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Little Soap Company: Navigating Neurodivergence
How founder Emma made her brand a global success while navigating neurodivergence.
Read time: 3 mins Added: 15/07/25
It started at a Cotswolds kitchen table and now it’s going global
The soaring success of Little Soap Company is down to the drive and dedication of founder Emma Heathcote-James, who has built an international body care business navigating the world through the lens of autism and ADHD. Emma believes that her difference is fundamental to her success, after she created her own way of working and built a team that play to her strengths.
Emma always knew that a busy office environment was not for her, but her entrepreneurial spirit still needed an outlet. In 2008, she was inspired by her grandmother to create a range of natural, pure soaps that are kind to both the skin and planet. Starting small and selling at local farmers’ markets, Little Soap Company quickly grew, entering the supermarkets some six months later and gradually scaled to become the household brand that it is today, thanks to Emma’s creative vision, hard work and her ability to think differently.
Today, Little Soap Company is a proud B Corp and the recipient of numerous accolades, including The Queens Award for Enterprise and an Innovate UK award, helping them to launch their Baby Edit Hair and Body Bars. From organic soaps to haircare, skincare and even a line of pet shampoos, Little Soap Company is listed in all major UK retailers from Tesco to Sainsbury’s, Waitrose to Morrisons, Boots, WHSmith and more.
Emma recognises Lloyds for being a banking provider that “understands the brand and how to work with us”. That longstanding relationship is also helping fuel the next chapter in Emma’s journey.
Support to succeed
With the support of a funding package from Lloyds, Little Soap Company is now expanding overseas, with customers in Taiwan, The Netherlands and Ireland, and plans to enter Germany and the rest of Europe. The funding supported the firm’s investment in new software to automate forecasting and order fulfilment, which was instrumental in the company's growth, enabling more efficient processing of orders and better integration with manufacturing.
Lloyds is a proud signatory of The Lilac Review an initiative designed to improve access to financial products and resources for disabled entrepreneurs. This means more founders like Emma can get the support they need to succeed, scale and thrive.
Emma Heathcote-James Founder, Little Soap CompanyNeurodiversity is so misunderstood, but it is something that should be supported in all workspaces. It is imperative to me to have a diverse team. It is critical for that difference in approach and thinking and of course innovation.
Something to be celebrated
Emma has found that modern technology has helped her overcome some of the challenges she has faced. The team has been fully remote, long before lockdown. Emma has worked with Lloyds teams to highlight the need for banks to recognise the unique challenges faced by neurodivergent or disabled entrepreneurs, such as communication differences and challenges with numerical passcodes which can’t be copied and pasted.
While Emma's experience emphasises the importance of accessible banking solutions, she acknowledges that neurodiversity represents such a broad church of representations and challenges that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to fixing things for everyone. However working closely with the banking team, accessibility and modifications can be tailored for different business owners.
She said: “Neurodiversity is so misunderstood, but it is something that should be supported in all workspaces. It is imperative to me to have a diverse team. It is critical for that difference in approach and thinking and of course innovation. My ability to hyperfocus for extended periods has definitely helped. I have a huge amount of tenacity and my problem-solving and ability to create innovative solutions has helped me succeed over the last 17 years.”
Emma Heathcote-James Founder, Little Soap CompanyBuilding and running a multi-million pound business, everyone assumes I am number literate. Dyscalculia is like dyslexia with numbers – so reviewing numbers on balance sheets and orders can be challenging.
Building a team
Although Emma says she always felt different, it was her diagnosis at the age of 45 that helped her make more sense of her experiences. Now she has built a valued team of colleagues who she can rely on for aspects of the business that are more challenging for her, such as working with numbers as a result of her dyscalculia.
She added: “Building and running a multi-million pound business, everyone assumes I am number literate. Dyscalculia is like dyslexia with numbers – so reviewing numbers on balance sheets and orders can be challenging. I can do it, and I have always been determined, but it takes a totally disproportionate amount time - whereas other things I do with total ease and incredibly quickly – that’s my ADHD part.”
“At school and university, I knew I was bright, but at the same time I was terrible at maths and was highly sensitive to lights, noise, smells and couldn’t bear crowded spaces. I also knew I took far longer than others to learn and process things, but as women especially, we learn to mask incredibly well and for more than four decades, I managed to don a brilliant guise and pass as neurotypical not just to others, but pretty much to myself too.”
“As any leader does, I’ve built our team around my strengths and weaknesses. We have created a team of totally exceptional people, all experts at what they do and who can do all the things I can’t, totally brilliantly – we all support one another which is exactly what a team should be.”
“My strengths lie in my differences in thinking, my honesty, integrity and ambition to drive the business forward. Also to navigate a crisis and totally thrive when there’s a problem to fix. I never take no for an answer and am a meticulous, organised, detailed perfectionist; all skills needed in creating and running a brand!”
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