The Trailblazers Experience Podcast

EP83 Sofia Panwar From Law to Lingerie: Building a Million-Pound Business Without Investment

• Ntola • Season 5 • Episode 83

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Sofia Panwar, founder of Under Lingerie and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, shares her journey from corporate lawyer to building a million-pound business in just three years without external investment. Her vision to reframe lingerie as a tool for self-empowerment rather than sexualisation has resonated with thousands of women seeking to elevate their self-care routines.

 Chapters 
00:00:00 Introduction and Sofia's Background
00:03:00 The Birth of a Business Idea
00:09:00 Leveraging Social Media for Growth
00:15:00 The Role of Community and Feedback
00:21:00 Challenges and Triumphs in Entrepreneurship
00:27:00 Leadership and Team Building
00:33:00 Mindset Shifts and Entrepreneurial Tips
00:39:00 Trailblazer Takeaways
00:45:00 Closing Remarks and Future Outlook 

 FInd Sofia 
Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/unndrlingerie?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=bDljNHNhOTB5dXB1
Linkedin :  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-panwar-7b6421150/



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The Trailblazers Experience:

Welcome to another episode of the Trailblazers Experience podcast, the podcast where we have candid conversations with women sharing their career journeys. Today's guest and I know I say this every week is a real trailblazer, recently named Forbes 30 Under 30. She founded a monthly lingerie subscription business called Under. Welcome Sofia to the podcast.

Sofia Panwar:

Thank you so much, antola. Honestly thank you so much for having me. I'm really looking forward to getting in Such a pleasure.

The Trailblazers Experience:

I mean I met you last year at one of Nathan's events, so big up Nathan. You are such an inspiration. I mean, one of the headlines is going to be clickbait is scaled a business to a million pounds and we need to understand. How does that happen? What was the startup capital? Was it 10 quid? Was it a thousand quid, was it? Let's just get into the nitty gritty of everything. Let's start from the beginning. Tell me a bit about yourself, especially for the audience, and what led you then to become a founder.

Sofia Panwar:

Yeah, so I started three years ago. Just over three years ago I was a newly qualified lawyer. I was a newly qualified lawyer, I was working in the city and I was just so excited to get my teeth into this corporate world. I had aspired to want to help people. That was why I went into law and I soon very quickly realized that when I was at that desk that was not the reality of what I mentally thought I was going to be doing for the rest of my life, and I think it quickly shone a light to me that that was not what I wanted to do forever. And I honed in on what my purpose was as I was working this job that I really disliked, and it was really that getting down to the core of what I wanted to do, which was to help people, and I didn't feel like I was doing that from behind a desk. And so I remember when I would be at work you know I'd be on my phone on the slide, just because I didn't like what I was doing. So I was doing everything and anything to get away from what I was doing to find out what I really wanted to do, and it was when I was on socials and I kind of was just founder. Life was becoming this thing on socials, but I didn't really know much of it. Plus, I'd never really seen someone like myself on social media as a founder. Like it was very much for me and my background.

Sofia Panwar:

You go into a world of you know corporate, or you be a doctor or you do something that has a little bit more stability to it, and so being an entrepreneur was something that was never in my trajectory. It was never even something that I had even come across. And I saw this sort of. I saw social media and I saw what it could do and how it could propel certain people. And I kept that at the back of my mind during this job that I really didn't like and I had casted my mind back to lockdown when I. So lockdown was only a couple of months before I went into my job, because I was still at uni when I was when it was locked down.

Sofia Panwar:

So I went into this job and I remember thinking back to sort of some of the things I used to do when it was locked down. I was very much in tune with self-care. I was very much doing things for myself. I was finding my feet as a woman, I think, and it was like that time where I was transitioning between university and and becoming a lawyer that I really found myself. And one thing that I found during lockdown was lingerie, and it was something that I found for myself and it was we were all inside, you know, we weren't seeing anybody, and when I bought this lingerie it was purely for myself and I think that was such a powerful and, at the time, felt so insignificant. But now, when you look back in the grand scheme of things, what a powerful small move that was and I remember how amazing I felt in my own body.

Sofia Panwar:

So then, fast forward now to this job. And I'm there and I don't like it and I'm like what can I do to get myself out of this corporate world but still be able to fuel my passion of wanting to help people? Two and two sort of started making four in my head and I was like, oh, remember that time when you put on lingerie and you felt amazing and you were wearing lingerie for yourself. And I remember because I was so heavily on social media at the time I remember thinking, oh, I see so many lingerie brands and no one ever is portraying lingerie for yourself, and it was like a light bulb moment. I was like, oh my God, I'm actually onto something. I think this could be an amazing idea where we can utilize the use of lingerie for women and have it as a means of empowering yourself and a means of elevating your self-care, and that's sort of how the concept came about at the very beginning.

The Trailblazers Experience:

I mean that's amazing. What a clear moment of clarity. And you're so right, isn't it? The lingerie industry is geared towards hyper-sexualization for other people not actually I'm wearing it, for If we talk about Valentine's Day as a commercialized entity in itself, it's buy the red underwear for that person, when actually it should be all about you. You should dress well for yourself, you should take care of you for yourself.

