Blog Post
63. Stamena Dimitrova, Refillable - Think big to win the investment game
#sustainability #crowdfunding #retail #research #familybusiness #startuploan #valuation
Stamena Dimitrova is the co-founder and CEO of The Refillable, a grocery store bringing people single-use plastic free everyday products that are kinder to the planet, sustainable, local, organic, and ethically produced.
Stamena’s co-founder is her daughter, which occasionally means sparks with their differing yet complementary approaches to business. The first thing they did was research the market, to validate their idea and strengthen the vision. Then they found a shop to rent and purchased stock but just before the agreement signing, the owner pulled out. At this point, they were bootstrapping and got a small startup loan from the British Business Bank. As many founders do, Stamena underestimated how much capital they were actually going to need in the very beginning. So they crowdfunded and owe much of their success to showing their loyal community a burning passion for the business.
Looking back, Stamena believes she made a mistake in not enlisting experts to help with the marketing of the crowdfund. As a new business owner, spending money can feel like a luxury. Changing your mindset to think big and getting professional support to help with your fundraise is Stamena’s top piece of advice to budding entrepreneurs.
In this episode you’ll discover:
- How to use your passion to win investors over
- How to remove a ‘fearful’ mindset
- Why you should never neglect your health and wellbeing during a fundraise
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In our Fundraising Stories podcast, we showcase inspirational interviews with female founders who share their honest experiences of fundraising – the highs, the lows, the challenges… and top tips for how to be successful.
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