Topics: Motherhood and business, how to start a business with no money, Business funding, How to thrive as a mom and entrepreneur
Motherhood and business:
Here’s how Amy Langfield is creating impact for families…
How far would you go to create something that doesn’t exist?
If you’ve ever felt stuck between wanting to create change and not knowing how to fund it, this conversation will remind you: the resources, people, and opportunities often come after you begin.
Meet Amy Langfield—Co-founder of Grow with Iris, a sustainable toddler nutrition brand—who turned the pain of her daughter’s allergies into a mission to change food and formula for families everywhere.
You’ll hear how Amy’s journey from idea (2018) to launch (2024) was fueled by her daughter’s allergies, navigating regulations, co-founder dynamics, and learning how to build as an entrepreneur in an industry she once knew nothing about.
In this episode:
- Funding Doors You Didn’t Know Existed: How Amy accessed UK business funding and support networks to build what seemed financially impossible.
- Co-Founders & Community: The inside story of building alongside a partner and finding strength in support when entrepreneurship feels lonely.
- Pivoting Under Pressure: The unexpected route that unlocked a whole new customer base.
You don’t need millions in the bank or connections to launch something bold—you just need persistence and a belief that someone out there needs what you’re creating.
TIMESTAMPS
02:56 Navigating Entrepreneurial Challenges
05:59 Motherhood & Business…how it started
08:58 The Importance of Community and Support
12:03 Business Funding for Startups
14:48 Learning the balance to thrive as a mom and entrepreneur
17:48 What’s in the Future for Grow with Iris?
LISTEN TO NEXT: “I left Michelin Kitchens to Find My Path”
RESOURCES
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MORE ABOUT THIS FEMALE FOUNDER PODCAST EPISODE
“ I said to myself, surely I cannot be the only person living this at the moment. I’m going to do something about it.” – Amy Langfield, co-founder of Grow with Iris
Connect with Amy Langfield
Website: https://www.growwithiris.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grow_with_iris/
- How to start a business with no money
- Business funding strategies that actually work for small startups
- Pivoting your business without losing your vision.
- Motherhood & Business: How to thrive as a mom and entrepreneur…finding the balance
You’re definitely not the only one asking: how do I start a business with no money? And more importantly, how do I thrive as a mom and entrepreneur when everything around you feels like it’s pulling in a hundred directions?
This week’s conversation with Amy Langfield hits all those notes. She’s been exactly where you are—juggling funding challenges, motherhood, and a mission to build a sustainable, impactful business from the ground up.
You CAN start small
When you’re dreaming of launching your own thing but your bank account says otherwise, it’s tempting to wait until “the right time.” But the truth? Waiting can cost more than you think.
Amy’s story reminds us that how to start a business with no money is less about the money and more about your mindset and your why. She didn’t wait for the perfect funding or the perfect moment—she leaned into the problem she was living herself and made a start.
“I said to myself, like, I surely, surely cannot be the only person living this at the moment. I’m going to do something about it.”
That simple, stubborn decision to act first—even when the resources weren’t there—sparked everything.
Many businesses begin with frustration—a gap in the market, a lack of choice, a missing product. But when the gap affects your child, it hits differently.
That’s how one mother found herself searching every shelf, every website, every option, only to come up empty. No formula fit the bill. No brand could meet the needs. And in that absence, a new idea began to form.
What makes this story remarkable isn’t just the innovation that followed. It’s the way it began: during school holidays, after long workdays, with no clear plan for where it would lead. Motherhood and business came together in a kitchen, in late-night research, in conversations with food scientists who believed something better could exist.
That’s how many ideas start—not with certainty, but with necessity.
Business Funding: It’s About Persistence
Finding funding can feel like running a marathon with no finish line in sight. It’s frustrating, exhausting, and often discouraging. But Amy’s experience teaches a crucial lesson: don’t take “no” as the final answer.
She and her co-founder applied for Innovate UK funding. They didn’t get it the first time—so they applied again. And this time, they landed a £100K grant that changed everything.
“That 100K allowed us to explore packaging, materials, ingredients from a sustainability point of view, do life cycle analysis and also then do a pilot, which was amazing.”
That money wasn’t just cash flow—it was fuel. It allowed Amy to turn a vision into a real product, to experiment, and to build credibility.
