
"They Aren't Doing You a Favour"
You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
"When you fail, you must learn from it, adjust your business plan or presentation, if needed, and get straight back to pitching to the next potential investor, partner or stockist." For Melissa Snover, founder and CEO of Nourished, the road to success has been anything but conventional. Her business, which creates 3D-printed personalised nutrient gummies, has just landed in Boots and Holland & Barrett – a huge moment for the company, and one that speaks volumes about its growing mainstream appeal.
In fact, getting into these retail giants is a signal that something has shifted – both for Nourished, and for the industry. "Make sure you have real conviction in your idea and its potential for growth. Nourished makes 3D-printed personalised nutrient gummies – something many people are unlikely to have heard of. In meetings looking for investment or with retailers, I've had to be very confident and well-researched about how my products could fill an important gap in the market." That confidence has been hard-earned. "It can be tough as a female founder, and you need to be ready to focus on building your confidence in your product and your resilience from the word go."
Melissa's company is now not only a high-growth business, but a tech innovator. Its 3D-printed, customisable supplements are a standout example of deeptech meeting everyday wellbeing. But success didn't come overnight, and it certainly didn't come without resistance. "There's still a big disparity in access to capital for women-led companies in the tech sector. Female-founded deeptech start-ups get only 15% of funding at seed stage, and men get the other 85%."
Despite these odds, Melissa secured a UK record for the largest seed round by a female founder in 2020. "Over the last four years, I've raised £18m in VC investment for my nutrition brand Nourished and its parent company Rem3dy Health." She credits much of her company's success to one bold decision: bringing manufacturing in-house. "Developing our own patented 3D printing technology and being able to make all our products in-house has been pivotal. It allowed us to stay fully operational during COVID-19 and, since then, has reduced reliance on external supply chains when there has been so much disruption in the world. It allows for the rapid product innovation that has kept us ahead of competitors, too."
Melissa's approach to tech is hands-on and unorthodox, and she's the first to debunk a major myth about who gets to lead in this space. "That you need a conventional STEM degree or formal training to lead a tech business… When I began developing our 3D printing technology, I didn't come from a traditional engineering background. I taught myself everything I could, breaking down 3D printers on my kitchen table, rebuilding them from scratch, and learning how each component could be optimised for personalised nutrition manufacturing."
That kind of problem-solving mindset, she believes, is more important than pedigree. "What matters most is not where your technical knowledge comes from, but how committed you are to understanding the details and solving problems creatively." She's also quick to point out that anyone today has access to the tools to learn. "With AI tools, open-source communities and platforms like YouTube, there's never been a better time to teach yourself something entirely new. You don't have to be trained in the old systems to build the next one."
But even with her own success, Melissa hasn't forgotten how hard it can be to break into tech as a woman. That's why she continues to speak out – and lift others as she climbs. "I've been vocal in the press, on podcasts and in public speaking about improving access to finance and the need for women founders to mentor others. I've participated in initiatives like Invest in Women and Buy Women Built."
She's also an advocate of peer support networks. "Building support networks of female founders in tech and other sectors can give a real boost to your confidence, too. Join and develop groups that provide you with encouragement, advocacy and advice from women who have already had inspiring success, such as By Women Built, of which I am a member."
For Melissa, mentorship and mindset go hand in hand – and the key lesson is that your belief in your own business has to come first. "Approach conversations with investors with the belief that you are giving them an opportunity to be involved in a great business. They aren't doing you a favour." This self-assurance isn't arrogance – it's a hard-won antidote to a system that doesn't always back female founders. But it's also practical advice, especially in a landscape where unique ideas – like 3D-printed vitamins – can face skepticism.
Now, with Nourished products hitting shelves in Boots and Holland & Barrett for the first time, her belief is paying off in a very tangible way. Not just in validation, but in access: more consumers than ever before can now pick up truly personalised nutrition at high street stores. Melissa's journey is proof that breaking down old systems – whether in technology, funding, or access – requires both grit and vision. She's built a business from the kitchen table to retail giants, and continues to push for a more inclusive future in tech.