The Trailblazers Experience:

An interesting moment of clarity because we have a lot of people who are studying and are finishing degrees, finishing apprenticeships, and still don't know what it is that they want to do. Actually, what you're saying is it's okay to go through that path, that journey, and then afterwards, if you want to pivot and do something, instead of waiting until it's too late and you're living a life of woulda, coulda, shoulda, actually pivoting and saying let me take a leap, you come up with that idea. Post-lockdown, post-union, like law ain't for me. I know the fundamentals of law, which is great. I'm sure it helps you in your business. Talk to me about how the business then started. So the clarity is there. I want to start this brand to empower women, yeah.

Sofia Panwar:

So it essentially started then with my phone. I had no other means of getting this idea out there. I didn't have any money. I had a little bit of money, but I didn't have the voice that I needed in the real world to be able to say to an investor like, hey, I've got this idea, or I just didn't know where to start. So my phone was the starting point and that phone really did take me to where I am now and it's such a powerful tool and I always talk about this on social media like you just need to have something you're passionate about, an idea that you're passionate about, and a story to tell.

Sofia Panwar:

And that was essentially what I did on my phone. So I started the Instagram page. I had a name, I had a concept. I didn't even have any stock. I literally was like if I don't do it now, when am I going to do it? Like it was, it was just a. Otherwise it would have been a waiting game. It would have been like I've got to wait for this to come, I've got to wait for this to be perfect. And sometimes you just need to put that to the side and you need to say I just need to start like whatever it is. I just need to do it and I'll learn as I go along.

Sofia Panwar:

So I made the Instagram page and initially I was using it as sort of like a Pinterest, so it was a mood board kind of space where I was posting like inspirational quotes. I was sort of hinting at this idea of this subscription. I was almost doing customer research without having a product and kind of just speaking the idea into existence. And then I started getting a little bit of traction. At the beginning. I started getting people following them and I'm just going to tell everybody my story. So I did that, I did that on TikTok and then the wheels really started to get into motion.

Sofia Panwar:

I was just being completely honest about who I was, so I told everybody I was a lawyer. I told everybody I don't have any business experience. I told everybody this is my idea. I hope you like it. I really want to build a community of women that are all about empowering themselves and wanting to wear lingerie for themselves and being able to integrate it into their self-care through a subscription service. And then the wheels just never stopped. It kept going, it kept growing and people just wanted to listen to what I wanted to say, and it was just an amazing start, and for something to have just been birthed from a mobile phone, I think it's absolutely insane.

The Trailblazers Experience:

It's so interesting about you saying I just started the page and said let me just see if people are actually genuinely interested in what I have to say, because I think that's actually the best way of doing it.

The Trailblazers Experience:

You know, sort of reverse engineering instead of saying, oh, I'm going to order the stock first and then see if I have someone to sell it to, you were like no, let's go the other way around and see if there is an interest. You know, are people actually also in that same vibe of lingerie and my quotes? Do they resonate with an audience? You're growing the social media. When did you know that you had something in? Because obviously you're with your phone? You know you're doing this in your bedroom, in your house, and we try to tell people not to get so much into social media because you can get into a world that is sort of a bubble. But when did you know actually this is not a bubble, this is something I here. There's genuine interest. When was that aha moment that there is something here?

Sofia Panwar:

I think for me it was really when I started to get those first couple of viral videos. It kind of just sold it to me that I'm on something here. Yes, it might be a viral video, but I also did not think it was down to luck either.

The Trailblazers Experience:

So your growth obviously exploded due to the viral social media content. Now we know viral content can just be people jumping on a trend, one hit wonder type of vibes but when did you know that actually this viral content is a key, key, key determinator for your business then growing?

Sofia Panwar:

I think for me, it was when we really started getting those views with the comments. I think the comment sections under well, my content anyway was so important and pivotal to how I then took the idea from being merely an idea to let's get the stock, let's actually make a business. And it was when I started reading the comments and it was like, oh, I would so get this. Oh, I'd send this to my boyfriend. I really want him to get me the subscription. I was like, hmm, people want it. Like, people actually want it. This isn't just a viral video where people like it and they're dropping memes underneath and they're you underneath and they're you know, they're just, they're just trolling the video. Like, no, people actually like it. People think it's an amazing and an incredible concept. So I ran with it and I was like, right, there we go. Everyone likes it, everyone in the world loves it. Now I need to go and buy some stuff and it's like funny.

The Trailblazers Experience:

No design background, no background. All I'm going to buy some stock. How, why, where, what do you know? What did you do?

Sofia Panwar:

I mean, at that time I was like right, google's my friend, google is my best friend. I'm going to utilize what I can with the internet. I literally typed in lingerie manufacturers and again I was back on that phone. I was sending emails. I was like, hey, and I sold.

Sofia Panwar:

You know, I went in with selling these companies, the dream. I was like, hey, I'm this new startup and I've got this vision and I've got X amount of people that are interested. I'm really looking to kind of test it with a small sample size and you kind of have to get people to become interested in you and ultimately sell someone a little bit of the dream to get yourself where you also need to be as well. And that's what I did at the beginning. I hustled hard because I knew that I wanted people to listen to me and I knew they wouldn't take me seriously if I was asking for, you know, 10 samples, especially when you're dealing with lingerie.