The lesson? Whether you’re looking for grants, competitions, or creative partnerships, keep knocking on doors. The right business funding might be just one “try again” away.
How to Thrive as a Mom and Entrepreneur: Finding Balance
If you’ve ever tried to build something while raising a family, you know the truth: there is no perfect balance. Some days one role wins; other days the other. And most days, both demand more than you think you have.
The founder in this story returned to full-time teaching just months after giving birth. She was juggling lesson plans, breastfeeding restrictions, and the unrelenting logistics of keeping her baby healthy. Yet in those cracks of time, she pushed the idea forward—meeting developers, testing recipes, finding partners.
Her story doesn’t romanticize the juggle. It shows you what it looks like when the pace slows, when pivots are forced, and when progress feels invisible. But it also proves that how to thrive as a mom and entrepreneur isn’t about having endless energy. It’s about being willing to keep going in imperfect seasons.
Sometimes survival itself is the strategy.
Business Funding Without Millions in the Bank
Money stops a lot of dreams before they begin. We’re told we need investors, deep pockets, or financial safety nets to even try. But what if that isn’t true?
This story reveals another path. The company didn’t begin with angel investors or flashy VC backing. Instead, they discovered UK grants and innovation awards designed to support bold, unproven ideas. Those grants didn’t just provide money; they opened doors to networks, coaching, and mentors who knew what steps to take next.
That’s what most people don’t realize about business funding: it often comes after you’ve started, not before. You don’t need the perfect pitch deck or the perfect prototype. You need persistence—the willingness to apply, reapply, and keep looking for options until one says yes.
For anyone wondering how to start a business with no money, this story is proof that the system isn’t only reserved for insiders. Sometimes it takes the messy application, the grant you almost miss, or the “no” that leads to a different “yes.”
Pivoting your business
Every founder dreams of their “hero product”—the thing they know will change the market. But what happens when regulations, costs, or timing make that impossible?
In this case, the original goal was a formula for infants. Regulations created roadblocks so complex it would take years to navigate. Instead of waiting indefinitely, the founder pivoted to a toddler drink.
On the surface, that might seem like second best. But it turned out to be a door into a larger market: parents who still needed allergy-friendly options as they weaned their kids, families searching for better plant-based choices, and communities who cared about sustainability.
Sometimes pivots feel like compromise. In reality, they often expand impact.
Cofounders….
No one creates something this big by themselves. This story also shines a light on the role of co-founders, partners, and community.
One longtime friend became a co-founder, bringing design expertise and creative direction to the brand. Together, they tag-teamed seasons of maternity leave, day jobs, and sleepless nights. What started as one mother’s fight for her child became a shared mission—especially when her co-founder’s child developed similar allergies.
Beyond their partnership, community shaped the company’s growth. Allergy parents. Plant-based families. Sustainability advocates. Each group found something in the brand that mattered to them, and that collective energy turned a small startup into a movement.
The lesson? You may start alone, but impact grows when others see themselves in your mission.
The Female Founder Journey
If you’re wondering how to start a business with no money, what’s really holding you back might be more mindset than money. If you’re trying to figure out how to thrive as a mom and entrepreneur, remember: you don’t have to do it perfectly or alone.
- Start with the problem you can’t stop thinking about.
- Hunt down every possible source of business funding—and keep trying.
- Build your village: tag-team, delegate, ask for help.
- Hold space for positivity, but be honest about the hard days.
You don’t need a perfect plan or a fat bank account to build something meaningful. You just need to start—and keep going.
FULL TRANSCRIPT WITH AMY LANGFIELD AT GROW WITH IRIS BELOW:
Chardét Ryel (00:00)
When you create something with a specific need in mind and it’s able to have a huge impact on sustainability, on people’s lives, and it just keeps growing. And that is the story today. I’m speaking with Amy Langfield, who is a co-founder of Grow with Iris. It is this incredible brand that is plant-based, milk alternative, fortified with nutrients.
for toddlers. Now, I loved this story because I’m not a mom, but I can definitely see the need here of helping your kids that have allergies and really not having a lot of alternatives when it comes to if they suffer from anything. And she has this incredible story of her daughter Iris and how she has created something over six and seven years, testing it, really like going at it with her co-founder to create this.
product and we are going to talk all about that journey. We’re going to talk about finding funding when you want to start something big and you might not have the resources for it. We’re going to talk about mistakes and learning and most of all having impact. I’ll see you inside. Welcome to her first three years from breakdowns to blunders, learn what worked and what didn’t. I’m your host, Sade and whether you’re a new entrepreneur or you’re just starting something new.
