Success stories
If you're a woman who has set up her own business and you've been up and running for at least a year, we'd like to hear from you.
These stories are here to inspire you. For further inspiration and fast answers to your business questions try getting involved in the everywoman Network.
Anna Woodhart: Selling Up and Going for a Swim
Samantha Bedford - Community Spirit
Serena Dorey - Translating Business Success
Lindsay Watkins - Taking Things into Accounts
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Sara Pearce - Mixing Business and Pleasure in the Art World
Caroline Wagstaff - Woman Global Innovator and Inventor award winner.
Fiona Maacrae: Playing the insurance industry at its own game
Anne Daly: Getting the Green Light
Liz Cossey: Travelling the World from Europe to China Eating Chocolate
Travelling the world from Europe to China eating chocolate – does it get any better than this for Liz Cossey?
From junior clerk to DTI e-commence award nominee, Tina Woollard has made it to the top
From junior clerk after leaving school at 16 to DTI e-commence award nominee, Tina Woollard has made it to the top.
Emma Boardman: Choreographing A Business Success
It was the life of Riley, travelling around Europe modelling, dancing and acting but eventually Emma Boardman realised every party girl has to grow up. Now she’s the managing director of a creative events consultancy, Studio Boardman, with worldwide clients.
Lilach Bullock: Real-life Success for the Virtual Assistant
Frustrated by the lack of career opportunities for part-time workers, Lilach Bullock went on to set up asklilach, a successful virtual assistant service for businesses.
Sharon Winter continues success: speech made at the launch of The NatWest everywoman Awards 2008
Clare Moran cooks up the right ingredients for an amazing venture
Community Times Allows Joanne Caulfield to Pay the Bills and Care For Her Family
Joanne Caulfield was torn between needing to earn money to help pay the family’s bills and looking after her two small children. One of her youngsters needed extra special care that meant she had to be at home a great deal.
So she looked round for a business that she could manage herself, working at times that suited her. Previously she had worked as an administrator and buyer for several clothing companies. But in 2005 she set up a local edition of Community Times – a glossy monthly magazine delivered free to every house in her neighbourhood.
Katy Hoskinson stitches herself a successful future
Sade Popoola’s Quute Bags Light Up the Accessories Market
Rebecca Hill: Flower Shop Hythe
Jan Smith, EOL IT Services
Emma Harrison, A4e
Saima Butt: De-jargonising IT
"An effective IT and communications strategy is now at the forefront of determining the success of many small businesses and start-ups today. I feel a real sense of accomplishment when I work within my local business community to help them understand how technology can work to their advantage by “de-jargonising” the experience."
Samantha Alfred: Doing it Jivana Style
Helen Dolisznyj: From Cottage Industry to Fly Away Success
Jacqui Mann: Personnel Power - From a Frustrated End-User to a Trusted Supplier
Leading Linens - Russian Born Olga Shikalova's Making Waves in Luxury Linen Accessories
Finding Space To Breathe: Annie Lawler’s Got it Sussed
Sarah Edwards's Sexy Potraits for the Modern Woman
Sarah Edwards's reinventd the portrait portraiture of females in the U.K. Integrating the fields of media photography and portraits, Sarah's company, For Your Eyes Only, provides female clientelle with sexy but classy boudoir style photographs.
Julie-Anne Smith Tells Us How It's All About What You Have Underneath...
Denise Liebermann, an eye for detail
Marianne and Ceri Revolutionised Wedding Gift Giving
Marianne and Ceri filled a gap in the UK market. Creating an online web-site allowing wedding guests to purchase each component of a couple's dream honeymoon from plane tickets to champagne.
Becki Train Lets Us Know About the Greatest Event of Her Life
Diana Serle and her Fabulous Franchising
Diana Serle travelled through India and Thailand purchasing beautiful jewelery. With little experience she quickly set up a thriving business before taking the plunge into franchising. Now, she has four successful franchises and hopes to open up more shops across the UK!
Without the faintest knowledge of football, Jane Lennon took over the Soccer Company and scored.
Sandra McClumpha brought sunshine into her own world
Sarah Green proves that redundancy can be a good thing.
Claire Roberts - Young and at the Top of her Field
Claire ascended the corporate ladder at record speed, joining the professional world early in life without much experience. However, she did her homework researching all aspects of the healthcare system including visiting hospital wards and talking to people outside her field. Noticing her expertise and professionalism, she soon rose to the top becoming the Assistant Director of Finance in only a few short years.
Katy Geddes took over a Belgravia Florist to make it a blooming success story.
Sandra Shevey turned her love of walks into a thriving business.
Nina Ess and Handbag Success
Nina Ess, a first generation immigrant from the Ivory Coast, came to the United Kingdom and started a handbag company from the bottom up. Not having any friends or family in the UK, Nina sought out a customer basis and has achieved remarkable success.
Olive Strachan - The Trainer's Battle
Olive Strachan started up a training consultancy and resource center. Surviving surgery, thieving landlords, and unreliable employees she has managed to sustain her business and reached world-wide success.
