By Emma Do
Photography by Ryan Lee and Simona Deifta
From someone, somewhere, I read this: “You all have a little bit of ‘I want to save the world’ in you. That’s why you’re here, in college.” Many of us came to LSE with the genuine desire to make a positive impact on the world. Yet, as we move along, the certainty we once felt often gives way to doubt, leaving us to puzzle over how our futures will unfold and where we’ll find ourselves in the next ten years or so. While there may never be definitive answers to these questions, what makes our community truly valuable is the presence of individuals who have embraced challenges, built successful careers around their passions, and are now sharing their stories to inspire the next generation. Hoping to shed more light on how LSE may just be the start for everything, I sat down for a talk with Simona Deifta, LSE alumna and founder of NOJO.
Simona studied Management at LSE a decade ago and she kicked off our interview by speaking fondly about the course’s insightful teaching. “It was a very strong programme,” she said to me. “Many concepts I learned then are still relevant today. We studied numerous case studies, and even now, I often go, ‘Oh! So this is what they meant by that!’. I truly love my time at LSE.” However, for Simona, her journey was uniquely challenging as she got pregnant in her third year, with a due date two months short of the summer exams. “I didn’t know what to do and the professors didn’t know what to do, but the support from my friends was phenomenal. They helped me out wholeheartedly even though it was never their problem to begin with. They would bring me class notes and revision notes, just generally making sure I had everything I needed during the exam period.”
Reflecting on her transition to the professional world, Simona noted, “LSE did a good job of showing career paths in consulting and banking. I got a job at Bank of America after graduation, even with a newborn. Back then, it felt like these were the only options, and I never questioned it—I was set on going into banking.” Thus, while preparing for this interview, I found myself wondering what inspired Simona to leave a stable, well-paid career in banking to start her own business. In response, she shared that her time in banking made her aware of the critical need for a balanced diet—something that was often overlooked in the corporate environment. “When I was still in banking, I was in charge of the lunch run and noticed that almost every day people were having burgers or noodles, but [these people] worked 20 hours a week. A burger can give you calories but it doesn’t nurture your body. One colleague of mine passed away due to tiredness, lack of sleep, and lack of nutrition,” Simona recalled, reflecting on a distressing incident that left her pondering what difference she could make.
“What am I doing with my life? Now that I have a child, I feel a big wave of responsibility. I needed to show him an example of someone who dares to follow their passion. For me, my child was my strongest drive. I wanted to be better for him.”
After realising just how deeply nutrition impacts both physical and mental health—and how essential it is to build a balanced life—Simona founded NOJO, a condiment business that provides sauce recipes in one single bottle to make home-cooked meals more effortless and fuels you with all the right energy. For Simona, the initial struggle was exacerbated since she was not only a female entrepreneur in a still-male-dominated industry, she was a single mom in a system that doesn’t work in favour of them. “It was especially intimidating. I started going to these business events to pitch my ideas, bringing my baby along, and having to breastfeed him in between because I had no daycare options. As a first-generation immigrant, I didn’t have my parents around for support either.”
I asked Simona about the honest challenges that come with running a start-up, and she didn’t hold back. “Everybody starts different and it depends massively on the resources you have to start with. The most challenging aspect for me is that I was a sole founder. This is why I advise many to get a co-founder as early as possible: it makes the journey so much easier along the way. Otherwise, the process can be quite isolating at times. It took me ten years to get the team that I have now. Also, people often glamourised running a business and think that they can work on their own hours, but actually, this is going to be your life. There will be no hours, just a 24/7 shift. It’s a lifestyle rather than a job because you can’t put your business on hold. It doesn’t stop, and it doesn’t sleep. Ensure you have a solid support system, ideally with friends and family who understand your goals and fully back your decisions. Because very often you will be absent and will need to do a whole check up of your life to see if you’re ready to take up a business or not.”
Like everything built from scratch, it truly takes a small village of people, along with an ocean of effort, commitment, and sacrifice to get the business running. “One team member with a bad attitude can kill the whole vibe of the company. I look for people who genuinely want to make a difference, challenge the category, who have a business mindset, and are passionate about their work.” Simona talked about not only building a team, but a community that is reliable and flexible enough. Because for her, ‘work-life balance’ might just be the most toxic concept out there. “All parents at NOJO have pick-up windows. This is when they can go and pick up their kids, bring them home, feed them, and work later in their free time. Still, it’s not ideal because it doesn’t allow enough time for rest, and unfortunately, there’s no perfect solution to it. The minute you kick off your business, you lose the balance. If you’re expecting to balance being a parent and a business owner, you’re going to end up miserable.”
“Our system needs more actions than noises because I continue to feel shocked, even after 10 years, by how little equality women have and how they are represented in the industry. There are still only 5% of businesses founded by women. When I was pitching to investors back in the day, I didn’t pitch to a single woman out of over 100 investors I met. I was uncomfortable mentioning that I’m a mom as it immediately put me in a position where people thought, ‘She has no time to run a company’. It irritated me, so now I start to be vocal about [motherhood in business].”
Gender equality in entrepreneurship and discovering the experiences of women in various industries fascinate Simona, and she briefly shared with me her plan to set up a podcast called ‘Do Not Disturb’. “There are many examples of women stepping down as CEOs after having children. How many athletes stop competing after giving birth? I want to explore the reasons behind this [through the podcast]. Why do they step down? Is it not possible to do both? Is it a matter of hormones? I believe there should be equity instead of equality. Our rights should be designed to reflect the unique experiences we have.”
When Simona became part of the Buy Women Bult initiative and the B Corps movement, she joined a supportive network for female entrepreneurs and female-owned businesses that wasn’t as present as when she started NOJO years ago. “We once did a giant window display on Whole Foods Market at Kensington High Street where we showcased photos of female founders, each accompanied by notes on their journeys and businesses. People could scan the QR codes and understand what is done behind the scenes. I think that’s what everyone needs—a way to connect with these stories. When women pass by on a bus or while shopping, they can look at these female business owners and think, ‘That could be me. I could be next to have my story told.’”
The years between eighteen and twenty-one can feel like a blur. We might have done so much, gone so far, yet still find the seventeen-year-old version of ourselves staring back. It’s a confusing time—when we’re no longer a child, but not fully an adult either. There are big decisions to make, yet at times, even those feel insignificant. “This is the best time of your life,” they say, but there we are, lying in bed, wondering if we’re ever enough and loveable. We’re swept into a constant cycle of uncertainty, missed opportunities, and all the potential paths to take. For that, we will have to eventually leave a lot behind to pursue our passions. So, as our conversation drew to a close, I asked Simona for her advice to young, aspiring entrepreneurs and current or graduating LSE students about stepping out of their comfort zones, to which she said, “Life is short. It goes faster than you think. Take risks and don’t be afraid to fail. Every failure is a learning opportunity—I wish I had failed more. Time is your most precious currency. Whatever you do, aim to do something good.”
Finally, to end with another saying I read from someone, somewhere: “Don’t borrow grief from the future, nor rob it of happiness.” You’re going to be just fine.
