Nikki Warren is a multi-award winning entrepreneur for the following categories in our 2020 AusMumpreneur QLD-NT Awards
- Silver winner – Product Design
- Silver winner – Health & Wellbeing Business
Nikki is an experienced degree-qualified fertility naturopath and medical herbalist who launched NaturoBest in 2016. NaturoBest is a unique prenatal and preconception supplement range that was born out of a desire to supply high quality products that help pregnant women achieve good pregnancy and birth outcomes and maximise the health potential of their babies. The range is unique in that it has a separate, evidence-based multivitamin and mineral for the first trimester of pregnancy, designed to minimise the symptoms of morning sickness and it is the first on the Australian market to contain 500mcg of active folate as the patented Quatrefolic®.
When did you start your business?
August 2016.
What was the inspiration behind starting this business?
During my first pregnancy I suffered from terrible morning sickness so when it came to my second pregnancy I wanted to try to prevent that as much as I could. Between pregnancies, I had studied for 6 years and earned a Diploma in Naturopathy, Advanced Diploma in Herbal Medicine and Bachelor of Health Science. I applied what I had learned to developing a prenatal vitamin for myself which also reduced the symptoms of morning sickness and had it made through a compounding pharmacy. It worked so well for me that I subsequently used it successfully with my clients. One day I was in the shower and thought to myself “No-one has done this before. I have to take this formulation to the market” and so the NaturoBest range was born.
What are you most excited about in your business?
What I love about owning this business is when I wake up in the morning, I never know what’s going to happen that day and I learn something new on a daily basis. Every day brings new opportunities with emails from distributors worldwide wanting to sell my range which is really exciting. I have met some really interesting people in this industry and it makes life so enjoyable. It really keeps you motivated when you’re feeling overwhelmed with work and challenges.
What has been the most challenging thing about starting your business?
Three weeks after I launched the range, I had an advertising complaint that clearly came from a big competitor. I had to change the brand name from Naturopath’s Best to NaturoBest because you are not allowed an endorsement by a health professional. Aside from having to start all over again with the marketing material at a time when cashflow was tight, we had a lot of stock on the market with Naturopath’s Best on the label when all the other branding including our website said NaturoBest. I decided to focus on the two positives – we were obviously seen a threat and it happened early on so no-one was familiar with the brand yet anyway. If it had happened a few years into it, it could have been disastrous.
What advice would you give to other women thinking about starting a business?
Expect the unexpected. Try to see challenges as opportunities and ask yourself what you learned from that problem and how you can prevent it happening in the future. I would also highly recommend you seek advice early on for the structure of your business for asset protection and tax efficiency. If you own a house, put it in a trust as soon as possible and always have insurance for whatever applies to your particular industry whether it’s professional indemnity, products and public liability etc. I’ve heard of so many women not protecting themselves financially but that’s a huge mistake. You don’t want to see years of blood, sweat and tears go down the drain and lose your home because someone decides to sue you.
Why did you enter the AusMumpreneur Awards?
I love the idea of women supporting other women in business and Peace and Katy have done such a great job of building a community of like-minded women who can share their challenges and triumphs with each other. We all need to be recognised sometimes for the daily grind that comes with owning a business.
What did you enjoy the most about being part of the awards?
Hearing the stories of other successful women was really inspiring and reminds you that you’re not alone in being a mumpreneur!
What surprised you most about the awards?
I was surprised at how much fun an online event could be! It still felt like a festive atmosphere as we all had a drink in hand and dressed up as if we were together in person. It was a fun night.
How did the awards help you in your business?
The attention from media afterwards was a fantastic boost for the business and being able to take professional photos of the award and products together gave us great content for our social media and website.
What advice would you give to others mums thinking about entering the awards?
Go for it! Even if you don’t win a prize, you’ll meet some amazing women, be inspired and learn a lot from other mumpreneurs.
What’s happening next in your business? Any big plans for the future?
Our biggest focus for the next year is export. We have recently signed agreements with distributors in Bahrain and the United States. Our U.S. distributor sells to 90 different countries so we are definitely going to have our hands full for the next few years!
To learn more about NaturoBest, please visit the website, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.
All images featured here are from Nikki Warren.
SAVE THE DATE – 2021 AUSMUMPRENEUR AWARDS!
Nominations open Monday 3 May 2021.
AusMumpreneur Awards Nights 8-10 September 2021
Conference and Awards Presentation 14-16 September 2021.
>> Nominations are OPEN! Nominate your business or a business you love here <<
