Founder Focus: Melissa Snover of Nourished
In October 2019, Melissa Snover launched Nourished, a nutrition company that supplies its customers with personalised 3D supplement gummies. BALANCE sat down with the entrepreneur to find out what made her start the business and talk about the lessons she’s learnt along the way.
What was your eureka moment?
As a busy entrepreneur, I travel all over the world and used to constantly carry around different vitamins and supplements with me which was extremely inconvenient. On one such occasion, I accidentally dropped my bag of vitamins all over the floor in airport security and had to crawl round in my suit and heels trying to pick them up. I knew there must be an easier way to take nutrition! I sought out to find a way to simplify the way we take vitamins and make the combinations 100% customised to the consumer. Of all the things we personalise, our health and wellness should be top priority!
How did you test your idea?
Our small team has been developing the concept of Nourished for the last 2 years and we have an intense and ongoing research and development process. Our ingredients have been developed with a sugar free vegan encapsulation formula which allows us to combine multiple active ingredients into the same edible product without them interfering with each other. This method is completely unique in the vitamin industry and allows for true customisation and convenience.
We created our innovative 3D printing technology completely in-house in our facility in Birmingham, and now own several patents across the business. Our Nourished custom stacks are the result of over 100,000 lab hours, 18,000+ testing cycles and countless collaborations with universities, industry experts and their in-house nutritionists.
What advice would you give someone who wants to start a business on their own?
I founded my first business, a financial company, at the age of 23. Unfortunately, I wasn’t passionate about it and didn’t feel like I was making a real positive impact, so I sold the business a few years later. I would advise anyone looking to start their own business to make sure it is something they are truly passionate about that and they really see the value in it. Nourished came from my own desire to make my nutrition regime more convenient and enjoyable, and I now love eating my personalised Nourished stacks each day.
Do you have a mentor or are you one?
I believe mentorship programmes are hugely important for aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners. Social media has given entrepreneurship a certain glamorous limelight which can be very misleading when, in reality, you are working incredibly long hours and are under a huge amount of pressure.
Mentors offer realistic guidance and expertise, which can be invaluable for new business owners. I have been a mentor several times in the past and feel a sense of comradeship and gratitude from working with entrepreneurs and helping to make their vision a reality.
My business partner Bastian Fassin has been a valued mentor and friend to me for the last five years since we launched our previous 3D printing food business together and I am really grateful for his ongoing support.
What’s your plan B?
I think that if you go into any business thinking about ‘Plan B’ you’ll never be focused or enthusiastic enough to achieve your goal. With a good idea, the right team and lots of dedication and passion, you can achieve anything!
What is the most worthwhile investment that you have made?
I believe time is the best investment I have ever made in my career. I have spent a considerable amount of time learning every single concept I have implemented in my businesses in detail, and this has been essential for me to run and understand the business effectively. I learnt software coding, 3D printing techniques and ingredient formulations from scratch and that has been the best education of my life.
What one failure are you glad you experienced?
This wasn’t a failure but the biggest lesson I have learned is from my experience with my last business Magic Candy Factory; the world’s first 3D printer for confectionery with FDA and FSA approval to reach the consumer market. Despite its ongoing success, I realised Magic Candy Factory was not going to be the most impactful business and really make a difference in our customer’s life. The concept delighted, entertained and educated, but it didn’t offer a solution. I could have continued to focus on that business but instead I decided to turn the expertise and experience I gained from Magic Candy Factory to develop Nourished.
What is coming up for Nourished?
Since launching in October 2019 Nourished has experienced rapid growth and we have had some incredible feedback from our customers. We are planning an expansion into the US market, and our R&D teams are also busy developing new ranges for Nourished Pets and even a new protein product.
What book would you recommend that everyone reads and why?
I have read How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie about 15 times and it constantly reminds me how best to handle people and how to deal with certain situations in business in order to get the best outcome.
How do you find balance in your daily life?
I work extremely hard, but I love what I do and I wouldn’t swap my life with anyone. After over ten years of being an entrepreneur and heading start-ups I definitely deal with situations differently than when I first started out, which in turn has given me a resilience and set of priorities that have allowed me to have a more balanced life.
To learn more about Nourished, head over to the website, or follow the brand on Instagram.