And while the business headlines may celebrate the Boots and Holland & Barrett win, the deeper story is one of resilience and reinvention. Because Melissa Snover didn't just build a product. She built the system to make it – and opened the door for others to follow.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Entrepreneur
15 minutes ago
- Entrepreneur
How Great Leaders Know What to Solve and What to Learn From
Many leaders default to quick fixes — but some problems can't be solved, only led. Here's how to spot the difference and stop wasting time, energy and trust. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. A few years ago, I was coaching "Maria," a department head at a large organization. She was sharp, strategic and exhausted. "I've tried everything," she told me. She definitely had: New software, new structure, redefined roles, outside consultants. Still, her meetings were flat. Collaboration was stalled. Decisions were passively undermined or actively reversed after the fact. The problem wasn't technical. It was cultural. After some conversations with department members, I learned that her team didn't feel safe telling the truth. The ghosts of past conflicts and unspoken judgments had produced a climate where "smile and nod" was the only path forward. Once we named that, the work changed, and we began solving for the right problem. Maria stopped trying to fix the team and started leading it. That work began with building the kind of culture where truth could breathe. That's adaptive leadership. It's less black and white, but oftentimes, this is the kind of leadership that makes goal achievement possible. Ronald Heifetz's foundational work classified challenges as two types: Technical challenges (e.g., budgeting, scheduling, legal compliance, product defects), which have clear problems and clear solutions based on expertise. Adaptive challenges (e.g., rebuilding trust, leading through loss, navigating culture shifts, or redefining success), which are fuzzy and relational, requiring co-created solutions based on learning and deep change. When we don't name this distinction, we throw tools at things that need conversation. We mistake silence for agreement. We promote people who are great at fixing, but unpracticed at coaching team members and facilitating others' learning. Over time, that mindset costs us trust, talent and traction. Related: A Customer Ghosted Her on a $1,700 Bill — So She Used This Clever Move to Get Paid The cost of swift solutions Here's what I see again and again: a leader is handed a tangled problem, such as declining engagement, siloed communication or team conflict. Without blinking, they launch into action: They move a few roles around. They send a heartfelt memo. They allocate some budget. Maybe they even bring in a consultant. For a moment, it feels like progress. But six months later, nothing has changed. The problem may have gone quiet, but it hasn't gone away. When leaders treat adaptive challenges like technical ones, three things tend to happen: Over-functioning: The leader becomes the fixer, absorbing complexity, decision-making and ownership. This is when I hear leaders complain, "I'm too stuck in the weeds." Disempowerment: People stop engaging creatively and instead wait for direction. You'll hear team members say, "Just tell me what you want," or worse, "I didn't think it was my place to weigh in." Rework: The problem returns because the root causes were never addressed. That's when you hear sighs, see eye rolls, and stakeholders ask, "Didn't we already solve this?" or "Here we go again." First seek to understand Thought leaders, including Greek philosopher Epictetus, humanist psychologist Carl Rogers and leadership guru Stephen Covey, all have been credited with the dictum of seeking to listen and understand before acting. In the same way, adaptive leadership starts with diagnosis — not with vision, charisma or decisive action. Therefore, the adaptive leader's first responsibility is to step back and ask: What kind of challenge am I facing? Heifetz advises that most problems are a mix of technical and adaptive challenges. Imagine, for example, you have an underperforming cross-functional team. Maybe there is a technical fix. Perhaps the process needs to be clarified, the expectations need to be reset, or the roles reassigned. But underneath, there also might be turf protection, identity threat, or lack of trust in leadership. The key is to name both layers. According to Heifetz, if you treat the problem like it's 90% technical when it's actually 70% adaptive, you'll waste time and erode trust. If you try to make it all about feelings and purpose when there's a real process issue, you'll come off as evasive or unclear. Understanding the real nature of the problem doesn't just help you act — it helps your team feel seen. Related: The Most Successful Founders Take Retreats — Here's Why You Should, Too What to do now Here are three practical steps to help you start leading more adaptively: 1. What kind of challenge is this? Before charging ahead with a solution, ask: Is this a technical problem, an adaptive challenge or a mix of both? If the problem requires someone to change behavior, mindset or identity, it's adaptive. If it requires a specific skill or authority to be applied, it's technical. If it requires both, it's a mix. Once you've clarified it for yourself, bring your team in on the conversation to create shared awareness and shift responsibility from leader-as-fixer to team-as-learners. 