Sofia Panwar:

I mean, the intricacy and the way you manufacture a lingerie is not the same as normal apparel, in the sense that it takes certain seamstresses to be able to construct bras and underwears. They're a little bit more complex and so the MOQs are a lot higher than it is for a jumper or a t-shirt, and so it was really difficult at the beginning to be able to get people to listen and understand the idea, especially when I did not have the capital to be forking out 5,000 MOQs on lingerie. So it was about creating that relationship and being able to very quickly learn to put a business cap on, even though I had no idea, on you know, before that I was an employee. I was taking, you know, I was taking orders from somebody else, but when I was in this position, it was like nobody was giving me guidance. I almost had to find that within myself to be able to give myself orders, to be able to give myself the ability to do what I'm doing now.

The Trailblazers Experience:

That's so interesting there's. I love the fact that you post your journey and your story and you continue to remind people of where you started. And there's a video, a post of you on socials of when you had all those orders in your house that you were picking and packing yourself. Talk to me about that moment, because it's coming then full circle, isn't it? Where you realize, oh, my goodness, I'm not just someone who's designing lingerie and sending it to a few customers. When that happened, where all those orders are coming through, you're like, okay, this is great, I now actually have a business here. What was your first reaction?

Sofia Panwar:

I mean, my first reaction was like this is great, like this is incredible. Like I was literally screaming the house down, like everybody was getting excited. I had my sister, my mom, my dad, the whole house was packing. Like we had a system in place, like it was like we had fulfillment in this house. We could have been a 3PL. It was that organized, but obviously, of course, with like all the influx of orders and all the excitement, does a lot of chaos. Like there was a lot of things that landed on my plate very, very quickly. It was like overnight we were only doing like 10 orders a day or maybe even less than that, to sometimes 200 orders in a day. Like it really got out of hand and it was difficult because where I was so obsessed that everybody was else was obsessed and I was really building this incredible brand and, you know, still am doing that. At the time I think I'd only been about six months into running a business.

Sofia Panwar:

You know no one, although isn't it yeah, the achievement itself is incredible, but when you think about you know logistically like needing to be able to make sure that you know customer service emails are getting replied to sizing queries, returns, exchanges, like there's so many other little things that when you're in the middle of getting happy about sending out all these orders, you know you've also got to be able to make time for the customer care as well and the aftermath and all the other stuff that goes around an order that isn't just here you go, here's your lingerie, like there's other things that happen afterwards that you also need to be ready and equipped for.

Sofia Panwar:

And I think when you do get an influx of so many orders, you are also going to have that other sort of side of the coin, that is, you've got to deal with the aftermath. And sometimes I think for me I was up day and night packing orders and making sure everybody was getting what they wanted, and then afterwards it was like, well, where's the energy to then be able to, you know, help them with everybody else and I think everybody was everything was tumbling on top of me because it was a lot for one person and a few family members to be able to deal with.

The Trailblazers Experience:

So it accelerated really quickly in six months. You know you've talked about quite a few challenges there, which was the first one that you said, okay, I need to solve right now. Did you immediately say I have to outsource? That's a lot of hats to be wearing and I think putting your mom maybe as customer service'd be like what?

Sofia Panwar:

yeah what?

The Trailblazers Experience:

what was the first challenge? You were like okay, I have to mitigate this first, for me it was that customer service.

Sofia Panwar:

Like I wanted to make sure that I wasn't just a business that was, you know, merely just sending out product and then just didn't care about my customer. That just didn't sit right with me. It was never something that wanted to. I just didn't want to be a brand that was known for being like that. So customer care was definitely at the forefront and it was something that I wanted, um, a woman who also felt the same way as me to like, feel like that and feel a type of way towards the customer.

Sofia Panwar:

Like I didn't want to get somebody that just didn't care and saw it as a, you know, just a nine to five where I'd pay them and they'd sort it out. Like that for me just didn't sit right. So I was on the hunt to find somebody and an amazing person at that to be able to deal with customer care. So that was the first bit of outsourcing I did. But that did happen, probably a year later. So we started getting sort of the rush six months in. So I think I dealt with it for about six months. But I also wanted to be able to spend my time learning how to grow the business and do other things that I felt like my time was needed to be in, but then I also wanted to make sure that the customer care was being governed, and that was the first hire that I made.

The Trailblazers Experience:

Also, you know customer feedback is pivotal because I'm sure that was even shaping future designs, packaging or any of those hiccups that come across the way. And, interestingly enough, statistics do say, when you respond to a customer query or if they're disgruntled, if it's genuine, they actually do appreciate it. They really do, especially if it's coming from you, the founder, and you're in the DMs and the comments and responding, especially if it's coming from you, the founder, and you're in the DMs and the comments and responding. It's really, really powerful, versus having an automated response saying your query is being dealt with right now. It's like no, it's not, you've just put me on to something else. Community is very important for you. You've got your under girlies. I don't know if you've given them a name, we're called under well the group chat is called under the seams right.

Sofia Panwar:

I love that? Yeah, it's a little like nice little term yes and uh, yeah, we've, we've really community first.

The Trailblazers Experience:

That's something I did from the jump how do you stay connected to your community and what feedback has moved you the most? Obviously, when there are issues that moves you the biggest because that has to do with cash money 100, yeah, but what feedback in the last three that has to do with cash money I'm warning 100%, yeah, but what feedback in the last three years has been, you know, really really been something where you thought, wow, this is serious stuff here.

