Celia Pool is the co-founder of DAME, a sustainable personal care brand making period products for the planet. DAME launched D - the award winning, world’s first reusable tampon applicator, that aims to tackle the vast amount of plastic waste created by the feminine care industry. Celia initially set up her own menstrual product subscription service selling disposal products, before spotting an opportunity to create her own sustainable product line. To date, D has sold in over 60 countries, won a revered Dezeen Design Award and secured nationwide listings in Waitrose, Boots and Sainsbury’s.

Leadership Values

Mutual Respect
Honesty
Integrity

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What are the key milestones on your path to leadership?

As a startup founder, I didn’t take the normal path. I got here in a convoluted way. I came to being an entrepreneur after my first child, which is often when women decelerate their careers.

I’m not your traditional founder - I worry about things, have high expectations of myself yet a huge fear of failure. This mindset kept me in my comfort zone in my 20s. I did nothing that would push me too far.

I worked in operations for Sothebys and after I had my first child I wanted a new challenge but wasn’t sure what it would be. I never considered starting up my own business. My husband is an entrepreneur and I watched him have tough times so it was never something I viewed as the easy option. 

I knew I wanted my next challenge to be focused on women but I didn’t know exactly what. Then over a drunken conversation with a friend of my sister-in-law, we started discussing how I forgot my tampons earlier that day after doing a massive grocery shop and had to run out, in the rain with a screaming baby strapped to my chest. The idea to start a subscription company sending menstrual products in the post sprung from there. The thing that really attracted me though was the subject matter and how the industry traditionally spoke to women in such a subtly negative way with words like “discreet”. I knew we could do better. 

We built our own site, and started selling popular brands of menstrual products. At that stage we weren’t making our own products. I thought it didn’t matter if it works out or not, at least I’m trying. However after a few years, and thousands of customers, we soon stopped believing in what we were selling. Through our journey we had discovered that the majority of the popular brands of tampons and pads were full of plastic, synthetics, horrible branding and hideous messaging. We thought, “this is not what we believe in.” We wanted to make it more sustainable.

However we could see that people weren’t buying the sustainable options already out there because they were saying it was too scary to move from a tampon to a cup. This was our eureka moment. It was when we decided to redesign the tampon, a product women have been using for decades, and make it more sustainable. It was then that we pivoted the company and went on a whole new journey of design and manufacturing, something neither of us had done before. 

After 18 months of research and development, we launched our prototype on Kickstarter, the crowdfunding website, so we could see if our world's first reusable tampon applicator was something that the public wanted. We were incredibly lucky that Blue Planet 2 had just launched 2 months before our campaign and suddenly the world’s press had a spotlight shone on stories about plastic pollution. As a result of incredible press attention, by day 3 of our campaign we were trending on Twitter, and we ended up over funding by 500% and selling in over 50 countries around the world. 

The most exciting part was where originally we had planned for the applicator to just be available on our direct to consumer site, and eventually knocking on the door of the big retailers, suddenly we had every major retailer knocking on our door wanting to stock our product. A product that didn’t really exist at this point as we only had a prototype. We launched in Waitrose and Boots last year and this year we’re going into 6 new retailers.

Do I feel like a leader? No. Everything is so busy that I rarely have time to sit back and take stock. Also I definitely have that imposter syndrome, which I believe comes from social conditioning. I know many guys who, if they were in the same position, would react differently.

What are the key challenges you have faced as a leader?

Being a female founder of a female product is a challenge in its own right. The world of investors is male, pale, stale and definitely do not want to talk about tampons. They see tampons as a niche. How is it niche if half the population gets their period?!

Dealing with what is happening in the world right now with COVID-19 is a huge challenge. Like everyone else, we are feeling the huge impact it is having and we are trying to look after our team as best we can. However we’re a small business having to fight our way through. Having such uncertainty around pretty much every aspect of what you do is tough, and not knowing when that uncertainty will end is unnerving. However, we took an early decision to plan for the worst and have taken the appropriate measures to see that we will survive. We are fortunate that we have a recession proof product. People will always get their periods, and with consumers seeing the limitations of supply chains there has never been a better time for reusable products.

Describe your leadership style / what are your core values as a leader?