This is your space to learn and feel little less alone. I’ll see you inside.
Amy Langfield (01:27)
So my mission and what I’m really passionate about is making allergy awareness a thing and making the world more inclusive for not just children but for adults as well. It’s not just my mission with Grow with the Iris, it’s my mission as an allergy mum as well. It’s become so important in my life.
Chardét Ryel (01:49)
I love the concepts, but then when I also started reading about why you created it because of your daughter and because of her allergies and because of what she needed in the nutrients, et cetera, I thought that was such a powerful why. I can see why you spent years developing it. It makes sense to me.
Amy Langfield (02:08)
I know we might seem slightly mad to take on this kind of industry, but it’s so needed and no one understands more than an allergy parent, the struggles, the daily struggles and everybody knows someone who has an allergy. Everybody knows someone who’s got a baby who’s struggling.
Chardét Ryel (02:27)
Can
you share a little bit about, so I will definitely ask you the deeper story, but just at the top level, what is the concepts behind the business you created, the brand?
Amy Langfield (02:38)
So the concept is to bring more choice to more families when it comes to nutrition.
Chardét Ryel (02:45)
I’m sure there’s a lot of moms that are struggling with this, lot of parents struggling with this and have been struggling with it. What was it that made you decide though, I’m actually going to do something about it. I’m going to create this.
Amy Langfield (02:57)
Yeah, so I was going back to work quite early actually when Iris was five months old. She’d just been diagnosed, I think, about three and a half, four months. So already that was a lot. And I was going back full time to a really intense, full on job, know, teaching kids all day long. And I was breastfeeding her because I’d had to cut lots of things out of my diet. So I wasn’t really eating anything because I had cut out dairy, eggs, soya, bananas, cherries, nuts, wheat.
oats, you name it, it wasn’t there. I could breastfeed at home, but pumping at school was just impossible. So my partner and I were kind of searching for alternative formulas. And I went to my GP and I just said, look, I don’t know what to do. Like I really just don’t know what to do. And we got offered the medicalized formula and I just looked at it and I thought, oh, it just, the first thing I saw was like glucose syrup or something or corn syrup. We searched the internet, we tried importing.
at such a massive cost as well, just could not find anything. I said to myself, I surely, surely I cannot be the only person living this at the moment. I’m to do something about it. So during holidays, school holidays, I’d be doing research, looking for product developers to support me, food scientists, got the paper-based recipe, sitting down with this food scientist, lovely Mel, with Iris as a tiny baby. She had her little girl running around.
And then her little girl kind of babysat Iris and we went from there and then we went into the labs and then we moved forward. But that’s where we kind of began. But it was in my spare time and you know, then I had another baby, you know, it’s all the things, you know. You think when you’re on maternity leave as well, like with Winston, I thought, oh yeah, I’ll be able to get loads done. Obviously not with two. But it’s a lot, been a long drawn out process and really expensive as well because, you know, it’s technical.
There’s a lot of testing involved. The original idea was 2018 and we launched last year, end of August, early September, so 2024. So that’s a long drawn out process.
Chardét Ryel (05:02)
visions of you, you know, you’re on the school break, which I put in quotations because I know as teachers, you’re still always working, trying to do this. And then you have a second kid coming. And I have so much respect for you because you kept going with the idea, even though it had to go a bit slower, not only because of you, having two kids and balancing that, but also because the whole industry you’re entering. When you do food stuff and drinks, beverages, it is a
Beast.
Amy Langfield (05:33)
It is a beast. is a beast. And there’s so much testing, there’s so much protocol, risk regulation. We’ve had regulatory dossiers. It goes on and on and then you have to do the pilot batches before you can even think about commercializing. And again, a pilot batch is so expensive and time and risk as well. if you think about it, I was an art teacher and knew nothing about
science, food science, always been really interested in nutrition from a personal point of view. But yes, big. It was a lot bigger than I ever expected. think if I knew now, if I knew then what I knew now, maybe I wouldn’t have, but maybe I would. I don’t know. I don’t know.
