In Conversation with Mercy Momah

Mercy Momah based Safe Company to have a good time individuality, maximise illustration and convey inclusivity to the modelling trade.

Mercy Momah spent the primary ten years with the pores and skin situation Mycosis Fungoides hiding her pores and skin. By way of her journey of acceptance and understanding the permanence of this situation she wished to create a platform to showcase pores and skin situations. This illustration, she hoped, would encourage others like her with seen variations to see the wonder of their pores and skin.

We had the pleasure of chatting with Mercy about her unbelievable platform and company progress and naturally Hopper HQ!

Introducing Mercy Motherah and Safe Company…

Mycosis Fungoides

I’m Mercy and I’m the founding father of Safe Company.  I created Safe about three years in the past after dwelling with a power sickness and pores and skin situation referred to as Mycosis Fungoides.

Earlier than Safe, for over a decade I hid my pores and skin.  I by no means went on any holidays and women journeys.  I used to be actually insecure about it.   I obtained to my second yr of college and I used to be dwelling with one in every of my greatest mates from secondary college who knew about my pores and skin situation.  She all the time advised me to embrace it.

I feel it’s actually vital to have that assist system and folks round that know what you’re going by way of.  These individuals actually inspired me after I had this concept for Safe Company and advised me, yeah, go for it!  So I began the platform in 2018/2019. And since then, it’s simply been rising and rising.

What’s Mycosis Fungoides?

a uncommon type of lymphoma of the pores and skin

Actually each time I point out the identify of my situation, in essentially the most harmless method, I’d get questions like: what’s that?!

It’s a situation referred to as Mycosis Fungoides, a uncommon type of lymphoma of the pores and skin, the place your white blood cells turn out to be cancerous,  but it surely’s very, very sluggish progressive, and in some cases individuals don’t progress to additional phases.

I’ve had it for about 13 years now. I imagine I’m a stage 1B and it normally exhibits up on my pores and skin as patches or lesions.  I’ve actually just lately simply had remedy, however I had patches throughout my pores and skin.

What’s the remedy? 

I’m making an attempt to heal with pure treatments and attempt to see if it may be handled differently.

The remedy is UVB gentle phototherapy remedy. 

And this was my third spherical of remedy. So I had it as soon as in 2013 and once more in 2015. Then most just lately ranging from December of final yr, up till Might of this yr.  I had fairly a couple of classes this time. 40 classes complete, going up progressively with the sunshine.  So it wasn’t too harsh of an publicity to my pores and skin. 

It normally lasts round 4 to 6 months earlier than the patches begin to seem once more.  It’s because it’s greatest to be in daylight and clearly the UK isn’t the most well liked nation.  I’m simply hoping this time shall be longer. 

I’ve been vegan since final September.  I’m making an attempt to heal with pure treatments and attempt to see if it may be handled differently.

What’s Safe Company?

I wished an area that celebrates these dwelling with totally different pores and skin situations, but additionally someplace that educates others and creates an area for us within the trade

So, like I discussed, I began the platform again in 2018/2019, and all the time wished it to be greater than a social media platform. I wished an area that celebrates these dwelling with totally different pores and skin situations, but additionally someplace that educates others and creates an area for us within the trade. 

Immediately I began reaching out to totally different people who I’d come throughout with a pores and skin situation. I didn’t have Twitter, however my mates shared it on their accounts. I had a couple of individuals come again to me, however clearly I’m only one individual.

Lots of the individuals wished a paid modelling job and issues like that, which I wasn’t in a position to do.  However I advised them, greater than something,  it’s an opportunity for them  to inform their story, hopefully to turn out to be safer and simply create extra consciousness. Which is required you understand, as a result of I really feel prefer it’s not spoken about sufficient, lots of people nonetheless get hate beneath their feedback if they’ve a visual distinction.

So I wished to vary that narrative.  From my outreach individuals got here from Birmingham, got here from Nottingham and traveled down for the primary shoot.  Which was simply completely superb!

How did you begin?

Hopefully individuals can really feel that they will additionally share their pores and skin and never disguise it (for so long as I did)

I began off with Safe tales and listening to the tales and journeys of some individuals actually resonated with me – a few of them had been bullied, some had been teased or made enjoyable of.  Giving them a chance to launch and share what they’ve been by way of and the way they’re feeling now hopefully helped them as a lot because it did me. 

I began a sequence of 5 questions; 5 questions with Safe. I might attain out to individuals with pores and skin situations who’re utilizing their voice or utilizing their platform to create consciousness. Or individuals who I simply love their content material and I might ask them whether or not they would share extra of their journey with Safe?  By answering 5 questions. Normally like, who conjures up them, after they imagine they turned safe, one thing they might inform their youthful self. Issues like that. 

