Lizzie Carter, inspired by the lack of suitable curly hair products, launched Only Curls with her husband Hugo, with just £500, starting with a website and a batch of microfibre towels. Her own experience managing her curls highlighted the gap in the market, leading the couple to create products that cater specifically to the needs of curly-haired individuals. Initially packing orders from their kitchen table, the husband-and-wife team’s focus on the curly hair community propelled sales from £5.3m in 2022 to £13.3m in 2024. The bootstrapped company now sells its products – including cleansers, conditioners and gels – from its own website, hair salons across the UK as well as Boots retail stores.