Sofia Panwar:

Yeah, I think for me we've had some incredible DMs and emails over the last three years and as much as I have customer care that deals with emails, I'm still logged into everything. I'm still logged into my Instagram. I deal with that. I always see a DM that comes in. I'm made very aware of emails that come in, good and bad. I like to know it all. I want to know what's going on. I don't want to sort of just like have my head in the sand. I want to know what's going on. I don't want to sort of just like have my head in the sand, like I want to know what's going on.

Sofia Panwar:

And I think it was a DM that I got a few months ago and it was a girl who had just got the all clear from cancer and she had sent me a DM saying that whilst I was in the hospital I'd been, you know, watching all your content, I love your lingerie and I said to myself that when I got the all clear that I really wanted to make a purchase from you and that really it just hit me, it just really hit me in a different place, I just was so touched that somebody had felt that type of way towards my business and that something that I was selling was so needed and so necessary for women and it was. When I get so that was probably the best DM I'd ever received. And I knew, and I you know, and that just is a constant reminder for me that even when times get tough and things are hard, or even when things are really good, you know it's always great to stay humble and remember you know why you're doing it and who you're doing it for. So I think, in terms of that, the community, just really, they really do, you know, pull through.

Sofia Panwar:

And it's funny, when I have a down day, I almost sometimes get that DM where it's like like, hey, I just got your order and I loved it, and it was like I see it as signs. I'm like I feel like, in a way, I'm, I'm always connected to the community, even when I don't realize it. Like I always get a little sign and I'm like, yeah, cool, I need to, I need to keep going. This is, this is great.

The Trailblazers Experience:

I think it comes back to what you were saying about self care and being sexy for yourself, dressing up for for yourself. You know, the fact is, when people are in hospital, my sister's a doctor and she said you can always tell the ones who, when they've been given a rube, who you know, dress it up or don't, or bring their favorite piece of a gown, or you can tell the different personality types that are there in hospital wards itself. I remember when I did High Rocks last year, there was a woman who I'll never forget. I think she'd had her mastectomy so she ran topless and it was such a moment. You know she's there, she's a survivor and she's doing High Rocks and she's topless. She did the whole thing topless. I was like, wow, this is just. This is what it's all about isn't it?

Sofia Panwar:

It's not about the other moments as well.

The Trailblazers Experience:

So this year you've been named Forbes 30 Under 30, which is a huge milestone. You started the business from zero to a million pounds, that is, in three years. People are still with no investment in terms of outsiders and things like that just you and your co-founder. This is a big milestone. What did this moment mean to you from a personal and professional perspective?

Sofia Panwar:

From a personal level, I was thinking to myself. I remember the first thing I thought when I got the email, because you don't know that you're going to get it. You kind of just wake up in the morning and you either get an email or you get someone that's beaten you to the email. That's like I've seen you on the list. But for me, I got the email. I remember I was like I opened it with one eye.

Sofia Panwar:

My first thought was that I cannot believe a girl from Ilford in East London has gotten herself onto the Forbes 30 under 30 list, Like for some reason. That was the first thought that came into my head and I just, I just remember thinking that I think from a personal level, to have come so far from from where I live, where we're definitely we're definitely up and coming now, but I think it's a huge milestone for myself to be able to have seen the area and where I come from and to want more and to then have been able to have expressed myself to Forbes and them actually take me in and think you know what she is, someone to look out for and someone to watch for in the next couple of years. And from a personal point of view, I felt like I'd made such an achievement in terms of where I've come from and where I am and I think, on a personal level, incredible. From a professional level, again, it's definitely opened up doors in terms of the way people perceive me.

Sofia Panwar:

I very much bang on online about being a bedroom business and where that is definitely my roots and where I have birthed this business and it's definitely always going to be true to who this business is. It just goes to show that you can build something incredible with no investment, nothing fancy going on around you, just having an incredible story and an amazing way of storytelling and also people really valuing what you do in your product and I think that spoke you know, that spoke tremendously in terms of Forbes, even you know, when they, when they were reading the application, they obviously really, you know, liked that idea. And, yeah, I think, on both personal and professional level, it's been, it's been a really amazing achievement to have under my belt.

The Trailblazers Experience:

I think also representation. You know a woman of Asian descent. It's important to see that representation there as well because, as we know, it's always a certain profile that is portrayed to have only have started businesses and grown it. So you're inspiring lots of women as well. Let's talk about balancing visibility and vulnerability. Last week, I did a session for a few women talking about how visibility is key. Personal brand, professional brand, product brand. You need to make sure you are visible on all the mediums. How do you balance that? Because obviously, you're being authentic. Storytelling is key. You've got a great product, a great business model, but how do you balance that with being vulnerable, especially as a young woman in business?

Sofia Panwar:

I think that's an incredible question. I think online I am very open to expressing my wins as much as my struggles, and I think that is really important for women on the internet to know that it is okay to struggle. It is normal to not feel okay 100% of the time and I think it's, you know, it's really interesting when you're on for anybody listening or even yourself, if you ever stumble on business talk or whatever they call it.

