On a Monday in August 2020, the Care by Nature team drove to a TV studio in North West with the car full of laundry, drying racks and soap berries . Before the summer, Care by Nature had been invited to apply to participate in Løvens Hule, and then selected, and the air in the car was thick with a mixture of excitement and belief that we were ready. There is a lot at stake when you have to present your heart business on nationwide TV.
On the Friday before the filming, we met with specialists in finding capital for small businesses. They believed that the valuation we intended to present to the Lions was far, far too low. So we decided at the eleventh hour to follow their advice not to sell ourselves too cheap.
If you have seen episode 4 of season 6 of The Lion's Den, you know that the Lions did not share that view and we did not get an investment home. In return, we received a good response to our Care by Nature products from Løverne and also confirmed that our business is healthy. It was a great experience to be involved, and we got a lot out of our participation. Not least a recognition of how important it actually is that an investor/partner can see the long-term potential of a company that will work sustainably.
Since we stood in front of the five serial investors in August, a lot has happened. One of our top priorities has been to develop new products that support our existing range. Over the next few months, we will launch new Care by Nature products that fall into the categories "laundry", "cleaning" and "personal care".
During the first quarter of 2021, Care by Nature will be launched in 13 new markets in Europe – including physical stores in Norway, Sweden, Germany and Austria. This has meant the production of new international material and English packaging. An important first step on our journey into several European markets.
2020 was a tough year for many entrepreneurs and small businesses, and it hasn't always been easy for us either. Delayed goods and packaging, closing of retail stores, and the uncertainty of what the future holds that we all probably feel affected by. Nevertheless, 2020 was the year in which we employed two new employees and really accelerated the development - a development that our participation in Løvens Hule gave an extra kick behind. We are proud to have made it this far – even without an investor on the team (for now!) – and we look forward to seeing what 2021 brings.
We hope that you will join us on our sustainable journey going forward - both here on our blog but also on our Instagram profile @carebynature, where we continuously take you behind the scenes and tell you more about what it means to us to run a sustainable business .
