Interview: Entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid MBE
THE WICK: What does a typical Monday look like for you?
Sharmadean Reid: My Mondays begin quietly. I wake up at about 8am, make a coffee and then read in the bath. I work seven days a week really and teach Stack World members on a Sunday evening so it’s not like Mondays need to be productive. I like to begin the week by resetting my pace, not accelerating it. The first half of the day is for thinking, writing, or shaping ideas; I do a lunchtime walk and the afternoon is for meetings. I’ve learned that clarity is far more productive than force, so my Mondays are about alignment.
TW:
You have founded ventures across beauty, tech, and media. What’s the common thread that drives you to create across different industries?
SR: I build systems and stories that help women live more expansive lives. Whether through a beauty ritual, a digital platform, or a piece of media, I’m always exploring how culture and technology shape female ambition. Gender equity is the thread: showing women a way to have autonomy, independence and equality.
TW: Your newest venture is the wellness beauty brand 39BC. What inspired you to create it, and why was now the right moment?
SR:
39BC is the culmination of years spent studying ancient rituals and the cultural history of bathing. I’ve long been fascinated by how civilisations used scent, water, and ceremony to restore themselves. After a decade immersed in tech, I felt a pull back to craft, texture, materials and ritual. It felt like the right moment because I now have the experience, the research, and the conviction to build something both luxurious and meaningful. 39BC is beauty as cultural literacy. I feel right at home here.
TW: You’ve built communities both online and in physical spaces. In the future, what will community mean?
SR:
Community will become smaller, more intentional, and more discerning. The era of vast, undifferentiated networks is fading. People want depth: shared values, shared curiosity, shared ritual. Digital platforms will still spark connection, but the return to in-person gatherings like salons, workshops and retreats will define the next decade. Community will be about belonging, not scale. And it’s really offline.
“I build systems and stories that help women live more expansive lives. Whether through a beauty ritual, a digital platform, or a piece of media, I’m always exploring how culture and technology shape female ambition.”