We are a B-Corp business which means we believe in business as a force for good. We have voluntarily met higher standards of social and environmental transparency, accountability, and performance. This value system runs through our veins and the way we treat people who work with us is really important. I don't think I really have a set style of leadership. I’ve got 3 kids, and I guess the way I treat them is the same as how I am with the people I work with. I will be the first to put my hand up and say this doesn’t sound very fun for our team! I want to help them, guide them, give them space to be independent and if they mess up, help them figure out how to fix it.  

There are some unhelpful myths about leaders. When you think of a leader you think about that person having some sort of super hero quality. They are the person at the top of the mountain holding the flag having led the troop up safely and to success. You often forget that those people are human and fallible too. 

I’ve found that especially amongst many women, we have this knee-jerk reaction to constantly pull ourselves down. It is a very British thing. But we need to be flipping that construct and reinforcing that no one is perfect, everyone started out at the bottom and that learning from failure leads to success.

What advice do you have for women who are trying to establish themselves as leaders?

I can't specifically speak about becoming a leader, as that is never what I set out to do. However, I can offer advice on setting up a new business. Number one is that it is terrifying.   But once you have taken that first difficult step, then momentum kicks in and that side of things becomes easier. One of the most important things you need to work out is whether your business has a genuine solution to a genuine problem. So many people start with a solution first and then fabricate a problem that is not really a problem. I know, I’ve been there. Finding out you have a real pain point out there with a real, sizeable audience is critical. 

I am a big advocate of surrounding yourself with people to talk to. Don’t sit on ideas for fear of people stealing it, or any other of the million reasons. The more you talk the better. People talk about mentors; I have found that they come in lots of shapes, sizes and disguises. I noticed that I had many different types of mentors and some of my friends became my little guiding lights. The important point about speaking to people is that 10 times out of 10, someone has had that experience, or something similar, before. Learn from them, but whilst getting advice is critical, it’s so important to have your own internal navigation as well. When we were deciding to pivot the business, which was an incredibly scary decision, I asked a mentor if he thought it was the right decision. When he turned around and said no, I felt my insides collapsing. However, when I reflected on it later that day, I realised that I had to see the pivot through. I knew I would be cross with myself if I didn’t at least try. Following my gut was the best thing I did.

How would you advise organisations who want to foster diversity and gender equity in leadership?

With regards to gender equity and diversity, those people need to be meaningfully involved at all levels. Make them part of the decision making process, especially in the areas which relate to them, for example with maternity policy and flexible working. By giving them a seat at the table when policy making is happening, you are giving them responsibility and accountability. Let them rise to the challenge. It will be fascinating to see the gearshift after this enforced period of working from home. We will have all learned to adapt to new conditions and let’s hope that flexible working becomes easier to navigate. There is no doubt that people are more productive when they are happier and feel more engaged in life, both in and outside of work.

What advice would you give businesses navigating times of uncertainty?

With what is currently happening around the world with COVID-19, there are so many businesses feeling the impact. The fact that at this precise point whilst speaking to you we don't know when we will be out of lockdown is incredibly tough. For DAME, we felt it was important to take early decisive action and plan for the worst. Making the deep cuts quickly forces you to address what is absolutely critical, and a reduction in expenditure is key. We are fortunate that tampons are a necessity product and people will continue to get their periods every month, despite being shut indoors. Plus the benefits of reusable products are all too apparent at this time of limited access to shops. This is not the case for every business but that shouldn't be a negative. Opportunities spring out of uncertain times; you only have to look at the creation of the female workforce after WW1 as an example. Hopefully the positive that can come out of all this sadness is that great new businesses are on the horizon.

How did having a baby impact your work and your balance overall?

My youngest is 6 months old - and coming back after 3 months was tough, but I didn’t have a choice as it’s my business and I needed to come back. This is a reality that many mothers face and where there is lack of flexibility or reduced salary, the result is a large portion of them not returning at all.

I have found that one of the most important things to realise is that a child and their needs are  ever-changing. Whatever the decision, it does not have to be forever and life is a constantly moving picture. For me, I have seen first hand how sharp a woman’s confidence declines whilst on maternity leave. Working out a way to somehow keep something for myself was vital.

As for balance, I don’t think that will ever happen. It swings in both directions and I am trying to become more comfortable with that.

What’s your favourite quote or mantra?

"This too shall pass". Good for good days, good for bad days!