Chardét Ryel (06:16)
feel that way that if you actually knew every step involved in launching your business, you probably wouldn’t have started. It’s better to be naive and not know.
Amy Langfield (06:26)
Absolutely. And I was definitely that. Absolutely. And you know, to an extent now I am as well because you have to just kind of keep the positivity going. You have a whole load, you know, yes, we’ve launched the toddler drink. We still really want to launch the formula and that is a whole different level. Yeah, it’s a lot.
Chardét Ryel (06:47)
From what I’m hearing, it sounded like the original idea was actually for formula, but then you’ve launched with the toddler drink. What happened with that behind that pivot?
Amy Langfield (06:59)
Yeah, so we always wanted to kind of do the whole stages, know, the stages, stage one, stage two, stage three. However, infant formula, the only proteins registered for use for infant formula are cow’s milk protein, goat milk protein, soy protein. And then you have the amino acid formulas, which are the medicalized ones, which are just for special medical purposes. So
We have to try and find a protein that we can then take down the regulatory route to get registered for use in infant formula in the UK, in Europe. However, the toddler drink is classified as food and it was a big risk. We always knew the thing that people need and want and the massive gap in the demand is for the formula. I know that because people ask me probably at least five times a week, I get DMs, when’s the formula coming? When’s the formula? However, we have since realized
There’s lots of parents who, allergy parents, who’ve had to breastfeed because they haven’t had a choice, even if they didn’t want to breastfeed for that long because there wasn’t nothing for them. But returning to work 12 months, they’re starting to wean off the breast and need something that they can trust. At that point, that’s where we can kind of step in and support and be that place where we’re able to go, thank goodness there’s something that we can do to kind of help.
and ease, like going back to work, whether you’re going back at four months or a year, it’s so tough. It’s so tough. Yeah, so we’re hoping that we can kind of alleviate that stress a little bit by just taking something out of the equation.
Chardét Ryel (08:34)
example of how you go in with one idea, you have to kind of pivot from things outside your control, but then you actually think about a secondary need or market that maybe wasn’t the initial thing you thought about, which I can completely see, you know, when you’re a toddler, you’re still needing a lot of these nutrients. And yeah, I mean, I have two sisters who are breastfed for years and I see it’s not easy.
Amy Langfield (08:58)
It’s not easy. It does get easier as they get older because you’re not having to do it so frequently. It takes its toll.
Chardét Ryel (09:07)
I’ve seen and learned things that I did not know.
Amy Langfield (09:11)
I’m bad, I’m bad.
Chardét Ryel (09:13)
Let me back up because I do want to ask you this, and I know this is a fundamental part, the deeper story behind it, because we’ve talked about how it was born of a need of having a child who had allergies. What was the moment when you discovered that Iris did have allergies and that she did need different kinds of nutrients and care than, you know, other kids that maybe wouldn’t need to think about this?
Amy Langfield (09:36)
When she was teeny tiny and I was breastfeeding her, she had horrific atopic eczema, like her face, like her cheeks, her arms were just red raw, like open wounds almost. And then scratches, like constantly scratching. We’ve got all these pictures of her tiny with these little mittens on, like in a little swimming costume on the beach, but with little mittens. Weird, like Matt and I sometimes look back at the pictures of that particular holiday and her skin was really, really poorly at that time.
And loads of people kept looking at us and staring at us, but you don’t see it because you just love your baby and you think you just kind don’t even like almost see it. So I knew something was up and that’s when I went originally to the GP and said, look, I think something’s up. I know I’m going to go back to school and I need to find something. And she said, well, just give her any old formula, like see what happens. So I got a goat formula and.
It’s weird, they’re instinctive babies, even when they’re teeny tiny, just wouldn’t take it, wouldn’t take it. Had one little sip and her whole face, like her eyes, her lips, everything just kind of swelled up. And that’s when I was like, okay. So it’s really important that we get this on the market, that we get the regulation. And we’re a teeny tiny company. You know, there’s two of us who are full-time, Sophie and I, and then our CFO, and that’s it. And we have a team around us of people that we bring in, but
You know, it’s a big challenge. It’s a really, really big challenge.
