“You cannot underestimate the importance of failure;
in many ways it’s more important than instant success.”
Serena Oppenheim is the founder of Now Cure Me, an online platform bringing together user-generated remedies, tips & tricks from around the world into one platform allowing users to have a menu of options to heal themselves of everyday complaints whilst incorporating advice from a wide range of health experts that share interesting remedies for all manner of common ailments – from brain freeze to bee stings.
Graduating from Columbia Business School, Serena initially founded Now Cure Me while she was based in New York, before moving back to her home in London to launch the website with the support of her friends and family. All content on the site is user-generated, often from recognised experts in their respective fields. The overarching aim is to collate quick tips on health, happiness and beauty from all four corners of the globe…
The moment that ignited the spark in me to start a business was…
At Columbia Business School in New York. I always knew I wanted to start a business for myself but I never knew what exactly that would be. During my time at Columbia, I developed a number of ideas for companies but they didn’t get off the ground – as often happens in the entrepreneurial arena. I wanted to pursue a worthwhile venture, and started paying real attention to the conversations I was having, and the challenges that people around me faced.
My sisters both have young kids, and I soon realised that the they were frequently asking the same type of question, particularly by those of the older generation – ‘What do you do for your kid’s… constipation, sunburn, mosquito bites.’ The list goes on.
It quickly became clear that people from different backgrounds have different remedies for common ailments. I was convinced that there’d be an amazing website which details all of these common issues and their homespun remedies. It turns out there wasn’t, which sparked the idea for Now Cure Me.
The website has now been live just over six weeks, but we’ve spent the past 12 months building a huge bank of content and a network of users. We currently have 50+ health and wellness experts listed on the site who are contributing their own health tips & articles. The aim is to double that over the coming months.
The thing that’s most surprised me since I made that move is…
I was based in the US during the first ten months of working on the site, before moving back to the UK earlier this year. I was very surprised by how much entrepreneurial support is available now compared to when I left the UK three years ago. I was also delighted to see how much the health and wellness scene has exploded in that time, especially in London.
The thing that has personally surprised me is the support from friends, family and the community within the tech scene itself. I never expected how many people would be willing to meet up over a cup of coffee following a simple introduction. It shows that if you have real desire, determination and belief in your idea, people will go out of their way to help you.
The toughest challenge I’ve faced is…
The toughest challenge isn’t just one single thing; it’s cumulative. You have to keep everything moving forward at the same time, without dropping any balls, whilst simultaneously creating a buzz and excitement from nothing, on very little budget.
Having the energy to do this is not always easy, but that’s part and parcel of the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. You often get conflicting advice from others, so it can be hard to know which areas to prioritise first – you always have to make a decision, after all.
My biggest success has been…
For me, the biggest success comes in ten years’ time when we’re reaching millions of people and they’re able to access a huge range of health tips, pulled together from all over the globe. That’s what drives me, and gives me something to aim for.
I’m very good at…
If you focus too much on one thing, then you’re in danger of leaving other areas underdeveloped. Every aspect of the company has to move forward together.
The process of achieving real business growth is like playing chess against six different people simultaneously: two are irrational players, two are playing normally and two are playing draughts but you haven’t realised yet. And if you checkmate against any of them, you’ve lost!
The type of person I look to recruit into my organisation is…
Recruiting people to drive growth is so exciting. One of our health experts approached us in the last month to come on board full-time, to help edit our sections and grow the company further. You have to admire that type of enthusiasm and belief in the business. A genuine willingness to work hard is so important, especially at this early stage, and you need people who don’t shy away from getting their hands dirty.
The part of my day I most look forward to is…
No two days look the same. One day might be spent in meetings with potential investors, another might be spent editing the site and posting articles, then another interviewing contributors and generating ideas for content, working with the developers on the website, testing things – no two days are the same.
It’s busy but it’s completely worth it because I know that I’m working towards achieving my vision – to do well by doing good.
If I could give my 18-year old self one piece of advice it would be…
Things have a way of panning out in the end, as long as you work hard, stay positive and support others when you can. It’s cheesy, but true. Life really does have a weird way of working out in the end, and more often than not, great ideas are borne out of other ideas that completely fell through.
You cannot underestimate the importance of failure; in many ways it’s more important than instant success.
Outside of work I can be found…
Sleeping! No, in all seriousness I love spending time with my family and friends, my young nieces and nephews – and for me that’s a great way of switching off, but it’s also useful to get advice from people who genuinely care about you and your company.
I spend the majority of my time working, it’s true, but I love my job. That genuinely makes it easy to throw open the curtains every morning.
My philosophy on life is…
My philosophy is the same as a lot of people of my generation, which is to do well, by doing good. Increasingly, the mission of business is less about personal greed and more about supporting others – it’s refreshing to see, and a fantastic outlook to have.
If I was asking the questions, I would want to know…
I find it really useful to meet with other entrepreneurs and discuss their businesses and the ways in which they cope with different issues.
I like asking people about what keeps them up at night, because that can be quite revealing and shows what a person is truly engaged with. For me, I sometimes get a brainwave whilst I’m in bed for a new piece feature, and other times, I may have forgotten to email somebody and that suddenly shoots to the front of my mind.
What I like about Ignition Law…
What do I not like about Ignition Law?! Honestly, I love the fact that when we’re working on something, they respond so quickly to me. The relationship is always very calm, and they just get things done. As an entrepreneur that’s exactly what you’re looking for – you want things to move on, and quickly.
