19 November 2023, 13:10
Emily started Bambon Haircare just before the pandemic.
Image: handout
“I always wanted to work in fashion,” Emily tells LBC. “Other kids said they wanted to be doctors or vets…whereas I was making clothes for plastic dolls.”
Emily Pomeroy-Smith’s journey to fulfill her “lifelong passion” was not a simple one, she took an unusual journey to get there.
Like most people, Emily thought the best route would be through education, so she went to university and studied fashion.
The pursuit of her dream was interrupted when she was forced to leave university to care for her ailing father.
“I had this choice… I couldn’t look after my dad, stay at university and keep a roof over our heads, so I had to work,” she told LBC.
In the midst of the financial crisis, Emily ended up going in a completely different direction: working in property.
It was not the most gratifying career for her, but she was “satisfied” and it gave Emily a “reasonably comfortable life”.
That was until she was put on maternity leave.
Bambon began in Emily’s bedroom.
Image: handout
With her financial situation deteriorating and no job on the horizon, Emily is forced to start claiming benefits, all the while sewing children’s clothes and trying to sell them to make ends meet.
He said, “It was an opportunity for me to start my own business…but it didn’t go particularly well.”
“I was really struggling to make ends meet.”
Emily’s luck began to change just before the pandemic, though not in the way she expected.
In January 2020, she shared her hair wrap recipe on social media — and it went viral.
From benefits to boss
Bambon Haircase has had incredible success.
Image: handout
After just three months, Emily’s business quickly transformed from an idea inside her head to a full-fledged business.
He could never have imagined what happened next. In reality, all she wanted was to earn enough to take care of the children.
“That was the pinnacle of my ambition,” she said.
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By September 2020, Emily’s business – Bambon Haircare – had turned over £10,000.
In its third year of trading, the company has made a turnover of more than £100,000 and sales have increased by 40 per cent since July.
Bambon Haircare has also gone global, shipping products to 40 different countries.
But, Emily’s success as a disabled mother has not been easy.
Emily suffers from EDS Type 3, POTS, MCAS, chronic migraine, osteoporosis, Raynaud’s, and chronic fatigue.
Image: handout
Several years ago, Emily was diagnosed with EDS Type 3, POTS, MCAS, chronic migraine, osteoporosis, Raynaud’s, and chronic fatigue.
“Coming to terms with my new normal was challenging to say the least, from wearing four-inch heels on my wedding day to needing a cane and eventually a wheelchair, coming to terms with being disabled was not easy,” she said.
“I’ve definitely gone through a grieving process.”
Emily’s disability can impact how much time and energy she is able to put into her business, often at a moment’s notice.
Over the years, Emily has been forced to learn how to “calm herself down” so she doesn’t burn out, a process that seems to be working.
Despite achieving huge success in a short time, Emily says she’s enjoying the little things again – extra takeaways or meals they weren’t able to afford before.
“We may even potentially be able to go on overseas holidays again,” he said.