Erika Nilsson-Humphrey, founder and CEO of Dappad, explains why the business should win the Startup of the Year category of the Guardian Small Business Showcase competition:
I launched Dappad in February 2015 as a hassle-free personal shopping service for the busy man, after years of working in the male-dominated financial world. At Dappad, we believe that time is our most precious thing and that we should spend it wisely. We also believe that what you wear matters. After all, style is your way of saying to the world who you are without having to speak a word.
Dappad performed very well in its first year. Our revenues doubled from September onwards and we saw the rate of returning customers increase to 85% by the end of the year. It was also in September 2015 that Dappad secured its first external investment – a milestone in our operations. This gave me the financial confidence to move into our first office in January this year.
In 2015, I managed to overcome not only the normal challenges every startup faces in its first year of existence, but I also succeeded in fighting the cancer I was diagnosed with at the same time I launched the company.
Dappad is proud to be a very child friendly company, both employees are young mothers juggling pregnancy appointments and childcare duties with the fast paced work environment we established in our office. The business had a challenging start, but the first year results are impressive and the pipeline is very promising, which gives me confidence for the years ahead.
All entries which meet the competition criteria are published and our judging panel select a shortlist of the top three for each category. Winners are announced at an awards ceremony in summer 2016.
