Featured SME
Female Fusion
July 4, 2024
Female Fusion’s Journey: Female Fusion began as a Facebook group and grew into a global digital community, supporting female entrepreneurs in starting, building, and growing their businesses.
Origin and Challenges: Female Fusion initially started by assisting women with general inquiries about starting their own business. As the pandemic hit, they realized the need to expand their services to a global market. Despite facing difficulties in securing funds, Beehive financing came through and enabled their growth through successful marketing campaigns to help them expand.
Expansion Plans: In the next 12 months, Female Fusion plan to expand their presence to more countries and launch a membership for women in business, corporate, and government roles.
Beehive Funding Success: Beehive played a crucial role in expanding their marketing and getting access to short-term funding. Learn more about their journey with Beehive through the Q&A below.
About Female Fusion
Female Fusion is a global digital community that supports female entrepreneurs in starting, developing, and expanding their businesses. They help women of all ages, nationalities, and cultures at all business stages. They have several types of companies, including product and service-based.
They provide all the tools required to succeed and thrive in business, including the right network, an online platform, business coaching, and discounts. In Autumn 2024, they will expand their membership and community to support all women in business.
Find out more about Female Fusion.
Q&A with Jen Blandos
Founding Partner & CEO, Female Fusion
How did the company start?
Female Fusion started in Dubai as a Facebook group, answering general business inquiries, such as which license type is best for each business.
Amidst the pandemic, we recognized the need for more support for female entrepreneurs. This realization propelled Female Fusion to become a paid member licensed in the DMCC. This strategic move not only equips us to provide the necessary resources but also unlocks a realm of exclusive benefits designed to support their members’ business journeys.
What are the top three challenges a new business could encounter?
We often see new businesses that don’t know where to start or do everything all at once, which can get them stuck later.
Once you’ve secured the necessary legal permissions, the most critical task is acquiring customers. Without a steady customer base, the business’s longevity is at risk.
Building your business and personal brand is crucial when setting up your business. This way, when you’re ready to launch, you’ll ideally have an eager audience waiting to purchase from you.
Listing the top challenges we commonly see among our members.
- Not having a network. Your network is your net worth.
- Neglecting marketing.
- Reluctance to ask for help. Many people around you went through what you’re going through; ask them!
- Keeping good track of your money.
What are your business plans for the next 12 months?
Over the next 12 months, we will expand our presence to more countries and launch a membership for women in business, corporate, and government roles.
We will work collaboratively to maximize the impact on female entrepreneurs. That includes helping them access funding and collaborating with large multinational companies to create opportunities for women-owned businesses to win contracts or be placed on procurement lists. Right now, women are only getting 1-2% of procurement.
What advice would you provide to someone considering turning their passion into a business idea?
We love seeing when people want to set up their businesses and will always encourage them by ensuring they’re doing it right. We would advise anyone to start a business to ensure there is a market for what they want to sell. That includes engaging with your target audience regularly and staying current on what they are looking for. What’s important is that you never rely solely on your friends and family because they will always tell you what you want to hear.
How did you find Beehive?
Beehive helped us connect our members at Female Fusion to access short-term funding.
What was it like before you used Beehive?
We aimed to expand our marketing for Female Fusion and access to short-term funding, which Beehive allowed us to do.
How did you use the funds you raised on Beehive? What issue was resolved or improved by Beehive’s product?
The funds we used from Beehive were invested into expanding our marketing worldwide through content, extra staffing, and ads, which helped us further build our reach and audience and fueled our growth. The financing we received from Beehive was returned within a few weeks through a successful marketing campaign.
Why did you choose Beehive for funding? What features contributed to your decision to use Beehive?
When you run your own business, you may come across opportunities that could help you generate more revenue or expand your business. These opportunities must often be acted upon quickly, sometimes within hours or days.
While traditional bank funding can be time-consuming, Beehive stands out with its swift and straightforward solution, providing entrepreneurs with the means to secure funding promptly.
How did you find the process? How did it compare to other options such as bank loans?
It was a fast and straightforward process. Because we have all our operational systems and finances in place as a business, pulling together and submitting all the required documentation from Beehive was easy. It didn’t take us much time to do at all.
What advice would you give to business owners considering funding? Would you recommend Beehive to other businesses seeking finance?
We highly recommend Beehive. It’s a great, quick solution, especially if you identify an opportunity or win a contract and need to move quickly but require additional funding.
It is also an efficient way to bridge the financing gap if you have outstanding invoices from suppliers that have not yet been paid. Many entrepreneurs encounter this challenge.
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