Sofia Panwar:

Online, it can be very dominated by men and the way men view and sometimes express themselves in business is very different to how you know us. Women also do business and how we express ourselves, and I think there's definitely a certain kind of sugarcoating from men in terms of when they speak on business and they don't. You know, always from a woman's point of view. I think it's really important to be able to express it from who we are and how we deal with things and how it's not always rainbows and sunshines and it's okay to struggle, and I think it's that narrative of things being okay and that's why I like to bring online, because I think visibility can feel like pressure to always, you know, have it together, but vulnerability, you know, that's what actually builds trust. I think um showing the tough days doesn't necessarily make you weaker.

The Trailblazers Experience:

It just makes you more relatable, and that's powerful in business yeah, I love what you said about that and that's why I think we are both in awe of Emma Greed, isn't it with her? The way she's just very open, very honest, very direct about you know how their jobs that she didn't want to do, but she had to do them because that was where she was at that moment.

The Trailblazers Experience:

About you know how their jobs that she didn't want to do, but she had to do them because that was where she was at that moment. And you know, take the call, take the take the job, take the opportunity. It may not be the one that you want right now, but she's just been really open about that. Yeah, as well, and to your point of at least. We're seeing different narratives, especially a female perspective of what it feels like to run a business, what it feels like to be vulnerable, and it's authentic in itself to inspire others too.

Sofia Panwar:

Yeah, absolutely.

The Trailblazers Experience:

Let's talk about startup realities. Now you've talked about a few challenges that you've had Three years in. You know going on four. What's one misconception that people have about building a brand from scratch? So one that you think, man on for. What's one misconception that people have about building a brand from scratch? So one that you think, man, hindsight is an interesting thing. If I was to do something differently, one up, what would it be?

Sofia Panwar:

I think a misconception that people have is that it's glamorous. I think we the internet loves to romanticize being an entrepreneur and I think it is only romantic, probably only 10% of the time. I think, realistically, 90% of the time is very unglamorous graft. That's what I call it. It's unglamorous graft. It's a load of spreadsheets, it's customer complaints, it's late nights, like that's what it really is, like. That is the. That is the graft of business.

Sofia Panwar:

And I think, again, online it's very easy to get misconstrued in and see it for the 10% of the highlights that people show and the business is every single day putting out fires. It's problem after problem. It's you get a massive win followed by an equally as massive low, and I always see business as an equilibrium and I always view it as scales and I always, I always see it as if it. You know, if your wins are going to be this big, I feel like your lows will equally match that win as well, and that's how you view it and I think for me that is how I stay kind of sane as well, how I view it, because if you let the lows always kick you down, you're never going to get. I don't think you'll ever get anywhere in business because it is just part of it, and I think that is definitely a misconception that people have.

The Trailblazers Experience:

Yeah, and also this thing of staying grounded. It keeps you grounded, isn't it? You've not suddenly gone on. Now that you've achieved this revenue, suddenly have a staff of 30, and yeah, no way you are as lean audience. She's a lean mean machine in front of me in terms of keeping costs low, keeping it ground. You know you're still operating like that person who was still shipping from your bedroom, and I think that's keeping you grounded and focused and will help you grow the business sustainably. Is is really key as well.

Sofia Panwar:

Yeah, absolutely.

The Trailblazers Experience:

What's your approach to leadership? So you've done, you know, a few podcasts, a few talks, representing your community, representing women in business. What is your approach to leadership? You may have a small team, but still even working with third party suppliers or agencies or your manufacturers. That still requires you know some leadership skills there. What do you think are the key strengths you've developed over these three years that you think you know what? These are the big hitters that are helping me as a leader?

Sofia Panwar:

Yeah, I definitely focus on building a team that feels personally invested on the mission. I think that is so key. Over the years, I've definitely come across people that have thought they have been equipped and they thought we were meeting minds, but when it really comes down to that graft and that grit and actually wanting to be on the journey and on the mission to pursuing something so much bigger than anybody could ever imagine, you know it takes a certain level of compromise and you know wanting to be the best and do the best, and I think that is so important in a team. And I think I, as a leader, have to be that person first and foremost, because I feel like people can't follow somebody. That is not what they are preaching. So I definitely, you know, show up, I am that leader, I am that person, I am that woman that's going to go out every day and, you know, get what she wants, and I think that is also really inspiring for a team. And then when you have got that team, that can equally give it back to you as well, and they are, you know, coming to you with that same level of grit and that same level of enthusiasm that you give your own work and when you see it back from a team member, you know that they're on for that journey. You'll know that they're on for a good ride of wanting to help you take your company from X to X. So I think that's definitely a very important trait for a team to have. But I also want everybody to feel like they're building with me and not for me, and I think that is a really important culture to be able to bring to the team and to really hone in that we are building this for the people. We are building this for everybody.

Sofia Panwar:

I never make it selfish. It's never from a place of, you know, I want to win because I want to do it for myself, like I think that is where your downfall in your team will be, and I think it's you need to be very clear on why you started your business and who you're doing it for. And I think sometimes online you can kind of see sometimes some founders. You can kind of tell the way they express themselves. Sometimes it feels like it's coming from a selfish place. Like I can always tell when I've when a founder's really doing it for the people and that, for me, is as a founder that I want to be. I want to definitely be that kind of founder that's doing it for the people, and I think it's really important that your team is also in that same mindset and they're all in line of how you lead and how, and ultimately then that will delay how they will work as well.

Sofia Panwar:

And I also think the third thing that I've learned in the last three years is that listening is so important, like I listen more than I speak.

Sofia Panwar:

Definitely I listen more than I speak, and I also think that me you know, being in business for the last three years I don't know it all.

