BEING groped at a funfair at just seven-years-old was a harrowing event that Ramona Gohil has never been able to forget.
But now 32-years-old, she has turned the traumatic experience into a six-figure jewellery brand dedicated to championing other women.
Rani & Co made £100,000 in its first year as a jewellery-only operation and the company’s value more than tripled between 2021 and 2022.
It is set to turn over more than £200,000 this year, despite Ramona being a victim of a manufacturing scam in the financial year to 2023.
The entrepreneur quit her full-time job in 2017 after finding that she hated the corporate grind and was regularly crying in the toilets.
“I knew there had to be more to life,” she tells Fabulous for our exclusive series, Bossing It, where we speak to female business founders.
“Work gave me a lot of anxiety, and I started having panic attacks because I hated working for other people.
“I had Rani & Co as a side hustle but was so desperate for it to grow.”
Ramona poured her £2,000 life savings into buying stock for Rani & Co and getting a website designed.
However, getting a business off the ground proved pretty difficult, so she job-hopped between temporary roles while running her brand to ensure she had at least some steady income.
She initially started off selling “feminist slogan clothing” with jewellery as a side part of it.
But after three years of making a loss, she realised that the best selling items of Rani & Co were the jewellery pieces.
At the time, she was just selling wholesale jewellery rather than designing it.
In 2020, she rebranded Rani & Co as a jewellery brand with a strong feminist message behind it – something that’s been integral to the businesses success.
“From a young age, I’ve experienced sexual harassment or assault like pretty much every woman has,” Ramona, from London, tells Fabulous.
“I know my story isn’t unique but I’m just a lot more vocal about it.
Rani & Co founder Ramona Gohil, 32, shared her top five tips for other women looking to start their own business
“Growing up, it just kept happening; especially at university, there were so many instances that I can’t even count how many.
“Like guys pushing me to the floor, being aggressive and pulling my top down – it’s ridiculous.”
She recalls her first instance of sexual assault as being groped by a man when she was just seven-years-old and visiting a funfair with her friends.
Following this, she would hide away for 10 hours at a time sketching pictures of women that inspired her – including Princess Diana, and singers Rihanna and Beyoncé.
That skill has been transferable to designing her jewellery – something she decided to pour her heart into from 2017 to grow Rani & Co.
Since the brand has had a sole focus on self-designed jewellery, Ramona says it’s grown “seriously fast”.
This is partly down to her building a community of like minded customers on TikTok, with the Rani & Co profile having over 135,000 followers to date and nearly five MILLION likes across its videos.
“I had 10,000 followers within three months and realised I was onto something,” she says.
Within a year of rebranding and setting up a TikTok profile, Rani & Co had made its first £100,000.
By 2022, Ramona had tripled the value of the business.
She made a loss in 2023 due to a manufacturing scam, but has managed to build the business back up from £0 over the last year.
I knew there was more to life.
Work gave me a lot of anxiety, and I started having panic attacks because I hated working for other people
Ramona Gohil
In the financial year to 2024, Rani & Co is set to turnover more than £200,000.
The cheapest Rani & Co item is a £29.99 pair of silver twist hoop earrings – but some of its best-selling products are her more expensive ones.
This is because of the feminist and empowering message behind certain designs, including the gold-plated necklace that totted up over £10,000 worth of sales within a week.
Ramona’s best-selling piece is a £90.99 necklace dedicated to Medusa, which sold £10,000 worth of units within a week of launching.
The character from Greek mythology is often viewed as a symbol of reclaiming after sexual assault, after Roman poet Ovid suggested she was raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple.
“Knowing that so many women go through the same thing, I wanted to create a piece that reminds women of the power that they can take back,” Ramona says.
“Medusa is actually a symbol for sexual assault survivors.
“It does make me sad that she is such a popular piece, but I’m glad the necklace is making women feel powerful again.”
Similarly, her Hindu Goddess collection – which includes symbolic necklaces and a moonstone ring – sold out within 24 hours of its first launch.
Romona fell victim to a “horrific” manufacturing scam last year.
“I met this manufacturer in London twice, and met their sales team, but they just promised me stuff they were never going to deliver,” she tells.
“When I received the jewellery, it was broken and gemstones were missing.
“They signed a contract saying if I wasn’t happy with the jewellery, they would have to replace it… but they went against the contract and refused to repair anything.
I lost about £30,000 and they just ran off with my money.
Last year was such a tough year and I had to start from £0 again, as I had no cash flow following the scam
Ramona Gohil
“I lost about £30,000 and they just ran off with my money.
“Now, they’re actually selling my designs on their website, so I’ve had to get a lawyer involved.
“Last year was such a tough year and I had to start from £0 again, as I had no cash flow following the scam.”
Ramona was able to claw her way back from the setback during the “exhausting and awful” time.
Fortunately, she says that Rani & Co is “stronger than ever” and she’s learnt a lot about business from the “horrific” situation.
Rani & Co’s new manufacturer even works with the likes of Chanel and Pandora, meaning the quality has come on leaps and bounds since 2017.
The business isn’t just jewellery for Ramona.
She views it as an opportunity to donate to female-focused organisations, and has been working closely with a domestic violence charity this year.
Rani & Co isn’t just about selling a product. I really do want to help disadvantaged women in any way that I can
Ramona Gohil
Ramona has also worked closely with a charity in India that helps bring young girls in from the street to offer them a safe home and an education.
“Rani & Co isn’t just about selling a product,” she says.
“I really do want to help disadvantaged women in any way that I can.”
What’s more, 60% of the brand’s jewellery is made from recycled metals to make it a sustainable choice for shoppers.
“Many of our empowering designs are eco-friendly, so you can feel powerful in them whilst making a positive impact on the planet,” Ramona adds.
“It’s a win win.”