I all the time ask the query on the finish: how are you safe now?  How has your journey made you extra assured and safer?  As a lot because it was not one of the best rising up, all of them have one thing inspiring to say, which hopefully individuals can come throughout and browse or relate to. Hopefully individuals can really feel that they will additionally share their pores and skin and never disguise it (for so long as I did). 

A characteristic on the platform that I might like to develop is psychological well being consciousness. It’s so vital. Final yr I had a psychological well being advocate share some ideas and a few phrases of encouragement, which I hope helped. I wish to proceed doing that.

Have you ever had any model collaborations?

The manufacturers that gave me essentially the most response had been skincare manufacturers

Throughout the pandemic I reached out to some totally different manufacturers to collaborate with.  The manufacturers that gave me essentially the most response had been skincare manufacturers.  And people who really assist individuals with pores and skin situations.  So I got here throughout a skincare model primarily based in LA.  They had been my first model collaboration. 

I discovered a couple of superb women with Psoriasis and Eczema as their merchandise specifically supported individuals with these situations that used their social media to create extra consciousness about their experiences.  The shoot occurred in September final yr, and since then, it’s simply been rising and rising!

Are there many companies like Safe Company?

Not essentially making a service for individuals to mannequin, or share their story

I haven’t seen many.  

In latest weeks I’ve seen one other modelling administration who caters to individuals with disabilities in addition to pores and skin situations.  And that’s completely superb.

As an company I’ve come throughout many manufacturers which might be promoting a product which is nice as a result of it’s supporting individuals with delicate pores and skin with our wants in thoughts. However not essentially making a service for individuals to mannequin, or share their story, in that kind of method.

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How did you come throughout Hopper HQ?

It’s a nice platform to schedule posts

I really work as a digital advertising and marketing assistant, till Safe Company takes off and I can work for myself.  Till then I nonetheless need to be working a job.  It’s for a feminine entrepreneurship firm.  I’ve two purchasers who I run their social media.

The corporate launched workers to Hopper HQ to schedule our shopper posts.  I’ve been working there since February and after utilizing Hopper HQ for a few months, I used to be like, I really actually take pleasure in utilizing Hopper HQ. 

It’s a nice platform to schedule posts.  I don’t have to consider it – which is nice as a result of I’m the kind of one that, as a lot as I really like Safe, I can generally disappear off social media.  And clearly if you wish to develop your online business?  You possibly can’t actually try this. 

Actually final month I made a decision to get this platform for myself and begin scheduling posts so I don’t all the time have to consider it. I can put within the captions, put within the hashtags and it’s good to go.

How vital do you suppose social media is for you and Safe Company?

It’s a method of selling your self

I feel it’s so vital to achieve different individuals. Like I discussed, our first collaboration was with a model primarily based within the US. Even discovering the fashions and expertise wouldn’t be doable. So, If you happen to don’t have that social media presence, it’s going to be exhausting.  Particularly these days, it’s a method of selling your self.

I went off social media for a couple of months final yr after which got here again. And clearly if you come again and also you’re being constant, you begin to see progress and also you begin to see extra engagement. Whether or not you’re promoting a product or have a service with consistency, you can begin to see extra gross sales, you simply see extra issues occurring for your online business.

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Do you might have any social media ideas?

I might say, be constant, discover your group, and know who your platform is for

I might say, be constant, discover your group, and know who your platform is for.  Be sure you know who your viewers is and what they like. You understand, additionally conserving updated with issues on social media. Reels, TikToks, Instagram lives had been an enormous factor?  Effectively, throughout the pandemic.  Hashtags are additionally vital.

What’s your favorite characteristic with HQ?

It’s simply very on the spot and really straightforward

It’s simply very straightforward to make use of.  You place your photos in, your captions and hashtags in and all the things simply goes from there. 

I completely love that you could tag individuals. So, yeah, it’s simply very on the spot and really straightforward.

Is there something thrilling occurring within the pipeline that we are able to preserve an eye fixed out in your account?

Safe ambassadors

Sure!  We’ve just lately taken on Safe ambassadors, people who find themselves advocates and use their experiences to assist and encourage others. We even have one other model marketing campaign shoot quickly, in order that’s thrilling!

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Be part of 50,000 different subscribers. Getting impressed & supercharge your social media advertising and marketing with ideas from our consultants. Put together for upcoming traits and social media holidays earlier than they occur.