A Woman with Moxie

Beauty boss Pamela Laird has had to pivot her company in the face of the pandemic, but she has seen more business opportunities than threats in the last year. She speaks to Jennifer Stevens about new deals, weekends off and having big meetings in her wardrobe!

Pamela Laird is the very definition of a high-flying businesswoman. As the CEO and founder of Irish beauty business Moxi Loves, she is used to being on set on photo shoots, on our TV screens and up in the air, flying to meetings in all the countries that stock her products.

You might recognise Pamela from her appearances on Ireland’s Dragon’s Den or facing Lord Alan Sugar on the BBC’s Apprentice, but she has actually been a mainstay of the Irish beauty industry since she was a teenager.

Like many business owners the pandemic has meant a change in the way Pamela operates her business. “The year has been interesting. It just opened the door for huge opportunity. Before all this, I would've hopped in a plane, gone to meetings and it would have taken me a full day. Now, obviously, it's different because you can’t meet in person, but there are new opportunities to meet people that I wouldn't have been able to before. For example, we’ve just had three calls with potential buyers in Australia. Previously I would have thought that by the time I could afford to get on a plane, go there and put the effort into the market, it would have been something quite far in the future. Nothing is ideal at the moment but while there are issues, there's also opportunity and it's definitely changed business for good.”

Pamela thinks that the way companies are run is changed forever and though that’s not necessarily a bad thing she does hope to get back to seeing people sooner rather than later.

“I would miss meetings if they were gone forever but I think there's a time and a place and maybe going forward it will be Zoom calls and then, once a year, an annual meeting. That meme of this meeting could have been an email is gone; it will be replaced with this meeting could have been a Zoom!”

Pamela’s industry fared better than most now that we’re all doing our in-salon treatments at home but her cult products like the Moxi Loves Dry Shampoo Sheets and On The Go Cleansing Solution were primarily aimed at women travelling so she had to work to reposition the business a little.

“We had always leaned heavy on our USP because our products are waterless. Originally, that was great for air travel but being grounded has forced us to really look at why we're waterless. Obviously, it's because we want to be convenient and problem-solving but, it has made us realise that we are a sustainable, single-use personal care option. It completely changed the way I looked at the brand, where we're going and the products that we're bringing out because we may never have that travel market the way we used to. It forced me into looking at things in a new way.

One of the biggest opportunities to come out of the pandemic has been the chance for Pamela to work with Amazon, which she is thrilled about.

“There has been a beauty boom in a sense but, at our price point, we weren't really suitable for online selling the way we should have been because our price point is €3.95 and postage could be that again. But we're actually working with Amazon directly now, which is fantastic. Moxi Loves will be available on Prime which is so great, but also from my side of things, it means that I don't have to manage Amazon as a separate business. They'll buy from me, just like Boots, or any of the other customers do, and then they drive it. There has been a lot of talk about boycotting Amazon to support Irish business but hello, I'm an Irish business, I'm on Amazon. Small businesses are on Amazon. Don't think that it's this big entity that’s bad for small business, it's people trying to make a living and trying to reach customers. Small businesses should look at Amazon in my opinion and stop thinking it's this big giant that's going to stand on you. It actually could help you.”

Even with the success of her business Pamela has found some of the last year tough. But there are things that are getting her through it.

“It has been a lonely year as a businessperson. But on the upside, because I spent so much time travelling, I often spent weekends catching up on work, so though I’m busier now, I’m not hopping on planes and I actually have more time. Saturdays now are real, and Sundays are real too. For the first time in a long time, I know what a weekend is. I also realise now that I was doing too much and I was spread way too thin. I'm dedicating all my time to the business now and I can see that that definitely pays off far more.”

During her newfound down time Pamela has been indulging in reality TV and 90 Day Fiancé is a firm favoutite, “Mom, myself and Jay, my boyfriend, watch it religiously. We're obsessed with it. It's so good. It's terribly good.”

She has also discovered a passion for DIY, which she had never imagined being good at or loving!

“We turned our box room into this office wardrobe. We used all the IKEA flat pack, I built a few on my Instagram stories and I've never had so many views and comments and messages. Then we installed blinds which I bought from AliExpress for €20. They're perfect! I was going around the house looking for other things to build, I enjoyed it so much.

One other thing Pamela is dedicating her time to is something very close to her heart. She is an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland.

“My dad was diagnosed a few years ago now my mum is his carer. ASI are a fantastic charity to support. It's definitely not the most glamorous and doesn't often get a shout out from younger people. I think people just assume that the person with Alzheimer’s as somebody in a nursing home, and very distant from real life but that’s not the case. It's not always people just forgetting who you are, there can be other issues like having difficulty with mobility. There are so many other elements to the disease that people aren't aware of and how it affects families.

“You're watching someone, basically, slowly slip away, seeing their personality change and it can be extremely shocking, especially today, when a lot of people have made the decision to look after their loved ones at home. The society really support the family. Obviously, we've canceled all the carers coming in, for safety. It really does fall on my mom, which can be hard. That society really is looking to help fund that and run help lines. It's a fantastic charity. I'm just thrilled to give them a shout out anytime I can.

Pamela is upbeat about the rest of the year. Though none of us know when things may start to get back to normal, she has everything in perspective. “I can't really believe we're still here. I miss traveling, I miss the buzz of life but I'm healthy and my dad had his first dose of the vaccine, so I’m happy.”