Sisterly was cofounded by three friends who brought their life experiences together to solve a shared frustration. They are Aoife Matthews, an investment banker; Jennifer O’Connell, a barrister; and Louise O’Riordan, a luxury brand executive.
Pooling their insights and expertise, they spent three years collaborating with leading doctors and scientists to create a streamlined, premium multivitamin solution.
Sisterly is now a multi-award-winning, subscription business with a fiercely loyal global community. The mission: give female health the attention it deserves and simplify women’s wellness at every stage of life.
What are you doing to disrupt, innovate and improve the products or services you offer?
We disrupted a generic market by replacing pill clutter with an elite single-sachet powder and we continually push for improvement. This is for our mothers, sisters, friends, and ourselves – so only the best will do. We use highly bioavailable (the rate at which a body can absorb a substance), clinically backed, proven ingredients while constantly refining our flavours. We’re also partnering with Atlantic Technological University on research to explore new areas of benefit.
What was your backs-to-the-wall moment and how did you overcome it?
Our original manufacturer experienced sudden machine failures, triggering a critical stock shortage – the worst-case scenario for a subscription business built on trust and reliability. We spent that summer in overdrive, sourcing, vetting and onboarding a new partner under intense pressure. Letting our subscribers down was never an option. We made the pivot in time to protect our customers and keep the supply chain intact.
What were the best and worst pieces of advice you received when starting out?
The best advice was to ruthlessly stick to our core values and vision – it’s hard to do under pressure, but entirely worth it. We committed to a clean formula with no sugars and therapeutic doses of the best quality nutrients and, while developing the formula took us three years longer than expected, it was absolutely the right move.
The worst advice we received was to stay away because the supplement market was too saturated. We knew saturation didn’t mean that the specific needs of women were being met or that there was an easy-to-take quality supplement available.
What is the most common mistake you see entrepreneurs make?
The most common mistake by far is running out of cash. Many founders get swept up in early excitement and over-expand or over-hire before proving sustainable unit economics. They focus too much on top-line vanity metrics rather than ruthlessly managing their cash flow, working capital and runway, which are the true lifelines of any start-up.
How will your market look in three years and where would you like your business to be?
The global women’s health market is currently small but growing exponentially as awareness catches up to demand. In three years, the industry will be highly sophisticated. We want Sisterly to be at the absolute forefront of this global movement, recognised as the premier, go-to wellness brand trusted by women everywhere.
To what extent does your business trade internationally and what are your future plans/ambitions?
We trade globally across Ireland, the UK, and the US, while shipping to over 30 international markets – from Kenya to Australia to Abu Dhabi. Our ambition is significant growth. We plan to aggressively expand our international footprint and establish Sisterly as the definitive global brand for premium, doctor-led female health.