As part of its annual f:Entrepreneur ‘#ialso100’ campaign, Small Business Britain is showcasing 100 trailblazing female entrepreneurs that lead small businesses alongside a roster of other responsibilities, such as volunteering, mentoring and community support - activities that have proved critical to society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From beekeepers to PPE suppliers, tech entrepreneurs to pole-dance-enthusiasts, this year’s campaign celebrates inspiring and resilient female entrepreneurs that have flourished despite COVID-19, with many still growing or starting new ventures.

Among this year’s 100 is Georgina Burrows, who founded lockdown business ‘Sussex Eggspress’, while her primary events business was on hold - she now delivers local eggs and produce across Sussex. Jane Weller founded Clear Expression Masks, making  thousands of clear plastic masks that allow for lip-reading and facial expressions in medical settings, whilst Rhian Parry runs Workplace-Workafe, a health and safety PPE company that were one of the approved key suppliers for Welsh companies when COVID-19 hit.

While the women chosen to form part of the f:Entrepreneur #ialso100 campaign are a diverse and dynamic mix, they all share a strong sense of mission for their businesses.

For example, Claudia Gwinnutt is fighting the war on plastic, through her innovative reuse and refill packaging service Circla, whilst Mansata Kurang is the founder for VR Revival, a virtual reality health tech startup to help people with their mental health. Eleanor Howie also founded a luxury lingerie brand to support women who have had breast cancer or preventative surgery. 

Now in its fourth year, f:Entrepreneur was launched in 2017 to highlight amazing female role models to help and inspire all small businesses, through content, stories and events.

It is led by Michelle Ovens CBE, who is also the founder of Small Business Britain and director of Small Business Saturday UK.

“Congratulations to all the inspiring women chosen to join this year’s #ialso100,” said Michelle Ovens. “Despite the significant obstacles thrown at them in the last year, female entrepreneurship continues to grow and flourish. We need to continue, and increase, our support for these incredible women and celebrate their amazing strength and success in the face of huge challenges.” 

“We have seen so many women embracing change, generating and exploring new ideas, rallying around their communities and supporting their peers. This resilience is hugely valuable and will set them up for success as they will be at the very heart of the UK’s recovery."

Liza Haskell, Chief Administrative Officer at Tide, which sponsors the f:entrepreneur campaign, said: “We are excited to welcome the women in this years’ f:Entrepreneur #ialso100 and reading their stories. Research tells us that role models are hugely powerful in empowering women to start and grow their own businesses, meaning it’s incredibly important that the stories of the inspirational women running brilliant businesses are told and shared.”

“Tide is dedicated to championing small businesses and as part of this mission we have committed to supporting 100,000 women starting out in business by the end of 2023. We are pleased to say that we are on track to meet that target and are proud to support important campaigns such as f:Entrepreneur as part of our commitment.”

To see the full list of the 100 amazing women featured in this year’s f:entrepreneur #ialso100 campaign, click here.