The E-liquid Expert : Sadia R Tanvir Navaab , Co-founder of Avent Garde
Sadia co-founded Avent Garde in 2014 , after tiring of the endless stream of sub-par , artificial-tasting e-liquids available on the market . After months of experimenting and mixing the best ingredients she could find , she started to receive repeat orders from her family and friends , and her journey into vaping began . “ I feel the industry is a lot more inclusive now than when we started ,” said Sadia .
“ You find fewer scantily-clad females being used as marketing tools at exhibitions and for advertising now than when it started , but there is still a lot of room for improvement .” She underlined the stereotypical , style-over-substance , pink and rose gold products as a persistent problem , calling for vape manufacturers to cater to women ’ s needs instead of sticking to outdated clichés . “ Unfortunately , there will always be challenges for women in such a male-dominated industry . Our voices have to be that little bit louder to be heard . “ It is all too common for men to assume your lack of knowledge and it can be very patronising … you feel the need to constantly justify yourself .”
Sadia outlined a number of strategies to make the industry more inclusive and encourage women to make the switch to reduced risk alternatives . These include , avoiding provocative e-liquid names and suggestive bottle designs , as well as not objectifying women in marketing materials . She said : “ We always try to employ more woman in our Vape Bar so that first time female vapers can feel confident walking in and asking for advice .”
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Vape brands can get more women involved by hiring them , supporting them and taking the initiative to target different female demographics .
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The CBD Vape CEO : Kymberly Byrnes CEO of TribeTokes
Kymberly Byrnes discovered vaping back in 2015 and was drawn in by its functionality and ease of consumption . She said : “ As an entrepreneur , I knew this was not a trend , but a new wave of opportunity . “ I met my business partner Degelis Tufts in 2017 . She had developed a plan to make clean CBD vapes with no chemicals and brought me onboard as a co-founder .” The pair knew they had their work cut out for them , with the ‘ old school male mentality ’ of the industry being one of the biggest obstacles to overcome .
“ All we could do was keep creating quality products and stand behind our brand . We came out ahead and started this year on a high note .” She continued : “ Vape brands can get more women involved by hiring them , supporting them and taking the initiative to target different female demographics .”
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