2. Build the framework together. Map out the problem and its solution with your team. You can do this by drawing a triangle, labeling the base "technical," the top "adaptive," and the middle "hybrid." Then list the challenges surrounding that problem on sticky notes and place each one where it belongs. For each challenge, ask: Who owns this challenge? What kind of learning is required? What kind of support is needed? This makes the invisible visible. 3. Invite the right people into the right work. Once you've fully mapped the challenges, resist the urge to carry it alone. Adaptive leadership means shared ownership. You're not assigning blame; you're enlisting co-learners. This isn't just good teamwork. It's how people grow. Further, they will be far more likely to support and ensure the success of solutions they have helped shape. While you don't need to democratize every decision, you should match the challenge with those who have the most insight and the most to gain by learning their way through it. Once you start distinguishing between technical and adaptive challenges, you'll never look at your to-do list the same way again. That small act of diagnosis might be the most powerful leadership move you make all week.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Confie Celebrates Freeway Insurance Franchise Expansion into 28 States
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., July 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Confie, the nation's largest independent distributor of personal lines insurance, announced continued momentum in the growth of its Freeway Insurance franchise program, now operating in 28 states following the opening of a new location in Connecticut. Freeway Insurance's franchise program has rapidly expanded to over 53 franchise locations across the country, solidifying its position as one of the fastest-growing auto insurance franchise models in the U.S. "Our foundation has always been built on making affordable insurance solutions accessible—especially to underserved communities," said Cesar Soriano, CEO of Confie and a U.S. Army veteran. "The success of our franchise program lies in that mission. It's a model that empowers entrepreneurs—many of them veterans—to build businesses that truly make an impact in their local areas." Freeway's franchise model was recently recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as a top Low-Cost Franchise opportunity and awarded the prestigious Franchise 500® badge. With a standard franchise fee of just $25,000—and a discounted rate of $15,000 for honorably discharged veterans—the program offers an accessible path to business ownership. "Freeway franchisees are thriving because they're delivering essential services to their communities," said Alex Trachtman, Senior Vice President of Franchise Sales and Operations. "Our model stands out for its affordability, comprehensive training, and ongoing support. We're removing barriers to business ownership while helping franchisees grow with confidence." In addition to the new Connecticut location, recent franchise openings include Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Tennessee. Further expansion is underway in states such as Ohio and North Carolina, with more locations in development nationwide. For more information about franchising opportunities with Freeway Insurance, visit About Confie Established in 2008, Confie is the largest auto insurance and personal lines distributor in the U.S. with employees located throughout the U.S. and Mexico. Today, Confie meets customers wherever they are with more than 1250+ retail locations in 28 states, the Bluefire general agency, and a telephone and online shared service center servicing all 50 states. With flexible insurance options, outstanding value, and convenient service, Confie's mission is to be the most trusted source of insurance solutions so customers can have peace of mind. Confie is a portfolio company of Alliant. For more information about Confie, visit Media Contact: Rose Carter1-877-822-3024398526@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Confie Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data


Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Five Tenets To Thrive In The Age Of Agentic AI