Sofia Panwar:

I might think I do. I don't know it all. And I think I really value having team members to be able to shine their light on a situation, shine their light on a problem, shine their light on an idea and I know that you know my word is not always Bible so I love to be able to listen and to be able to take on board and come to a harmonious decision on certain things. Of course, sometimes as a leader, you do need to, sometimes, if you feel strongly about something, definitely go with your gut, but I also very much value my team and their ideas and I think that is what creates a harmonious team. You know, not always being a tyrant, as to speak, so sometimes you know, listen and actually take on board what others have to say and what others think, because they are also on that journey with you too. They're learning every single day, so I think it's really important to be able to be at one with your team.

The Trailblazers Experience:

I think that last part about active listening and picking a team who understands the mission, the vision, who will want to be on that journey with you, because if they're not on that journey, it's just a recipe for disaster, isn't it? You always think, oh, I should take on this person because they exhibit this talent or skillset, but if everything else doesn't fit, the emotional intelligence is there? Them taking things personally, them thinking it's all about them, it's just a disaster. Even if that business acumen side is 100%, it's the other end of the coin, isn't it that you need to also be with you on that journey too? How do you stay creatively inspired? So you've recently, you know, gone on the TikTok journey, and really intensely as well. Yeah, you've pivoted, you've been agile and said, right, let's do this. How do you stay inspired? So, even just going on TikTok or new designs, thinking of launching new product lines with the loungewear, where does that come from?

Sofia Panwar:

For me, it comes from my extracurricular activity that I do around my business. I need that breathing space. You know. I need, at least, you know, an hour in my day to be able to do what I want to do to better my own being, to be able to and for the audience.

The Trailblazers Experience:

what is this extracurricular activity?

Sofia Panwar:

they're like what is she doing? Like what is she doing? So, some sort of movement. So you know, every single day I'm either either at the gym recently I've been playing a lot of tennis, that's another one. I like to do some form of movement running.

Sofia Panwar:

I love just doing something, and I'm never one to do the same thing every single day as well. I don't know if that's a bad habit, that's a bad trait to have, but I love to mix it up, like I'm sometimes a week in the gym, then next week I'm a week in the tennis court, the week after that I'm running in the park. I never like to do one thing, and I think that also helps my creativity, because I'm never in the same, I'm never doing the same thing, like my routine is forever changing. I do have somewhat of a structured routine, but whatever the contents of that routine is always changing. I think that what's that? What that is, what help keeps my brain and my ideas fresh, because when I then come down to sit down, sometimes I'm like oh, I had this thought when I was slamming the ball at this time, at this point.

Sofia Panwar:

Know, sometimes my mind is it's always on what I'm doing, but I'm always thinking about the business in the background. I never fully switch off, but what is nice is that when I'm in these settings where I'm not at the desk and I'm not at a laptop, but I'm doing something else whilst thinking of my business, it often does get those creative juices flowing and I start to think about things that when I then come to the desk I don't know my thought process is a lot clearer. So I think taking time to be able to do something for yourself, whatever that might be, that is not necessarily just at your laptop, because I think we as founders and entrepreneurs fall into a very slippery slope of being on the laptop 24 seven, and I think it's okay to take some time to go and do what you need to do to fill your cup, and that is then ultimately what then leads to a bit more creativity on my side and to be able to come up with these amazing launch product ideas and all the rest of it.

The Trailblazers Experience:

Well, someone had said the most important years of your entrepreneurial journey are the first few years of building that business.

The Trailblazers Experience:

That'll be the most exciting because when you're a 10 million, 20 million, 40 million business, you're going to have a team. They're going to be people doing, you know, teams for design, et cetera. It's all established and you still need to remember who you are, you know. Coming back full circle to that whole self-care element is so important, with health being more important than anything of financial value. The fact that you've said, right, I'm going to invest in that and use that time is so key. And, like you said, entrepreneurship is a lonely journey, isn't it? People think, well, you've got your network, you've got people you talk to, but ultimately it is you with your ideas, thinking about what to do next, thinking about what to solve. Even if you're working with a co-founder, advisors, it's still. You're speaking to them once a week or once a month. It's still a very lonely journey. So the fact that you're into sports, which is really important and girl changing up is not a bad thing.

The Trailblazers Experience:

It's a good thing, actually Good. Now we had a chat the other day because P Louise has made history with her epic TikTok live stream. She's sold out of her Christmas, advent calendars and things like that and her story is really brilliant. How she started and when you read whether it's LinkedIn or et cetera, people have a love-h hate relationship with with TikTok. It's always to TikTok or not to TikTok. That is the question. How have you found your TikTok journey?

Sofia Panwar:

My TikTok journey has been insightful. I have thoroughly enjoyed being on TikTok. So, for anybody who doesn't know, I have recently come back on to TikTok and I set myself a little challenge and I was going live every single day as the founder for 30 days. But I ended up doing it for 60 days instead because I couldn't help myself.

The Trailblazers Experience:

You enjoyed it so much. I did enjoy this so much.

Sofia Panwar:

I was on for six. For two months straight, I literally my whole calendar was cancelled out. Anybody who wanted to see me on the weekends was two months straight, I literally my whole calendar was canceled out. Anybody who wanted to see me on the weekends was not seeing me. I was dedicated to the cause and I learned so much in two months. I learned so much about not only my current customer but potential customers, new customers I learned so much about. I learned so much about sizing. I learned so much about what colors people gravitated towards.

