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Less than 20% of each progressive UK companies are led by women, and the gait of caller concern registrations is slowing down.
That's according to investigation of Companies House information by Prowess, which besides recovered women-led companies person conscionable 5.8% of each investment.
In our Women successful Business series, we talk to women who are bossing it successful their respective fields arsenic they archer america however they've flooded challenges and however others could bash the same.
Today Money unrecorded newsman Jess Sharp speaks to Lemon Fuller, a erstwhile dancer, choreographer, vocalist and the laminitis of Lemonade Dolls.
Lemon's concern grew from an Instagram leafage she created portion heading backmost to London aft surviving successful LA for 3 years.
Having spent a decennary successful the amusement manufacture being criticised, her purpose was to physique a assemblage that uplifted women.
"I was being told whether I was bully enough, beauteous enough, bladed enough, abdominous capable - you sanction it. I deliberation that was truly the heartbeat of gathering a marque that was truthful inclusive," she says.
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She had spent a batch of her beingness moving connected shows specified arsenic Strictly Come Dancing and Comic Relief, and with planetary euphony stars.
She toured astir the UK arsenic a enactment enactment for Little Mix earlier being signed by a grounds institution successful LA.
"I person nary regrets astatine all, it was perfectly astonishing and I worked very, precise hard to get wherever I got. I worked my bum disconnected each azygous hr of each azygous day, but aft 10 years I needed to change."
'The Nike of lingerie'
After her Instagram leafage gained thousands of followers, she decided to displacement the relationship into the lingerie concern that we present cognize arsenic Lemonade Dolls.
Starting disconnected with nary wealth and nary team, she has gone connected to rise much than £3m successful concern and make a concern she tells Money is worthy £17m.
Her purpose present is to go the "Nike of lingerie".
"I privation it to beryllium wide marketplace done amended wherever everything is recycled, and it's sustainable. I privation it to beryllium arsenic accessible to arsenic galore women arsenic possible, and that's wherefore our terms constituent and wherever we banal is truthful important," she says.
"We privation to astatine slightest beryllium a starring disruptor successful the lingerie space, wherever each pistillate feels similar we person catered to them."
And Lemonade Dolls is already connected the close track.
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Its products are sold successful respective countries including the US, New Zealand, the UK and crossed Europe.
While its income travel predominately from online, it has entered respective stores, including John Lewis and Nordstrom.
"W're present due to the fact that our customers are truthful epic. We are inactive learning... but erstwhile you store Lemonade Dolls, you conscionable support coming back. Our returning lawsuit complaint is truthful high," she says.
"We don't truly usage personage endorsement - our customers are our ambassadors and we conscionable usage connection of mouth."
'You're lone arsenic bully arsenic the past brace of knickers you sold'
Despite her determination and passion, Lemon says she made "mistake aft mistake aft mistake" and thing successful the concern happened rapidly for a agelong time.
For the archetypal fewer years, she conscionable held the presumption of founder, but 3 years agone she took implicit arsenic main enforcement and pushed the concern to caller heights.
"I didn't person immoderate products, I didn't cognize factories, I didn't cognize wherever to get it done, I didn't cognize thing but I didn't person immoderate money, truthful I conscionable tried to find radical who had power that could assistance me," she says.
"When I became CEO, I was capable to truly tally the concern the mode I believed it should, taking tons of risks.
"But we're not getting excessively up of ourselves, you are lone arsenic bully arsenic the past brace of knickers you sold."
How to look a country afloat of antheral investors
One of the keys to her occurrence was learning however to look a country afloat of antheral investors and convincing them the underwear marketplace is large capable for Lemonade Dolls.
"The biggest happening that I learned to win successful that situation is to lucifer their knowing of numbers and to beryllium acceptable to inquire them questions," she says.
"Some radical person said I shouldn't person to bash that but I'm not aggravated astir it - astatine the extremity of the time it's made maine turn and cipher knows the numbers much than me. That's however I person been capable to get respect and investment.
"No 1 knows your concern amended than you, truthful marque definite you cognize however to articulate that."
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