Monish Darda is the cofounder and CTO of Icertis. The business landscape is witnessing a transformative era with the rapid emergence of agentic AI. It's no longer on the horizon—it's here and shaping how companies operate, deliver value and grow. In fact, a recent study found that more than 85% of the c-suite was prepared to increase their GenAI investment in 2025. The question facing business leaders today is not whether to act, but how to act to gain strategic advantage. The real opportunity lies in agentic workflows that don't just automate tasks, but empower AI agents to make decisions, take action responsibly, and deliver outcomes at scale. Those who invest in building agentic workflows will lead in efficiency, customer value and innovation, while those who wait risk falling behind. We've seen this story before. Businesses that historically resisted investing in emerging technologies found themselves struggling to grow or, worse, becoming obsolete. Reflecting on the manufacturing boom of the 1960s, companies like General Motors that embraced automation technologies surged ahead. In contrast, those hesitant to adopt new technologies often found themselves outpaced by their competitors. By betting on the future of AI, you're banking on long-term growth. Here are five tenets to guide business leaders in realizing the full potential of agentic AI in their enterprise. Agentic AI demands quality, accessible data Agentic AI operates by learning from large datasets to generate predictions and ultimately take action. For enterprises, this means having solutions that not only store vast amounts of data but also organize it in ways that are accessible and useful for AI algorithms. The efficacy of AI models is only as good as the data on which they are trained. Structured data not only improves business performance but also empowers AI agents to act based on the most relevant and current information. In short, better data means better strategic outcomes tied to revenue, cost savings and compliance. Agentic AI requires guardrails As businesses deploy autonomous, AI-powered agentic workflows, they must ensure these agents operate within predefined parameters. When deployed the right way, agentic workflows act as a force multiplier for productivity by solving multi-step problems at scale. However, they need strong governance in order to make informed decisions that do not create unnecessary risk. For instance, contracts set the rules of business relationships and can act as guides for these workflows, helping agents take actions like fulfilling a customer service request or paying a supplier. Ultimately, building trust in agents starts by ensuring they follow the same rules of business as their human counterparts and grounding AI agents with guardrails designed to protect the enterprise. Agentic AI builds on defined business processes Agentic AI can automate complex business processes, from analyzing the financial terms in contracts to identifying hidden savings opportunities and monitoring deliverables. However, AI cannot automate what does not exist. Defined processes and systems must already be part of an enterprise's foundation in order for agentic workflows to create new efficiencies. Enterprises need strong established operations, including processes, integrated systems and a strategic roadmap for delivering value. Business leaders who have the right groundwork in place before applying agentic AI will see faster time-to-value. Agentic AI requires a culture shift Introducing any type of AI into an organization calls for a culture that embraces continuous learning and innovation. It's essential to communicate benefits and changes transparently to alleviate fears and build excitement around emerging technology. This will likely involve upskilling staff to manage and work alongside AI as it evolves. Consider the role that agentic AI could play for legal teams to automate low-risk contract reviews or identify noncompliance. According to a recent study sponsored by my company, 35% of legal teams use AI for post-execution contract management—a substantial jump from last year's 9%. Law is inherently human to human, but AI will continue to disrupt the way legal teams work for those who are willing to embrace its potential. Agentic AI warrants the need for security As AI becomes more embedded in core operations, the risk landscape expands, introducing new vulnerabilities related to data access, usage and protection. To manage this complexity, business leaders should treat cybersecurity as a core priority that is more than just an IT function. This includes implementing robust access controls, advanced threat detection, encryption, updated policies and regular employee training sessions. Those that scale AI with security at the forefront will be best positioned to protect their data, their outcomes and their brand. The Bottom Line: Agentic AI is a worthwhile investment While the initial cost of agentic AI implementation might be substantial, the long-term benefits of staying competitive in the digital era outweigh these expenses. The autonomous enterprise is beginning to take shape, as seen with autonomous contracting. For business leaders ready to lead in the age of AI, these five tenets will serve as a strong foundation for long-term growth and strategic advantage. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?