Female Leaders
LESSONS FROM FEMALE LEADERS
Jennifer O’Connell, Co-Founder Of Sisterly On Being A Female Leader
by The Gloss
Jennifer O’Connell is the co-founder of Sisterly, with Aoife Matthews and Louise O’Riordan. The three friends came together in 2023 with a shared mission to give female health the time and attention it deserves. Since launching, Sisterly has since gone from strength to strength and has developed The Elevator, a nutritional supplement for women. How […]
Jennifer O’Connell is the co-founder of Sisterly, with Aoife Matthews and Louise O’Riordan. The three friends came together in 2023 with a shared mission to give female health the time and attention it deserves. Since launching, Sisterly has since gone from strength to strength and has developed The Elevator, a nutritional supplement for women.
How did you get the idea for SISTERLY?
Aoife, Louise, and I felt the supplement space was overwhelming and confusing. We each had a cupboard full of pots and pills gathering dust. We also wanted to know what specific supplements we needed because women are not small men! Like all good ideas, we were solving a problem for ourselves. We enlisted the help of a formidable team of experts and, over three years, developed our simple powder sachets that contain all the non-negotiable nutrients women need every day.
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You left a career in law to start a business. What convinced you to make the leap?
When we started out, I hadn’t intended on leaving the Bar. I thought I could manage both – that was incredibly naive! As the needs of the business grew, I realised I had to make a choice. I had enjoyed 22 great years as a lawyer, first as an attorney in New York and then as a barrister in Dublin, so I decided to try something new that really mattered to me. It was scary and there were quite a few sleepless nights, but I have no regrets.
Is money a big motivator for you?
I’m motivated to have enough that I don’t need to worry, but I don’t measure my success in terms of my bank balance. I’m motivated now by the feedback we receive every day. Whenever I’m having a bad day, I read through the amazing 5-star reviews on our website (www.sisterlylab.com) and that reminds me why we’re doing this.
Are you confident about your retirement? Do you feel like you have enough squared away?
Not yet, but I’m hoping the business will be a great Irish success story and it’ll all be worthwhile. I’ve a good 15-20 working years in me yet, so plenty of time to make pension payments and to get myself sorted.
Do you invest in shares? Do you follow the stock market?
As part of my financial planning before leaving the Bar, I invested funds with Goodbody, and that has worked out really well. I took a lot of advice before I left to ensure I could afford to take this step.
What’s the best money advice you’ve ever received?
Have a separate tax and VAT account. As a self-employed barrister, you need to keep on top of how much of your fees are actually available to spend. I made it a habit to always separate out liabilities so that I never got carried away.
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