Kindness fuels Ovensehi’s business growth
Rose Ovensehi turned her haircare brand, Flora & Curl, from a side project into a company that ships to over 80 countries. Its products now sit on shelves at Boots and Superdrug.
From blog comments to a global brand
Ovensehi began selling homemade hair products on Etsy while maintaining a blog. When viewers of her YouTube channel started asking for restocks in the comments, she recognized potential. “I thought, ‘Maybe there’s something here,’” she recalled.
In 2016, the geography graduate left her transport planning job to study cosmetics formulation. She launched Flora & Curl in April 2017 with £6,000 in savings, juggling the business with part-time work until 2018, when she committed fully.
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The brand’s success, she believes, comes partly from her personal experience. After switching to her natural hair texture in 2011, Ovensehi noticed the market was crowded with overly complex products. Flora & Curl aimed to streamline routines, a purpose that connected with customers.
Kindness as a business strategy
Ovensehi doesn’t view kindness as a corporate trend. She calls it the core of her company’s customer service and hiring. “Kindness makes the world a better place and I want my team members to always exude that, to be approachable,” she said.
Job applicants at Flora & Curl are assessed on more than just skills. Ovensehi prioritizes those who are “genuinely friendly,” not just surface-level polite. The aim is for customers to leave interactions thinking the staff are among the kindest they’ve encountered.
The strategy includes how the company interacts with its audience. A blog on the Flora & Curl site shares haircare advice without pushing sales. Social media polls influence new products and content. On Trustpilot, the brand holds a 4.2 rating, placing it between “great” and “excellent.”
Remote work, but not remote connections
The pandemic pushed Flora & Curl online like many businesses. While others later reverted to office work, Ovensehi kept the remote model.
The 15-person team stays connected through virtual games and occasional in-person gatherings. Employees in the same region receive budgets to meet locally. Ovensehi says the company promotes bonding among its team through these activities.
In 2020, three years after Flora & Curl’s launch, Ovensehi was named as part of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Europe cohort. The list was published on 17th March, just days before the UK’s first lockdown began.
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