By Nada Aliredha, CEO and Founder of PLIM
In the ever-evolving world of medical aesthetics, staying competitive is not just about mastering cutting-edge treatments—it’s also about adapting to the shifting expectations of patients. In the pursuit of beauty and aesthetic enhancements, financial control plays a pivotal role in making informed decisions, aligned with personal goals. For consumers in the UK navigating the diverse landscape of medical aesthetics, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) solutions like PLIM are transforming the approach to planning for aesthetic treatments.
I am Nada Aliredha, pioneering entrepreneur, fintech expert and international business woman, continuing to make my mark with the launch of my latest venture PLIM. FinTech platform PLIM offers a “Buy Now, Pay Later” credit service and online marketplace designed specifically for the medical aesthetics industry. With over 570 clinics on boarded across the UK, PLIM have prioritised the financial needs of both the clinics and their patients whilst providing successful payment solutions within this industry.
As a global businesswoman and now CEO and Founder of PLIM Finance, I have a strong passion for helping female business owners flourish. I honed my experience in a variety of fields and contributed my expertise to a number of professional boards. I am a member of Irthi Crafts Council, Nama Woman & Advancement Establishment, Sharjah Business Women Council, The Big Heart Foundation, and former member of Sharjah Humanitarian City and Dubai Center for Special Needs. I also proudly worked as a part of the UN Women Alumni Association, to advance female empowerment and promote women’s rights and gender equality.
However, I have faced challenges along the way to success. Access to funding is one of the largest challenges a woman in business can face; often female founders can be undermined by male counterparts, and this is solidified with facts such as less than 1% of all UK venture funding being awarded to all-female teams. Despite my in-depth CV, it seemed that there were still major challenges that I struggled to overcome alone: In my first venture I was told I will never be able to raise funds without a male partner. As funding is crucial when it comes to building your reputation in the business world, I had to adapt to change and work with the prejudices in the industry in order to achieve my goal. The lack of belief from those able to give me the funding that I needed as a start-up business owner meant that I was forced to partner up in order to prove my own abilities.
I began to build my profile of success over the decade following my academic achievements, applying my international education to several well-established, global businesses in a wide range of sectors while supporting other businesswomen. Since launching my Fintech platform, PLIM, in 2022, it is important to highlight how passion and drive have allowed myself and can allow other women that relate to my story, to defy odds and paint their own successes.
Despite the bumps in the road, I have been able to harness my rejections in order to feed my passion for helping female business owners to progress and flourish. I have proudly worked as a part of the UN Alumni Association, working to advance female empowerment and promote women’s rights and gender equality, in order to move towards a world where women do not have to struggle as I did. I’ve worked with female CEOs who struggle to balance home and work, not because they are incapable, but because they lack the support. The ones that succeed and are happy are the ones that don’t apologise for being imbalanced, and who ask for help.
As we progress to a business world with a growing female population, resilience and determination to prove attitudes wrong should motivate you to achieve the goals you set out for yourself and your business. Instead of resisting failure it is important to embrace it, using our innovation to adapt our business plans, and that is what my journey highlights. If you keep failing and keep restarting, you will succeed – resilience is the way to overcome challenges.
I have shared my top 5 business tips for fellow female Fintech experts:
- Reach out to your network – It’s important to garner support from those already within your reach. How can they help you? If not with funding directly, can they point you in the right direction?
- Don’t be shy. Be bold and brave. It’s vital that you raise your voice and make yourself known – you never know who’s listening.
- Target investors and funding from those who already support female founders. They’ve already done what you’re asking them to do and so, will be more likely to do it again.
- Use events to your advantage – speak to as many relevant people as you can. From private investors to other female business owners. Making business connections and expanding your network is a sure-fire way to get yourself in front of the right people eventually.
- Welcome feedback and constructive criticism – be willing to change your proposition if it will help the fundraising.
I am only just beginning and continue to move with momentum, taking my efficiency, experience and reliability forward, to become a market leader in financing the aesthetic market, with PLIM.
