I HAVE been lucky enough to come across several very inspiring women in my 20-plus years in business. Two were not long after I started up on my own, working from a back bedroom in Kingsthorpe, Northampton. They gave me the confidence to believe in myself, not give in and get a ‘proper’ job.
One, a managing director in Wellingborough, worked in the male-dominated machine print industry. She always said she felt she had to work harder than men to prove herself but was not afraid to use her femininity and played on the fact that she brought a bit of glamour to the industry.
I HAVE been lucky enough to come across several very inspiring women in my 20-plus years in business. Two were not long after I started up on my own, working from a back bedroom in Kingsthorpe, Northampton. They gave me the confidence to believe in myself, not give in and get a ‘proper’ job.
One, a managing director in Wellingborough, worked in the male-dominated machine print industry. She always said she felt she had to work harder than men to prove herself but was not afraid to use her femininity and played on the fact that she brought a bit of glamour to the industry. She taught me not to be embarrassed about being female and that as a woman we can bring ‘softer’ skills to the table.
My second ‘mentor’ was managing director of a food manufacturing company in Corby. She brought none of her feminine wiles to the boardroom and ran the factory with an iron rod. There was a high staff turnover but, despite this, she ran a highly efficient, profitable business. She believed she was not in business to make friends, but to make money.
The lesson learnt was that when the time came for Elsby & Co to take on staff, it was vital to have a clear and fair HR policy.
High staff turnover is costly, especially in our business, where skills and professional training are key and it is preferable to engender a team atmosphere. I certainly feel we have achieved this. After all, our staff are our business.
There really is no better time for women to start up their own businesses. The internet provides access to free business support, childcare is more flexible with government assistance and there are many networking alliances such as Women in Business which provide an opportunity to meet like-minded entrepreneurs.
To find out more about Elsby & Co visit the website at www.elsbyandco.co.uk