Chardét Ryel (11:07)
It’s so amazing though if you think about how someone else, especially once you launch the formula, someone else is going to have that same experience and will be able to be recommended your product. It’s going to be such an amazing feeling both on their side and yours to know that you’ve created that kind of impact that takes away this huge, because I’m sure as a mom, as a parent, you’re already stressed, you’re already like…
Already worrying about everything to have something else like this added on and to know that you can just find an easy solution is invaluable.
Amy Langfield (11:42)
Yeah, empowering for that parent because you do, you don’t feel listened to. It’s really difficult. It’s a tricky one.
Chardét Ryel (11:48)
So impactful and you know that you waited a long time to be able to bring it to market. What were some of the most surprising things to you that you learned or you misunderstood or that just were, well, I never even thought about that when you were creating this.
Amy Langfield (12:05)
it’s a regulation and it still baffles me. You we’re looking for a better way for our future in terms of the environment, carbon impact, all sorts of things. And why are we taking that plant-based option out of the equation for something that’s so fundamental for so many people? It’s all about choice, but also thinking about the planet and thinking about the future and future ways.
of living and future foods with our Innovate UK projects and our research projects is looking at the alternative proteins and seeing what work and what won’t work. But again, everything comes back to regulation, everything comes back to funding, and we are a teeny tiny company. When you’re on your own, which we sometimes feel like, you know, that’s
Chardét Ryel (12:51)
One of the biggest things that I think people never talk about, but you find out really early in, is how lonely and isolating it can be. Even when you’re with a co-founder, which I know you are, it’s just as an experience. is, you don’t know until you go through it. With the co-founder, what was that like? What’s it been like creating this and launching this with someone else?
Amy Langfield (13:17)
I absolutely couldn’t have done it without Sophie. So we have been friends since secondary school. So we were like 12 or 13 when we first met. Sophie is an incredible designer. She was a creative director. She’s been in charge of all of the branding. So I remember asking her to help me with some kind of prototype branding really early on. And we had a focus group with some mums in my kitchen. I was pregnant with Winston. I think had about two weeks to go or something.
just to get feedback on the product and, you know, do you think that there’s a need, et cetera, just getting that kind of groundwork. And we put up the prototypes of the designs, everyone left and we were tidying up. Like that went really well, that was great. I just thought, I can’t do this on my own. And I just said to her, I don’t suppose you want to be my co-founder. And she said, that’s really weird because I wanted to ask you the same thing. She’d just gone freelance and was looking for a startup to work with.
so she could have more control over the branding and the creativity and growing and giving birth to something other than a baby. know, like this is her other baby. Now become her story as well because Lenny, her little one has also got a dairy allergy, which she couldn’t make up. Yeah, it was back in 2019 in my kitchen that when she decided that she was going to come on board and I couldn’t have done it without her. And we’ve kind of tag teamed in terms of when I was still at school and I would do…
part-time and then she would work full-time and then she’d be on maternity. So we’ve kind of, you know, we couldn’t have done it without one another. We bring different things to the table.
Chardét Ryel (14:49)
Having someone compliment where you’re less knowledgeable or where you don’t necessarily have the skill set is so valuable, especially in the beginning when you’re trying to save costs, right? Having someone that can do that. Also having the emotional support and then you two being able to, like you said, tag team because you have different responsibilities, right? You have other roles in addition to your business. Can you share a moment when you first felt like, okay, this is…
going out, you know, I guess it would have been last year. Where were you guys? How did you celebrate? What did it feel like?
Amy Langfield (15:25)
⁓ We never have a moment to celebrate. We were really laughing because I think we celebrated our launch. Was it this year and we just met in London with Lenny because he was in the buggy and we walked along the South Bank and we went to Rambora Market. We were like, let’s have a little glass of fizz. But the moment, coming back to your question, the moment that I knew or I was like, this is actually happening.
was when we were at the Allergy and Free From show, not this year, but the year before, and we had our first stand. So we were out there. We didn’t have samples yet because we had loads of delays, but the stand was there and the pre-orders went live on the website. And that was ⁓ on the same weekend. So it was really pivotal. And it’s like, wow, this is actually happening. This is crazy. And we had our big full-sized P mascot, you know, dancing around and our friends came to help. Yeah, that was like a big moment.
