BEING groped at an amusement park at just seven years old was a harrowing event that Ramona Gohil has never been able to forget.
But now 32, she’s turned the traumatic experience into a six-figure jewelry brand dedicated to championing other women.
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Rani & Co turned over £100,000 in its first year as a jewelery-only operation and the company’s value has more than tripled between 2021 and 2022.
The company is expected to turn over £200,000 this year, despite Ramona falling victim to a manufacturing scam in the 2023 financial year.
The businesswoman quit her full-time job in 2017 after discovering she hated the corporate grind and regularly cried in the bathroom.
“I knew there had to be more to life,” she told Fabulous for our exclusive series, Bossing It, where we spoke to female business founders.
“Work gave me a lot of anxiety and I started having panic attacks because I hated working for other people.
“I had Rani & Co for support, but I was desperate for it to grow.”
Ramona invested her £2,000 savings into buying shares in Rani & Co and creating a website.
However, getting a business off the ground was very difficult, so she alternated between temporary roles while managing her brand to ensure she had at least some steady income.
She initially started out selling “feminist slogan clothing” with jewelry as a side piece.
But after three years of losses, she realized that Rani & Co’s best-selling items were jewelry.
At the time, she was just selling jewelry wholesale rather than designing it.
In 2020, she rebranded Rani & Co as a jewelry brand with a strong feminist message – something that has been essential to the business’s success.
Groped in an amusement park
“From a young age, I experienced sexual harassment or assault like almost all women,” Ramona, from London, told Fabulous.
“I know my story is not unique, but I talk about it a lot more.
Ramona’s Top Five Business Tips
Rani & Co founder Ramona Gohil, 32, shared her top five tips for other women wanting to start their own business
- Spend your free time doing what you like
“Just do it for fun and you’ll be surprised how the ideas flow to you,” she says. “The idea of making money will come to you. Coming from a sad, low position, it will be difficult for ideas to reach you.” - Quit your job (if you can)
“If you are young or have no financial commitments, go all in,” advises Ramona. “You have nothing to lose. It may seem like it, but if you’re still in your early twenties, you’re super young.” - Have a strong product
“What I did wrong at the beginning of Rani & Co was selling in two different categories, like clothing and jewelry,” she says. “I should have started with one product and gone all in.” - Evaluate your products correctly
“Initially, I priced similar to high street retailers – but as a small business my order prices were much higher than the going rate as I wasn’t ordering in large volumes,” explains Ramona. “Don’t be afraid to increase the price a little more to avoid making a loss.” - Always request samples
“Work to build a good relationship with your manufacturer, but always ask for samples to ensure quality before placing a large order,” advises the jewelry entrepreneur.
“Growing up, this kept happening; especially at university, there were so many cases that I can’t even count how many.
“Like, guys pushing me to the ground, being aggressive and pulling my shirt down – it’s ridiculous.”
She remembers her first case of sexual assault when she was groped by a man when she was just seven years old and visited an amusement park with her friends.
After that, she hid for 10 hours straight drawing pictures of women who inspired her – including Princess Diana and singers Rihanna and Beyoncé.
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This skill was transferable to her jewelry design – something she decided to focus on from 2017 onwards to grow Rani & Co.
Because the brand focused exclusively on self-designed jewelry, Ramona says it grew “really fast.”
This is partly because she has built a community of like-minded customers on TikTok, with her Rani & Co profile having over 135,000 followers to date and almost five MILLION likes on her videos.
“I had 10,000 followers in three months and knew I was on the right path,” she says.
Money speaks louder
A year after rebranding and creating a TikTok profile, Rani & Co have earned their first £100,000.
In 2022, Ramona tripled the value of the business.
It made a loss in 2023 due to a manufacturing scam, but managed to rebuild the business from £0 last year.
I knew there was more to life.
Work gave me a lot of anxiety and I started having panic attacks because I hated working for other people
Ramona Gohil
In the financial year to 2024, Rani & Co is expected to turn over £200,000.
Rani & Co’s cheapest item is a pair of £29.99 silver hoop earrings – but some of its best-selling products are its most expensive.
This is due to the feminist and empowering message behind certain designs, including the gold-plated necklace that totaled over £10,000 in sales in one week.
The £10k necklace
Ramona’s best-selling piece is a £90.99 necklace dedicated to Medusa, which sold £10,000 worth of units within a week of launch.
The character from Greek mythology is often seen as a symbol of recovery after sexual assaultafter the Roman poet Ovid suggested that she was raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple.
“Knowing that so many women go through the same thing, I wanted to create a piece that reminds women of the power they can take back,” says Ramona.
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“Medusa is actually a symbol for survivors of sexual violence.
“I’m sad that it’s such a popular piece, but I’m happy that the necklace is making women feel powerful again.”
Similarly, its Hindu Goddess collection – which includes symbolic necklaces and a moonstone ring – sold out within 24 hours of its first release.
Horrible £30k scam
Romona was the victim of a “horrible” manufacturing scam last year.
“I met this manufacturer twice in London and met their sales team, but they only promised me things they would never deliver,” she says.
“When I received the jewelry, it was broken and missing precious stones.
“They signed a contract saying if I wasn’t satisfied with the jewelry they would have to replace it… but they violated the contract and refused to repair anything.
I lost about £30,000 and they just ran off with my money.
Last year was a very difficult year and I had to start from scratch again as I had no cash flow after the coup
Ramona Gohil
“I lost about £30,000 and they just ran off with my money.
“Now they are selling my designs on their website, so I had to hire a lawyer.
“Last year was a very difficult year and I had to start from scratch again as I had no cash flow after the coup.”
Ramona managed to recover from the setback during the “exhausting and terrible” period.
Returning
Fortunately, she says Rani & Co is “stronger than ever” and has learned a lot about business from the “horrible” situation.
Rani & Co’s new manufacturer even works with companies like Chanel and Pandora, meaning quality has increased a lot since 2017.
The business isn’t just about jewelry for Ramona.
She sees it as an opportunity to donate to women-focused organizations and has been working closely with a domestic violence charity this year.
Rani & Co is not just about selling a product. I really want to help disadvantaged women in any way I can
Ramona Gohil
Ramona has also worked closely with a charity in India that helps bring girls in from the streets to provide them with a safe home and education.
“Rani & Co is not just about selling a product,” she says.
“I really want to help disadvantaged women in any way I can.”
Additionally, 60% of the brand’s jewelry is made from recycled metals, making it a sustainable choice for shoppers.
“Many of our empowering designs are eco-friendly, so you can feel powerful in them while making a positive impact on the planet,” adds Ramona.
“It’s a victory.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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