JustBe Botanicals Enters Virgin Media VOOM Competition
In April 2016, JustBe Botanicals entered Virgin Media's VOOM competition, one of the UK's most high-profile small business pitch competitions, offering entrepreneurs a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pitch directly to Sir Richard Branson.
VOOM attracted thousands of entries from ambitious businesses across the UK. The competition was fierce, the stakes were real and the visibility it offered, regardless of the outcome, was extraordinary. Entering felt bold.
Why Virgin VOOM Mattered
At the heart of the VOOM pitch was a simple question: what makes JustBe Botanicals special enough to deserve a bigger stage?
The answer was the same then as it is now. Natural, hand-blended products formulated around how you want to feel. A philosophy that puts emotional wellbeing at the centre of skincare and aromatherapy. A brand built not on trends, but on genuine conviction - that nature, intention and the power of scent can help people feel more like themselves every single day.
Putting that into a pitch, on camera, for one of Britain's most celebrated entrepreneurs, was both terrifying and galvanising.
What Happened Next
The VOOM journey didn't end with the initial entry. Getting to the first stage relied on the public vote, so I asked everyone that I knew and everyone that I met including commuters at Haymarket Station and travelling on the London Underground. I would hand out mini strips of paper with the voting details. It was before the time of QR codes.
To raise awareness for the competition, Virgin Media held a photoshoot in London and I was invited to take part as one of just eleven companies selected from over 7,500 entries The photograph was chosen as Picture of the Day by the Huffington Post, seen by thousands of people who had never heard of JustBe Botanicals before.
Reaching the first stage - the live Pitchthon was thrilling as it reached a Guinness World Record and was streamed live including on large screen at Euston Station in London.
It was, by any measure, a game-changing experience. Not just because of the prize, but because of everything the journey unlocked, the visibility, the confidence, the connections and the conviction that what JustBe was building genuinely deserved to be seen.
JustBe Botanicals went on to reach the semi-finals of VOOM 2016 and then invited to attend the final in London.
From a Kitchen Table to a National Stage
The VOOM competition was a pivotal moment in the JustBe story. It marked the point at which a brand that had been built quietly stepped onto a national stage and discovered that its story resonated with people far beyond Edinburgh.
With gratitude for every vote, every share and every person who believed in JustBe and me, Gail