Chardét Ryel (16:22)
you had made plans to have the stand, I assume already thinking you would have your samples ready and even though they didn’t come you still went ahead and did it. It’s like it wasn’t ideal but you did it.
Amy Langfield (16:34)
It wasn’t ideal. It was a brand awareness exercise. Hi, we’re here. Let’s talk to as many people. Honestly, it was so validating and lovely. had an older lady and she came home and she said, when my son was born in the 80s, there was nothing for him. I wish there was something like this. She was crying. We were crying and it was just like, That’s why we love.
going to shows because especially Allergy and Free From or like the Free From Food Festival, you always end up talking to people and hearing their stories and whether or not we’ve helped them yet or we’re about to help them or we can give them some support or they feel really lonely, it’s okay, you’re not on your own. It’s quite a small community but it’s a really powerful one.
Chardét Ryel (17:23)
Having the community is so important. The community that you’re in, being tapped in with them. It sounds like you’re connected online and also in person with events. When I think about your primary community, it’s obviously this community of people who have situations with allergies, be it themselves or their family. Do you ever think about a secondary market being the plant-based one, for example? Like I could see you going to a plant-based event and people loving this.
Amy Langfield (17:50)
Yeah, we do. We were at Vegan Life Live last year. We’ve been at the Vegan Festival in Bristol. The plant-based community is definitely on the radar. mean, the centre, the heart, is allergy. And then obviously then you’ve got the plant-based, the vegan, then you’ve got the fussy kids, then you’ve got everyone. You’ve got the planet-conscious people as well. You know, if you’re just wanting to make a few little switches to make a bigger difference. Got the potential to make a massive impact.
Chardét Ryel (18:16)
you have this one thing that you go in, that you’re big why, the one close to your heart, and then you have all these other communities that benefit so much with what you’re creating. It is something where I think about this too, because I don’t really have dairy personally, but I do think about, well, if I had a kid, what would I do? You know, because the options were not super ample and wide there. And so I think it’s interesting even just to bring into people’s awareness for
the future, right? Because you don’t know, maybe you’re not a buyer right now, but thinking about it for later on.
Amy Langfield (18:51)
Absolutely, we have some really lovely young couples coming to have a chat and I think it does give people that lead a plant-based lifestyle and want to do that with their children as well and continue it.
Chardét Ryel (19:02)
So we always have female founders on the show and I feel like they’re all different and they’ve got inspiring stories like yours. And the one thread throughout is creating empowering choices for the world and especially for women to whatever it is, like just allowing you to do things differently or things that are essential. It’s such a powerful place to be when you create something that gives someone a feeling of agency, like they’re not completely lost.
or unsupported. Yeah.
Amy Langfield (19:35)
And they’re there, there’s someone, there’s something there for them.
Chardét Ryel (19:38)
How did you, because you mentioned this a little bit earlier and I want to make sure we talk about it because I know it’s close to your heart and I also think it’s important for people listening that it might benefit. When you were talking about how expensive this whole endeavor is and how important the funding is, I know that you have had help with funding if you want to talk a little bit about how that came about and has worked for you.
Amy Langfield (20:01)
think a lot of people were put off by following or chasing the dreams or doing the R &D. You know, we had a really long research and development period, if you think back 2018 to then launching 2024. Yeah, that’s a long time. I first heard about Innovate UK on a podcast and I think they were designing alarms for people that live on their own and need additional care. And it was something like that and they had the funding.
So Sophie and I looked into it and we applied to one, I back in 2020, but we didn’t get it. So then we applied again, it was a sustainability and innovation and it was for 100K. And it allowed us to explore packaging, materials, ingredients from a sustainability point of view, do life cycle analysis and also then do a pilot, which was amazing, like so amazing to be able to do that and then test it with people.
