The secret success to female entrepreneurs
The book is based on interviews with 52 female entrepreneurs of all ages and at all stages of business: from the renowned internet entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox to Sarah Turner, co-founder and CEO, Angel Academe, an award-winning angel investment network; Sian Sutherland, co-founder of Mama Mio, one of the first brands dedicated to pregnancy skincare and now co-founder of A Plastic Planet, where she is inspiring the world to turn off the plastic tap; Kate Andrews of Loco2; an online rail ticketing and routing service with an emphasis on low carbon travel and Lara Morgan, founder of Pacific Direct and investor in Scentered, KitBrix, Yogi Bare, dryrobe and Gate8-luggage.
The interviewees range from the youngest, actor and filmmaker Verity Drew Firth at 12 years old, to Jane Mosley, Granny Olive’s Kitchen, who started her small but vibrant baking business after retirement.
The objective of the book is to encourage women who have never considered becoming an entrepreneur, as well as women who have considered it but feel constrained by extrinsic and intrinsic barriers, to do so – a subject that is more relevant than ever given the number of new entrepreneurs that the Covid-19 crisis has created almost overnight.
Additionally, the book encourages society, Government and the corporate world, particularly investors, to recognise and embrace the huge value that female entrepreneurs bring to society and the economy.
John Smythe, co-author, said: “Time and again, we hear from talented women that they’ve been driven from their corporate careers and had to become entrepreneurs out of necessity. They are then hampered by the fact that 91% of venture capital money funds businesses founded solely by men. It’s time to get serious about creating and supporting a vibrant culture of female entrepreneurship in the UK and unleash this incredible resource for the good of women and society as a whole.”
Ruth Saunders, co-author, said: “Throughout history, crises have been pivotal in disrupting society. Covid-19 is no exception. New entrepreneurs and business models are springing up almost overnight, with people pivoting to solve problems created by the pandemic and prepare for life in the future. This is an incredible time for women who have dreamt of being an entrepreneur, but haven’t yet taken the leap, to take their first steps towards realising their goals.”
