Deeannah Seymour
CEO and Founder of pH-D Feminine Health, LLC
What inspired you to start your business?
I was unsatisfied with the lack of holistic feminine hygiene and wellness solutions available after suffering from my own vaginal woes. I developed pH-D® Feminine Health in 2014 with the introduction of our best-selling boric acid suppositories. Having spent two decades in the pharmaceutical industry, I wanted a holistic solution for vaginal odor, which could be used safely and effectively — and it needed to be backed by research. I examined hundreds of clinical studies on the use of boric acid vaginal suppositories to help with feminine odor and vaginal balance. I tried them and they were life-changing, but they were not sold at retail. I knew I had to make this product available to the millions of women like myself who needed it, so I took a leap of faith and left my corporate job in order to do so.
What challenges have you faced as a woman entrepreneur and how did you overcome them?
Bootstrapping and navigating cash flow while expanding from 5,000 stores to over 25,000 stores in less than a year was a huge challenge for us, especially without outside funding. It made us be more creative and forced us to optimize our spending and current resources and prioritize our opportunities. We also expanded our banking relationships/line of credit and hired ten people during the pandemic. The great thing is we were able to recruit people who were truly invested in the mission and vision of the company rather than concerned about hip new office space.
What advice would you give to other women entrepreneurs?
Learn to quiet your inner-critic. Self-doubt and negative thoughts will not get you far and can become self-fulfilling prophecies, especially when you fail. Failure is inevitable. I have learned more from failure than I have success. Let failure guide you and not stop you from achieving your goals. Believe in yourself, allow and accept that you will make mistakes, learn from them and move on.
What do you love about being a business owner?
I love the that it allows me to utilize my creativity. I felt that part of me was stifled when I was working in corporate America. I also absolutely love to problem-solve and, as a business owner, I get to do that daily!
How do you define success?
My mission is to improve the lives of women while also living out our company’s core values which include; kindness, consideration, honesty and integrity. We want to keep bringing better feminine hygiene solutions to the market to help more women feel confident and comfortable. As long as we are doing this on a daily basis and upholding our values along the way, then I would deem us successful.
What’s your favorite career moment?
My favorite career moment would have to be when we were awarded our first major retailer…Target! It was truly a pinch-me moment that I will never forget. It was validation that the product I had developed that had changed my life, was going to finally be available in mass distribution to change the lives of millions of other women as well. I will forever be grateful to Target for taking a chance on my small women-owned business.
What are you reading or listening to now?
I always keep a copy of Traction by Gino Wickman nearby. His Entrepreneurial Operating System has completely transformed our business by helping our leadership team become more focused so we can achieve our goals.
What’s the best way to start your day?
I call my Dad every day on my drive into the office. He has been the most influential person in my life, and he knows nearly every detail about my business. He always offers me great advice and is my sounding board. We end our chats with prayer. I cannot think of a better way to begin my day!
What do you like about your workspace?
I purposefully have a couch in my office so people feel comfortable coming in to relax and chat.
Fill in the blank:
When I face a challenge, I... stick to my motto, ”faith over fear”.
If I could go back in time, I would tell myself… you absolutely have what it takes.
The one thing I couldn’t live without is… Jesus.
By this time next year, I will be… running a company with products that are in over 30,000 retail locations.
The best thing that happened to me last week was… hearing good news from Walmart!
To get my creative juices flowing, I… love to meet with my team to talk through ideas.
pH-D Feminine Health, LLC
pH-D® Feminine Health is reinventing natural feminine hygiene and wellness solutions that help millions of women feel confident and comfortable.
They are an independently held, women-owned and women-run business. They were developed in partnership with physicians and sell the #1 doctor-recommended boric acid vaginal suppository. Their products are all manufactured in-house at our own FDA-registered facilities in the United States, ensuring the highest quality standards.