Sofia Panwar:

I was on those live streams for anywhere between three to six hours every single day and I was constantly. That was amazing, thank you. It was hard. It was really and it got really mentally challenging. It was a mental game at one point because it was so easy to have just said you know what? I just want to take a day off today. I just don't want to do it. But I needed to prove myself right. I wanted to show up. I really wanted to do it for my brand. I wanted to do it for my customer. I wanted to do it for my team. I just wanted to do it for everybody around me. So I went on every single day and I learned so much.

Sofia Panwar:

We also did a good amount of sales as well, which was nice because, again, the people over at TikTok were liking the brand. They were loving the designs, they were loving who we are. They loved that I could talk to them as a founder and really build up that rapport with the customer and I was able to help them with sizing then and really build up that rapport with the customer and I was able to help them with sizing then and there. They didn't have to wait a couple of hours for an email. They got the response then and there. Anything they wanted to know they would get it in less than a second and I think that was well. That is such a powerful tool that people need to understand TikTok can unlock for you and it is a selling channel that I think, if you are not on, it is definitely something for you to consider. And I know people think it is Marmite.

Sofia Panwar:

Essentially, you either like it or you don't, but I think it is really dependent with how you show up on the platform. It's very much in your control. You know, if you want to come on and be a little bit more luxury, I've seen so many brands that have come on recently. Who have I seen? I've seen Shark.

Sofia Panwar:

You know the Hoover company like they sell like two, three hundred pound Hoovers, but they're on TikTok and they've got a really nice professional setup. They've got a nice camera. No one's shouting at the screen, it's calm, very collected. They've got you know a nice healthy three, four hundred people on the live stream and they're buying. So I think it really depends with how you show up and how you want your brand to come across on TikTok. You know, and it's, the power is in your hands and I think you stopping yourself because of what other people think of the platform is not a good enough excuse not to use it. And I think that if you can mentally push past that feeling, if you get on TikTok, you can learn so much about your business and it can also be a very, very nice, viable stream of income as well to be able to make some good money from there too.

The Trailblazers Experience:

Yeah, I've not heard anyone say that TikTok has been negative, because a lot of brands unfortunately even founders have a negative experience with the shadow banning. That's happening on other platforms we won't name names, but and they're seeing that they're not getting follows, likes, comments. They've all just suddenly disappeared and yet on TikTok it's. It is what it is. It, you know, rewards you. Yes, there is the algorithm, but the fact that you can have those conversations and someone can say well, what about sizing, what about this? And I think, ultimately reduces returns rates because it takes away the uncertainty. You're appreciative that the founders had this conversation with you and answered the key questions and then you sort of think, okay, right, I can make that purchase as well. So well done for your day stint, I'll be back.

The Trailblazers Experience:

Yeah, yeah as well. Let's talk about marketing, and you did something really exciting which, when you told me about it, I was like, yes, this is, this is the kind of creative juices that are flowing I'm sure whether it was you were doing a bench press or, you know, playing tennis when this came up is given the opportunity to participate in a Drake Party Next Door video, which is tapping into a new audience and, you know, got you to have some free product placement as well. How did that come about?

Sofia Panwar:

Also, may I add, when I told you the first time you were actually about to scream, that was your reaction you were going to scream, I know.

The Trailblazers Experience:

I was not free. I should have been in the video as well.

Sofia Panwar:

You should have been in it too. Well, next time I'm sure we'll get another opportunity to film one, and I've got your number, so I'll definitely be giving you a call. But no, it was an amazing. It was such a surreal moment. It was again like not one that I thought was going to be on my bucket list for 2025. I mean, I didn't. I didn't wake up on January 1st and thought, okay, this year you and your brand are going to be featured in a Drake video. Like that just was never. It was never on the cards, like it just was never a thought.

Sofia Panwar:

But the opportunity came forward to my co-founder, who is also a director, a music, oh, a commercial music video director in his other life Taron in his other life. That is what he does, and he thought naturally, that a really amazing, nice concept for the video was to hone in on self-love and women and what incredible powerhouses that we are. And the video highlighted a woman's fragrance shoot. That was the actual concept and it was for a OVO perfume and I was the kind of what I do now, but for a.

Sofia Panwar:

So I was like a CEO of a fragrance company and I was sort of on set and I had all my girls with me and it was a very it was just a female only set in the video and the mother of pal set featured in the video as well, which was nice and the model looked great and we all looked great and we had a great time and it was just a really nice talking point thereafter on socials. It was a great sort of tick on the sort of credibility box for just us as a brand and I think it really hit a different, a different kind of girl and a different kind of audience as well and I think that opportunity was just an incredible one. I mean one of the biggest artists in the world. I mean it's an incredible opportunity and for me to be in it as well was super fun.

The Trailblazers Experience:

Well, there you go. I mean, you've got like content there, for I hope you've created some assets for.

Sofia Panwar:

I'm going to keep going. I'm going to keep going, I'm not going to stop. I need to keep talking about it.

