up the brand. The sisters grew up in a family lingerie manufacturing business with their mum as a successful entrepreneur which was understandably inspiring. However, with the family’s successes came some pressure for Beija to be profitable and get to a good place - fast. Beija is now an independent company with over 30,000 customers and an incredible rate of repeat purchases - a metric described as “the soul of e-commerce”.

In 2021, Beija launched its crowdfunding campaign after considering different ways of raising investment. While crowdfunding definitely felt scary, Abbie was confident that their loyal customers were behind them. They launched the crowdfund during the pandemic with less than half the funds already secured which is certainly a risky move, but thankfully it paid off when over 300 investors invested a total of £480,000.

In this episode you’ll discover:

• How your valuation can impact the success of your crowdfund
• How to communicate your unique edge to investors
• The value a lead investor can bring beyond just money