Scale like a woman

So what have you done since you launched?

Whenever someone asks me how the business is going, my ass begins to twitch.

I have been doing a lot of chats, talks, and interviews since launching my new business in April.

Upon reflection and in reality, I haven't really stopped 'doing' my old work (which was my consultancy, DigiKind). It has just undergone a transformation. I am still mentoring women pro bono: founders, students, and business owners I meet on the train with incredible stories. I am still painting and creating and building community.

When I hear the statistics that are rolled out that tell us:

"If women scaled a business like men, we could add £250B to the UK economy."

I understand and appreciate the sentiment -- we need more time, visibility, space, equality -- to realise our full potential. So many groups do, we have the statistics to back this up.

I pause and think:

Most of us don't run our businesses like men (no shade to the fellas!), and I have to ask, what kind of men are they talking about, anyway? Are these purpose-driven brands that are adding £250B to the economy? What do they look like?

I have made it to the second funding round for a grant and I am thrilled. I have built multiple (successful) companies for myself and for others. DigiKind has been a successful award winning business since go. I am an angel investor in a brilliant tech for good. I know what good looks like.

Last night I attended a brilliant National Women in Enterprise Event hosted by the British Library Business IP Centre Network.

Before the event, as I sat at a table in the courtyard quickly updating my new Shopify website that that I had migrated and updated in three days this week while I had a sick child home with me, I overheard a group of younger women than me talking about how they thought it would be great to start up a business but one didn't have an idea, and another said she was just too tired at the end of the day to even watch a movie. Girl I know that's right! Again, no shade here. They have valid concerns.

I was rushing to migrate my existing site as I had an email going out to a massive audience with one of my brand collaborations through Buy Women Built (BWB) and I am behind on writing a blog post for another brand collaboration with an incredible BWB partner. I am so grateful for these incredible women in this community. BWB just held their data-driven meeting this week and I can’t wait to dig into the report they’ve commissioned. (They are incredible, what a superb team.)

My dominant elbow surgery recovery has really slowed me down but sometimes you just have to listen to your body. It's your best barometer. Despite being a bit one-handed, I looked after my daughter, finished all of my digital tasks, and gave an interview for my dear friend (and entrepreneur powerhouse/icon) who is completing her Master’s Degree.

Our interview questions got me thinking about my entrepreneurial path in life. Did I pick this path or did it pick me? And I do wonder if I ran my business 'like a man', what kind of business it would it be, and what sacrifices I would have made — and what sacrifices my family would have made for the sake of the business.

And then I remember that is all utter nonsense and I have things to do on my checklist before I start my weekend in earnest.

Enjoy life wherever you are, and remember the race you're running is yours alone.