We then moved on to, which is funny, on my 40th birthday we had our kind of monitoring officer meeting, you know, and you think it’s crazy, the things that you do, you think back, and it was like a big day, but I’m like, sit here for three hours and go for a walk. It is also really important. And then we, when the women in innovation, I would say the most pivotal because of the connections. So you have so much support when it comes to the women in innovation funding grant.
don’t have to pay any of this back. Yes, there’s a lot of paperwork, there’s a lot of hoops to jump through, but the support you get back, even yesterday, we’re not in the middle of a project at the moment, but we still get support from them, business support, coaching, whatever we need. It’s amazing. It’s an amazing resource. And then most recently, we won the biomedical catalyst, which was predominantly for the formula. Working
with lots of incredible people and scientists. I always have to pinch myself because I never ever thought that I would be either in a room, in a workshop, on a call with all these scientists and all these people who are so smart and know their stuff. And it’s amazingly interesting. just, it blows my mind. I kind of think, why did I not pay more attention in science when I was at school? I kind of wish I had.
like the foundations and helps you build the foundations in business. Like coming from, you know, Sophie came from creative backgrounds. So did I. We had no idea how to do this, but within that network, we were able to work out the steps and it is the steps or it’s a jigsaw puzzle. We always used to say this huge like empty jigsaw puzzle. You’re trying to put all the pieces together to make the picture. And we’re so nearly there in terms of getting the whole picture, but you know, with the toddler drink launching.
You can see.
Chardét Ryel (22:52)
it because I know a lot of people listen and they have an idea or they’re expanding something and it just seems so financially impossible but to know that there are resources out there yes you have to do the paperwork and prepare but you can get them and you can also have all access like you’ve had to people who are skilled in these different areas you might not be and that access is free a lot of times like that’s something that’s incredible
Amy Langfield (23:19)
really interesting network and they do from small projects all the way up to millions, millions and millions.
Chardét Ryel (23:25)
Yeah, so for anyone listening, whether this is you or someone you know, if you’re, assuming this is mainly UK, correct? Yes.
Amy Langfield (23:32)
But
there is, there’s European funding as well. There’s lots of medical funding. It’s just a matter of like having a look around, getting in touch with universities as well. If you know there’s a university that might specialize in, you know, your area and work out and find those people and connect with them, being brave and reaching out. And we’ve made so many mistakes along the way, honestly. We’ve had some complete disasters. Like one of our pilot batches we wanted to add.
plant-based DHA, so an algal DHA, which is like an essential fatty acid type thing. When we did it in the bench, it was fine. It didn’t smell or anything. It tasted really good. We did a run. It arrived. It was in COVID. I remember the parcel coming. I like, what is that smell? Honestly, it smelled like fish. There’s no fish in it, but it was the algae. we were like…
We can’t, had to scrap the whole thing and it was horrific. But that’s like a big R &D, you you need the disasters. Yeah, it’s fascinating. Absolutely fascinating. I would never even thought that we would be doing something like that when I was sat there with Iris, sorry, going, what am I doing? What do need to do to make a formula? And then, wow.
Chardét Ryel (24:48)
The story you have is even deeper than what we’ve covered here. Even looking at how it’s packaged and marketed, I think is a beautiful lesson in branding and impact sustainability. So I want to encourage everyone to connect with you. Where can they do that?
Amy Langfield (25:04)
On LinkedIn, it’s Amy Langfield. We’re with Iris as well. On Instagram, so grow with Iris.
Chardét Ryel (25:12)
We share all of the different places where they can connect with you and with the brand. And again, I really encourage people to just check it out, even if it’s not an immediate need for you, because you can see a lot from a sustainability lesson and also from a branding and a story perspective. So thank you so much for sharing and for being here.
Amy Langfield (25:33)
no, I’ve loved it. Thank you for having me.
Chardét Ryel (25:35)
Thank you so much for listening. Please share this episode with anyone you think would benefit. This could be personally, maybe they have allergies, kids with allergies, or it could be professionally. Maybe they just want to see company that is having impact on sustainability and on the world. And I will see you in the next one. Your story.
is your SEO. It is as powerful as those words people are searching for. Go to the Her First Three Years website or go to my Instagram, Sharday Royale. Both of those links are in the show notes. And get the Private Podcast series, How to Stand Out Online. You will listen to that series. You will probably binge it and you will find your way.
Thank you so much for listening. Share this with someone who needs it. If you enjoyed it, please leave a review. Share this energy. You know, it’s all about spreading, receiving. If you feel like it’s made a difference, made you think, please, please, please share your thoughts.
