Founders Focus: The Beginnings
This International Women’s Day we decided it’s about time you got to see the faces behind MASAJ and not just that, but also learn about the incredible journey that our Founders have been on to get where they are today. Scarlet & Alice are two of the most dedicated, hard working and passionate people that you will meet and that is completely reflected in success of MASAJ. But it’s not all been plain sailing and they’ve definitely had to weather the storm before getting to this place of (relative) calm – so here we are to discuss the highs and the lows and all things in between in this two part feature.On a grey day in early March I head over to Scarlet’s home located in the heart of leafy Herne Hill. Greeted by Bobby (her cockapoo & the sweetest dog you will meet) Alice, Scarlet & I get settled at the kitchen table ready to get stuck into conversation. Not before cracking open a Botanical Spritz (very on brand), and getting Bella (Scarlet’s equally lovely, but a little needy cat) settled beside us – and so we hit record.Scarlet, please introduce yourself & how you came to start MASAJ.
SA: I'm Scarlet Amies and I founded MASAJ as a sole trader in 2016, incorporating the company in 2018. Before the pursuit of building a start-up, my career was in book publishing, and I spent many years navigating the sales and operational side of the industry. As with so many of our teams’ stories, I really felt the toll of working in a role and industry that didn’t entirely encompass who I was - and I grew sick of being behind a desk working long hours. You know, it was the type of work where there was never really an end to your day/list! Although you might argue that is also the position of running a business - it’s just made wonderfully bearable by loving what you do.
So anyway, I did something that got me away from my desk and into something completely different to my normal. I took an Introduction to Massage Therapy course and absolutely loved it. And I remember the Trainer said “you're good at this, you could pursue it as a career choice.” So that really got the cogs turning – I’d always wanted to run my own business, I wanted to run something myself and I felt like this was my opportunity to start.
So you’d always had your heart set on starting your own business?
SA: Oh yeah, I didn't know quite what it would be and I really did entertain a lot of different ideas. I just always knew that I wanted to do something myself - doing that course facilitated the beginning of that pathway really. I immediately saw the benefits of massage, because when you do a course like that and all the other courses that came next, you receive a hell of a lot of bodywork yourself, so I could literally feel the positive impact it was having - for me and the other students around me. So from there I became a qualified Massage Therapist and began to hone my skills and get a really good understanding of the industry.
Obviously during this time I noticed a great need for accessible bodywork, and I felt like the current market didn’t offer enough nuance and specialism. London lacked the places that I would want to go to get a great massage, and it lacked somewhere I wanted to work and be part of. There were really only two options – either you go to a luxury spa or hotel, which is not only expensive but the bodywork didn’t feel tailored or unique, or you go to the more clinical places where your massage would feel excellent and tailored - but it didn’t necessarily hold a relaxing environment for you. There just didn’t seem to be anywhere that truly looked after the Therapist and the Guest equally, where you could both feel safe in a sanctuary, and as a Therapist grow your talent and skill set.
Alice, please introduce yourself and how you came to join MASAJ.
AV: So, I’m Alice Vaughan and I’m the other Founder of MASAJ and my background is very different to Scarlet’s. I had quite a varied career that focused mainly on tech startups and I worked for a very big global tech company for quite a few years, looking after community operations. I absolutely loved it, but I found that it really took a toll on my body and my mind and similarly to Scarlet, it was that kind of job where, you know - you're never really done for the day, particularly a lot of the time I was either travelling to and from the States or working with colleagues who are based in the States and it was pretty relentless. And after a few years of quite an unsustainable work life balance, I realised that it wasn't possible for me to get what I wanted out of my work and stay working in that industry. Moreover, prior to working in tech, I'd worked for quite small nonprofit startups, and I think I really missed the kind of human connection that that kind of business brought about.
