When Marva Williams collapsed in 2019 and ended up in hospital with what she later learned were the symptoms of perimenopause, it led her on an entrepreneurial journey.
Since then, the 53-year-old has launched pop-ups at John Lewis, worked with NHS England South East and been awarded an honorary doctorate for her healthcare work.
Bestselling products include a magnesium mist to relieve tension and plant-based gummies that are sold as an alternative to HRT for those who don’t want to or cannot take it.
But she says the biggest challenge is still finding funding to grow – a hurdle she’s overcoming with help from founders she’s met on the Black British Initiative (BBI) MBA course.
As part of its series showcasing the organisation’s trailblazing talent, Metro spoke to Marva about her business journey.
Let’s start at the beginning. Tell me about why you set up your business, and when?
I nearly died in June 2019. I went to the doctor’s surgery to collect a prescription for my mum. I collapsed in the surgery, and they had to resuscitate me. I was turning blue and they thought they were going to lose me.
They told me I had low blood pressure, low iron and low magnesium. For two days they gave me a drip, which got the iron and magnesium back up into my body and they sent me home.
Why can people get low iron and magnesium in the perimenopause and menopause, and what’s the effect?
You may expect iron levels to increase when people reach menopause, as typically periods lessen and eventually stop, meaning less blood loss which can often cause low iron.
However, perimenopause can actually lead to low iron because it can mean heavier, irregular periods, causing more blood loss.
This is paired with falling oestrogen levels, which reduces the body’s ability to absorb iron, which means a doubly whammy of loss and poor uptake.
Iron is important, particularly in the menopause, as it helps to combat brain fog, fatigue and poor immunity. However, levels should be monitored, as too much can become a risk factor.
Oestrogen also helps the body to absorb and retain magnesium, another essential mineral, so as levels drop through perimenopause and menopause, the body can become deficient.
The psychological impact of both perimenopause and menopause can also decrease magnesium levels, as high stress and poor sleep (another common menopause symptom) drain the bodies supply.
Magnesium plays a key role in sleep, muscle and bone health. This is key when going through the menopause, as it can help poor sleep by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.
Magnesium also helps your body absorb calcium. Women are often affected by loss of bone strength before, during and after the menopause, so this is key.
I went to my doctor a week later and he gave me supplements. But two months later I woke up and couldn’t get out of bed. My mum called an ambulance and when I got to the hospital, they ran tests and found that my iron and magnesium were non-existent. A professor told me, ‘This is because you’re perimenopausal’.
Nobody was talking about that in 2019, so I didn’t really know what it was. But I wasn’t able to absorb the magnesium orally. I had to take it through my skin. I started mixing my own magnesium with essential oils, floral waters, and I got myself walking by October 2019.
Then Covid hit and I decided to train as a menopause coaching counsellor.
So why the name Shhh?
When I was in hospital, the doctors asked me lots of questions about my family health, and I didn’t know the answers. The name Shhh is because we’ve got to break this taboo and we’ve got to start talking about these issues in families in general.
How did you get started with Shhh?
First I had to trademark the name. When I went for the trademark, which I did myself without using a lawyer because I didn’t have money, they rejected it, and they said that Jade Goody had a perfume called Shh.
I wrote back to the trademark office, saying, ‘The perfume is not in existence any more, so I think you should give me the trademark.’
Then they came back and said, we can’t give you the trademark because Primark has a pyjama called Shhh. So, I had to send it all back again saying that women’s health doesn’t infringe a trademark on pyjamas.
They literally gave me the trademark at the beginning of November, 2021. I launched at the end of November and that is how Shhh came about.
How quickly did things take off?
I would say I still don’t think it’s taken off. I did my first pop-up with John Lewis the following January and I have done several pop-ups since and I do a lot of talks.
I did several talks for the NHS last year and I’ve got a conference for the NHS South East. But I feel there’s so much more work to be done, which is what I mean by it not taking off yet.
I still feel so many women are being failed. There is a lot more talk around menopause but I feel that also causes confusion.
There are women who come to me who have tried HRT and it’s not working and they feel like they are the failure. And I’ve been working with cancer patients who can’t take HRT and are confused about what the alternatives are.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Funding. It’s particularly hard for women and for Black people to get funding. People look at us differently and think that we will fail.
I’ve got my little manufacturing studio, so I make the products myself. I do talks. And there’s so many people who want me to do stuff but I have to cherry-pick what I do because I can’t afford to do it all.
I now employ two people in my little facility in Romney, Kent, manufacturing and packing. So, we are growing, but I’d like to grow faster.
Is that why you took on the BBI MBA?
Yes, part of it was to try to get funding.
We are growing, but it’s a catch-22 situation where you need the funding to get more brand awareness and you need the brand awareness to get the funding.
Has the MBA helped with this?
I’ve redone my pitch and learned a lot more about how to optimise my cash flow, which has been really helpful, but more importantly than anything, it’s given me the inspiration.
When you listen to those people that come to speak at the BBI about their experiences, you realise you’re not alone. When they tell you what they’ve been through to get their businesses successful, how they’ve risked everything, how they nearly went bankrupt, you realise you aren’t the only one.
It has given me that inspiration to keep pushing forward. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
What would success look like for you?
Real success would be for me to get a retailer to take the products on so more women can get hold of them.
If there’s one piece of advice you could give now, what would it be?
Don’t give up on your dream.
And if you were talking to others, what are the tips you would give on how to get through things when it’s tough?
I would say, when you do business, make sure it’s something you’re passionate about, because when the hard times hit, it’s that passion that’s going to take you through.