The Trailblazers Experience:

I think that's it and it comes. It comes back to whether you're an established brand or you just started rethinking about how do you tap into your audience, how do you showcase your brand, how do you showcase your product? What platforms are there? All these things that you've talked about, all digital. You haven't done any pop-ups, you don't have any bricks and mortar, you're not in concessions. This is all D2C, using digital to the best of its ability to drive what needs to happen, and I think, yes, of course, bricks and mortar are really important as well, but there is also a space for growing businesses on the other side, which is digital, and I think you've shared lots of little nuggets and tips for people to take on board. Going full circle, what is one mindset shift that has helped you go from, you know, being an employee working?

The Trailblazers Experience:

for somebody else to an entrepreneur that you are. That's still staying true to you right now as well.

Sofia Panwar:

Yeah, it's got to be that nobody is going to come and give me permission to do something, and I think that was definitely a mindset shift that helped me transition from being that employee to being an entrepreneur and understanding that I am accountable for my own decisions, whether they are good or bad ones. You have to stand by them, you have to take a level of accountability and just know that no one's going to give me permission for what I want to do. So I've got to go out and stand on 10 toes and make sure that I do it to the best of my ability. And if you know it hasn't gone as planned, you know you hold your hands up and you keep it moving and I think as an employee, it's very.

Sofia Panwar:

You get into that routine of not doing something or waiting for permission or waiting for your manager to let you know something, and you know when you leave all of that behind and you are at this desk and you are in charge of your team and you've got manufacturers and you've got 3PLs.

Sofia Panwar:

You've got all these people in this mixture and you are the sole person in charge. There's a lot of pressure as well. You know when you wake up every day you're like right, I am the person that needs to take me from here to here, because I've got people to pay and I've got this and I want that, and you just need to know that the decisions you make, you need to just back yourself and you've got to really just just run. You know, run with the sorry, you just got to go with the I can't think of that, the phrase is lost with the punches. You just have to kind of go along with with what it is and just stay true to yourself and you as as an entrepreneur and just know that. You know I needed to stop basically looking for validation and started backing my own decisions.

The Trailblazers Experience:

I mean, that's, that's brilliant, because I think that's why a lot of people are stuck in a rut. You know, there must be someone out there right now who's stuck in a job, has a big idea, and they just don't even know where to go, what to start, because obviously there's a financial element as well, isn't it? When you're working for someone, you know there's that paycheck that's coming every month, but when you're in business, well, everything is reliant on you. So it's a big shift in mindset as well.

Sofia Panwar:

Yeah, absolutely is reliant on on you, so it's a big shift in in mindset as well. Yeah, absolutely.

The Trailblazers Experience:

We're coming to the end of the podcast where I always ask um our guests to give three trailblazer tips that can just help our viewers, our audience, along the way. What would yours be?

Sofia Panwar:

mine would be utilize social media. It is free, so you might as well pick up your phone, take a picture, even if you're not comfortable with showing yourself. You don't have to. You can, honestly, just use your phone and post something. It will take you that little step further to where you want to be.

Sofia Panwar:

Secondly, I say don't care about what other people think. I think that is definitely something that can stop us in our tracks. It can often stop us from chasing our dreams. You know, make sure that you are in your own lane, listening to your own thoughts, and show up for yourself. Do it for you. That is another thing.

Sofia Panwar:

The second thing I would say say and lastly, I would say that if you are sitting on a concept, an idea, something that you really want to make a reality, make it a reality.

Sofia Panwar:

You know, don't just sit on this dream thinking I'll do it one day, because you'll never actually activate on it. You know you'll never have that day where it's like right, I'm ready. And I think that is what I've circled back to at the beginning of this podcast that I mentioned that even when I started my Instagram page, I wasn't ready. I didn't have product, I didn't have anything, I just had an idea and a name and I think you can as a person, and if you have a great idea, just start. I know that sounds daunting but it is. You know it is a daunting step, but as an entrepreneur, you've got to take these little risks. You've got to do things that you don't want to do, and you've often got to do things out of your comfort zone in order to grow. So that is the third point I would give to anybody listening to the podcast.

The Trailblazers Experience:

Sofia, I am inspired Thank you so much for sharing your journey, your story. I mean, you're only just at the beginning and I look forward to interviewing you again when there's some more milestones coming up for your business. It's really great to hear a really straightforward story. You're not a trust fund baby. You're not a this. It's like I'm not a trust fund baby. You're not a this, it's like I'm not a trust fund.

Sofia Panwar:

Baby From.

The Trailblazers Experience:

East London, started her business and grown it to a million pound business. That is something that we just need. We need these stories. They're authentic, they are out there, and I'm sure you have motivated someone to just get going as well.

Sofia Panwar:

No, thank you so so much for having me. I've had an amazing chat and I hope to be back on here with you in the future. So thank you so much.

The Trailblazers Experience:

Brilliant Sofia. For those who don't know you, where can they find you on the socials? I'll put them all in the show notes, but just for everybody else, you can find me on Instagram at under lingerie.

Sofia Panwar:

I have also got my own account there, Sofia Panwar, that you can also follow on Instagram and on TikTok. We are under lingerie as well.

The Trailblazers Experience:

Awesome and for the audience. Well, this has been the Trailblazers Experience podcast. Sofia said it. You don't need permission to start, just conviction. So until next time you know where to follow us, follow, subscribe. All the episodes are on Spotify, apple, youtube or wherever you listen to your podcast. So until then, thank you very much, thank you.