So I decided to take a bit of a career break to explore my options and similarly to Scarlet, I had a desire to be at the inception of something - and to combine what I'd learnt working for these amazing big, progressive companies with my creative and community background. And I explored everything, from trying to figure out whether I could open a B&B on the coast, exploring all sorts of different opportunities, whilst also interviewing for more traditional jobs - but nothing really felt right.
And then I was browsing on the website Escape The City and saw an ad that Scarlet had put up seeking a Co-Founder, this was in the Autumn of 2018, and I immediately paid attention to the language that she had used in it and the kind of dream that she was laying out. And it felt so natural, like I already understood the brand just from reading a bit about it and having a quick look at the website and it was like, Oh my God - I can remember it so clearly. I was so excited, I sent an email to Scarlet straight away and to my suprise literally heard back within the hour.
“To be on the same level with someone that’s equally ambitious and driven around the same passion point and have that to be completely unwavering is priceless. And then to have someone that's ready to ride and weather the storm with you, that's invaluable.”
- Scarlet Amies, Founder of MASAJ
Photographer: Bennie Curnow
Why did you decide to look for a co-founder and why was Alice the perfect fit?
SA: I think it was all about vision – it was this magic thing where someone believed in exactly what I had been working on by myself for the past three years and working tirelessly to create. I was still working as a Therapist at that point and I was at a transition point where I had realised it was time for me to step back and run the business – and I didn’t want to do that alone. To find someone who truly believes in the vision, and with the incredible breadth of experience and knowledge that Alice had, it just felt incredible!
What stands out to me is your passion and commitment to create this amazing thing – has that always been the case?
SA: Yes and unwaveringly so – to be on the same level with someone that’s equally ambitious and driven around the same passion point, and for that to be completely unwavering is priceless. And then to have someone that's available to ride and weather the storm with you, that's invaluable. You know, it's not easy growing a start-up, we've reached this lovely point now where we're big enough to take a deep breath, but honestly that took four and a half years of seriously hard graft. I would not have been able to do that alone. AV: Yeah, I remember when we met up for the final time in a series of interview situations, and I could sense that it was crunch time, we both had to make the decision on whether we were going to move forward with this project together. Scarlet said she would love to have me on board and with her on this journey, but we didn’t know what capacity that might look like. So we both went away to have a think and I remember getting back to her saying there's no way that I can do it and not put everything into it, for me it's all or nothing. I just wanted to do this beautiful dream the justice it deserved, so I came on full-time from there on.
What was it like for you to transition into being the Founder of a company that you’d just joined?
AV: Something that I was quite aware of for a year or two, and to some extent to this day too, is that I am quite astonished that Scarlet trusted me so quickly and was so willing to bring someone else into this beautiful vision when there was already so much to me that felt really fully formed. I think it was genuine imposter syndrome. I was just in a slight disbelief that Scarlet could have created something so wonderful, but still wanted someone like me to share my thoughts on things and allow me to have such an input and add my own value to the company. It's a very strange transition, but I think that having Scarlet as your ‘wing-woman’ in that process was ideal.
And how did you form such a good bond and working relationship so quickly?
AV: I think that what really benefited us during that time in a really unique way, is both of our human approaches to business, which allowed us both to depend on each other in a really honest and quite vulnerable way, without there being any ego in the way - which is something that I've encountered a lot of in my career. So I think we probably got to that point of really knowing, understanding and trusting each other a hell of a lot faster than any other professional collaborators may.What was your first big venture together as Founders?
SA: One of the very first things that we did as a duo was to get a loan from Virgin Start-Up and that was really the first time that we had to put ourselves out there as a brand, and be like, ‘hey, this is who we are, do you believe in us and our plans?’ It was the best thing we could have ever done because it gave us the funds to grow the business, just on a small scale – and with this funding came the first round of big learnings.Head to Part II of our Founders Focus, The Learnings, to hear all about their journey to get MASAJ to the place it is today - discussing the struggles that they faced, the intricacies of building an incredible team and their future visions for the company. 