Celebrating a milestone of £1 million in sales within its inaugural year, Ama Amo-Agyei’s natural hair products business was on a high. She had just signed a five-year lease on a 6,000 sq ft warehouse when a problematic ‘cease and desist’ letter shattered her jubilation.

It appeared that another company owned the ‘Planted’ trademark, the name of her line of natural skincare products designed to address hair thinning and loss with ingredients like rosemary and lavender oil.

Consulting with lawyers revealed that rebranding was the only viable solution. Consequently, trading was halted for three months in August 2021 to transition to the new name, Plantmade—a move that led to “hundreds of thousands of pounds” in lost sales and an additional £25,000 in legal fees, according to Amo-Agyei.

Since then, Amo-Agyei, 27, has revitalized the business with her 18-member team, which includes her fiancé Travis Hill as Chief Operations Officer and her older brother Fred as Chief Financial Officer. Plantmade’s 12-product lineup saw nearly double the sales to £5.3 million by February, aided by the booming success of its flagship product, ‘Inches’ hair and beard oil, and turned a modest pre-tax profit.

Amo-Agyei credited her work ethic to her parents, who immigrated from Ghana to Bracknell, Berkshire in the 1990s. Their degrees in teaching didn’t hold the same value in the UK, making them juggle multiple part-time jobs while pursuing British qualifications. This often left Amo-Agyei without much parental presence growing up.

“During primary school, they were so busy that I was seldom picked up by them,” she recalled. “I would wait for my brother-in-law or uncle, and there was a period where I’d stay with family friends until nine o’clock at night.”

Her parents’ extensive community involvement also influenced Amo-Agyei. Hoping to help others, she studied psychology at Coventry University. Nevertheless, with her parents unable to support her financially, she worked long hours in hospitality at the Ricoh Arena to make ends meet. “My student loan covered only my accommodation,” she explained, “so I had to work from the first year, sometimes even skipping university to afford living expenses.”

Juggling work and study took a toll on her mental health by her final year. A book gifted to her by Fred, Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, introduced her to entrepreneurship, a newfound passion. “There were no examples of it around me,” she said. “Reading this book opened my eyes to the possibility of being a business owner.”

Without dropping out of university, she networked with student entrepreneurs, helping sell T-shirts and manage social media. “I just wanted to see if I had any talent for this,” Amo-Agyei stated.

Graduating in 2018, she became a social media and marketing consultant for small businesses while exploring her entrepreneurial ideas. The inconsistent pay made freelance life stressful, prompting her to take up a recruitment job in Reading.

The challenging role, compounded by a discouraging boss, led to panic attacks and medical leave. She eventually got fired, a dismissal she viewed as “a relief.”

Two weeks later, the COVID-19 lockdown came into effect and serendipitously gave birth to Plantmade. Her hair, which had fallen out due to job stress, had shown improvement thanks to her homemade natural remedies. “I was documenting it on Instagram, and people started asking for my concoctions,” she said.

Responding to her followers, Amo-Agyei created 50 bottles priced at £9.99 each, selling out quickly. Increasing the price to £15.99 for subsequent batches, she realized pricing was one of the toughest challenges. The current price for the same bottle is £35.

Spurred by the initial success and a wellness trend during the pandemic, she launched Plantmade in June 2020. She reinvested the £1,000 profit from initial sales into ingredients, packaging, and branding. Although the business soared initially, the legal warning in June 2021 halted momentum. Amo-Agyei recounted being in a meeting when her mother handed her the extensive legal envelope. “I just couldn’t comprehend it at first,” she admitted.

After a three-month hiatus for rebranding, Plantmade managed to bounce back. However, the last 12 months have been the toughest yet due to slowing online consumer spending. To adapt, Amo-Agyei has explored pop-up shops and is now considering retail partnerships. “It’s about finding partners that align with our purpose and price-point,” she explained, noting that Plantmade’s premium pricing may not fit larger grocers.

Looking forward, Amo-Agyei is contemplating external investment to bolster the business, which has been self-funded from the start. She aims to invest in her senior team and bring in new product development expertise, a role she has handled herself. How does a psychology graduate formulate hair products? “I’m just a nerd,” she laughed.

“I read scientific papers daily, and there are many formulations online. I’ve fine-tuned them through trial and error—some took months to perfect, while others were ‘one and done’ successful.”

High Five

My heroes are Ben Francis [co-founder of Gymshark] and George Heaton from Represent. I love founders who document their business growth; I find endless inspiration and learning from them. Ben is particularly influential in UK entrepreneurship.

My best decision was involving my brother and fiancé in the business. Despite the common advice against working with family, it has been incredibly rewarding, offering mutual support through highs and lows.

My worst decision was not being vigilant about trademark law from the beginning. Ignoring this led to significant momentum loss during the rebranding phase.

The funniest moment was being summoned for jury duty right during our rebranding process. The timing was terrible, and though I attempted to get excused, I had to attend. It was during these court sessions that the name Plantmade was conceived.

The best business tip would be balancing your hiring pace. Hiring too many too quickly burns cash, while being too slow wears you out. Finding the right pace is crucial.