It doesn’t need to be Women’s History Month to celebrate inspiring women in business – at The Women’s Journal we celebrate female founders all year around. But this International Women’s Day 2023, we’ve teamed up with online events marketplace Fizzbox to celebrate the extraordinary success stories of their female-led providers. Below, ten inspiring UK business women their top tips and advice for aspiring female entrepreneurs…
Advice For Female Entrepreneurs
Stephanie Hague-Evans, Director of Fizzbox
One tip you would give to a young buzzing female entrepreneur:
“Try to focus on one key deliverable at a time. It can seem impossible when faced with an endless list of things to do, and milestones to reach, but it really is the only way to move forward with purpose, and successfully navigate the inevitable feelings of overwhelm. Of course you’ll always be juggling a hundred tasks at any one moment, but always have one clear strategic goal in sight – work towards it, hit it, then celebrate, pause, breathe, and move on to the next. If your focus needs to shift, that’s a natural and necessary part of being agile – but shift your focus wholeheartedly to achieve the new or revised isolated goal.”
“I know it’s cheating to sneak a second tip in but…also…embrace meditation! You don’t have to know how to do it well to find comfort from it. The power of simply stopping for a few minutes amongst the chaos, grounding yourself in the moment, and tuning into your one true constant – your breath – is immeasurable.”
One thing you would have done differently as a woman in business:
“If my younger self, in previous jobs, knew what I know now, I would have spoken out without fear when I witnessed injustices around me, or felt sidelined because of my gender. I once heard the phrase ‘lead loudly’ on a webinar and it stayed with me. Softly, quietly, carefully is often appropriate, but on the big issues, on the themes of humanity, and fairness and justice – lead loudly, from the heart, with integrity, and never compromise on the personal values that you hold most dear.”
Sarah Hough, Founder & Director of Sashay Dance
One tip you would give to a young buzzing female entrepreneur:
“Just do it and do it now! Whenever I’m scared in business I just think there’s one thing scarier than this and that’s looking back and regretting I didn’t take the opportunities or didn’t try. Eventually you get used to feeling uncomfortable and if you’re not feeling that way it’s time to push some more. Also mindset is everything, if you believe you can achieve you will and vice versa! It’s a bit airy fairy but a lot of my start up time was spent brainwashing myself with Bob Proctor’s advice on the Law of Attraction and using vision boards which I still use now.”
One thing you would have done differently as a woman in business:
“I started Sashay Dance as a hobby so when it really took off I had to learn everything from pitching, accounts, social media, to web design and SEO. To fast track the vast amount of knowledge needed (as I had no prior business experience) I learned from everyone I could. I was mentored from day 1, accepted on the NatWest Business Accelerator Programme and received a lot of training/mentorship from the Ad:Venture Programme. Learning from others in business, surrounding myself with likeminded people and making the ultimate sacrifice of a lot of time really fast tracked the business to success. I started the business at 28 years old and by the time I was 30 it was national. I joke as I currently feel about 20 years older than I actually am but it’s all worth it to be doing what I love delivering fun across the nation and create happy dancing memories to last a lifetime!”
Yvonne Aboagye, Co-Founder of Tyro Studios
One tip you would give to a young buzzing female entrepreneur:
“Take that opportunity and don’t be afraid to fail.”
One thing you would have done differently as a woman in business:
“If I could do anything differently, I would’ve started sooner. I wouldn’t have let the fear of what other people might think stop me from trying earlier.”
Emma Kenny, Owner of Crafternoon
One tip you would give to a young buzzing female entrepreneur:
“Embrace flexibility and change – once I figured out that nothing is permanent and being adaptable in business is like a secret super power, it changed my approach to planning massively.”
One thing you would have done differently as a woman in business:
“Been more cheeky and asked for more favours. This is something I still haven’t mastered but have definitely got a lot better at over the years. Utilising your direct network can feel wrong sometimes but more often than not, people are happy to help/share/spread the word and if you don’t ask, you don’t get!”
Georgina Burke, Owner of The Barre Fitness Studio
One tip you would give to a young buzzing female entrepreneur: “Try to leave any ego out of it – if it ‘fails’ it doesn’t matter – the fear of failure will prevent you going for it!”
One thing you would have done differently as a woman in business: “Allowed for another 10-15% of extra overheads when planning… it will always happen!”
Jacinta Maddison, Founder of Inflorescence Wines
One tip you would give to a young buzzing female entrepreneur: “Do something you love. Your passion for it will be authentically felt by your clients.”
One thing you would have done differently as a woman in business: “For me it grew out of a ‘hobby’ I liked sharing with other people, so when it very quickly became an actual business, I hadn’t prepared the boring stuff, like organised accounts, planning future projections and so on – all of which are really important and a pain to go back to if you leave them too late!”
Stephanie Crechriou, Owner of Hyppanie
One tip you would give to a young buzzing female entrepreneur:
“To be confident about the activity provided, with a lot of pictures of events previously run, and be very enthusiastic!”
One thing you would have done differently as a woman in business:
“I started to run my workshops in 2007, and I have developed a unique activity that brings a lot of joy! Having a good insurance, and good reviews help a lot too. I first only run workshops for kids and totally forgot that the adult’s market was an option for my workshops, I only started adult workshops in 2019!”
Ellen Miller, Owner of Leeds Food Tours
One tip you would give to a young buzzing female entrepreneur:
“Take it slowly, and enjoy the process. It’s easy to wish away the beginning and look forward to having a big, successful business, but the beginning is so exciting! Make plans, expand your network by getting out to networking events with likeminded people, and if you’re newly self-employed then occasionally enjoy an afternoon nap.”
One thing you would have done differently as a woman in business:
“The one thing I would have done differently is plan ahead. I only really thought of my business as a very small start up rather than what it could be in a few years, which means that I don’t have systems in place to make scaling simply.”
Elizabeth Tollett, Owner of Flowers By Elizabeth Jane
One tip you would give to a young buzzing female entrepreneur:
“Don’t give up! The one major tip I would give to young entrepreneurs is to know what their objectives are and go for it! When I embarked on a career change to become a florist I worked out what I needed to do to achieve it, did my research, and set out some clear steps before beginning my journey. Work out a plan of action and the experience you might need to have under your belt. It is important to research your market and have a clear plan and then keep going – don’t be disheartened!”
One thing you would have done differently as a woman in business:
“Be flexible: know when to grow and know when to say no. There are probably many things I have learned since starting my own floristry business which I would have done differently in hindsight, as I am sure most business owners find to be true! One of the most useful lessons I’ve learned since starting and growing my business is that there needs to be a balance between the clear business plan, the objectives you set out at the start, and the adjustments you have to make along the way. Be flexible while staying true to your business ethos. Know when to grow and know when to say no to an opportunity. My ambition to be a premium independent florist remains the same but I’ve also embraced opportunities to try out new products, share my work with clients face to face through my flower workshops, and explore growing and cutting my own flowers.”
Simone Schehtman, Founding Director of Teamworks Karting
One tip you would give to a young buzzing female entrepreneur:
“Focus, focus, focus. Rigour of planning and follow up is everything.”
One thing you would have done differently as a woman in business:
“There is no silver bullet to any business. It takes dedication, graft and tenacity. Rejections and criticisms – whether from funders or other business-start up groups or customer focus groups make you stronger. Keep pushing, keep trying, an opportunity will open – you’ll seize that. So, when others tell you anything negative, just let that feedback make you stronger.”