Sue Botteril - Mums and Magazines
Sue Botteril, a mother of four, needed a part-time job with a full-time salary. She launched a magazine called MyMag which sparked the interest of friends and neighbours alike. Mothers everywhere wanted to start up their very own magazines. Sue formulated a simple programme to offer advice to other aspiring writing entrepreneurs.
Kerrie Keeling Transforms Disaster into Design
Kerrie was dominating the field of investment banking. But, she was unhappy feeling as though she was surrounded by fake people and had to put up an act. She decided to open up her own business where she could be herself and transform the industry of interior design.
Singer/songwriter phenomenon Cat Goscovitch learnt to trust her own business instincts
Rachel Collinson - a post dot.com success story
Rachel's web design agency survived the dot.com crash to become one of London's most respected creative agencies, renowned for it's strong ethical principles. She now counts top not-for-profit organisations like Green Peace among her clients.
Berni and her 'team of mums' champion flexible working
Sharon Hewitt helps homebuyers make the right choice
Estate agents have traditionally always worked for sellers, while buyers have been left to fend for themselves. Having worked for 24 years as an estate agent, Sharon Hewitt wanted to help homebuyers not make expensive mistakes and so she launched a property search company solely dedicated to the needs of buyers...
Truly mad about babies, Julie White won over the Dragon's Den sceptics
Julie not only convinced one of the Dragons – Peter Jones – to invest in her company, Truly Madly Baby, she went on to prove all her sceptics resoundingly wrong by growing the business from a one person work-from-home operation to a thriving network of over 140 consultants...
Emily Hill writes words that work
Sue Kennedy discovered that doing what she loves IS actually a "proper job"
Teresa McCrone used nursing as a springboard to build a hypnotherapy practice
Suri Poulos applies her executive coaching skills to teaching children...
Both Suri's background as an executive consultant and her academic training in Psychology impressed upon her how critically important emotional intelligence and good social skills are in adults. So, when she came across the concept of teaching emotional and social skills to children through play, she knew instantly that she was onto a winning business idea...
Jane Dyson rose from the shop floor to the top of her field
Chloe Giles turned her love of horses into a successful retail business
As anyone with a passion for horses knows, it's not an easy field to earn a living in. But Chloe was determined to turn what she loves most into a successful business of her own. With some clever, strategic thought she was able to identify a niche in the retail side of the equestrian market and turn it into a flourishing, growing business...
Carole Hill found a franchise she loved, a product she believed in and a whole new way of life...
Carole had no obvious qualifications or skills that she could turn into a business...all she knew was that she wanted to work for herself and that she didn't want to risk her financial security. The idea of building on someone's else's established business idea really appealed to her so she when she came accross a franchise opportunity she could feel passionate about, she grabbed it with both hands
Shakara Ledard not only models clothes, she designs them
The July 7th bombings drove Polly Higgins to fight for a better world
By the time the sun set on July 7th 2005, successful barrister Polly Higgins had in place a fully formed picture of the company she wanted to set up to help make the world a better place...
Alexandra Burns' photographic eye led to a unique business vision...
Corinne Gerrard pioneered a hat service for women who have lost their hair
Corinne's sister Suzanne was extremely self-conscious about her very bald head following a course of chemotherapy. All Suzanne wanted was to be able to try on and buy hats to cover her head at home...and Corinne suddenly realised she'd stumbled on a real gap in the market - and a great idea for a business.
Clare Winsor turned adversity into a springboard for a new business
Many people wouldn't cope with the double blow of divorce and cancer, but the insights Clare gleaned from these experiences led her to create a consultancy that puts empathy back into organisations, bridging the gap between the nuts-and-bolts of business and the emotional wellbeing of its leaders, employees and customers. And she rebuilt her life and self-esteem in the process...
Gail Thomas's need for a shared PA sparked her business idea
Gail had always wanted to work for herself, but lacked a good business idea. When she decided she’d had enough of corporate life and started working as a business consultant, she quickly realised she needed a PA but couldn’t afford one. So Gail decided to employ one and share her - then had a "lightbulb-moment" when she realised she had her idea for a business!
Imogen Roberts: from fresh graduate to online fashion retailer
Pip Thomas turned her former employer's training model on its head
Cary Marsh combines motherhood with a high tech online business
For Jackie Peddle it's a family affair
Fair praise for Penny Newman's fair trade
For Rachel Jones, necessity led to invention
Only a mother truly understands what mothers need. Rachel Jones worked late into the nights to get her washable, squashable, fabric highchair business up and running.
Shelia Haswell is making a good clean living
Jane Woods realised that life is too short not to have a career she is passionate about
Sarah Elphick is finding homes from home
Janet Caddick helps develop young minds
Janet Caddick and her business partner operate an after school and holiday club for children which offers more than day care. They help children to develop the most important life skill they’ll ever need – to appreciate and celebrate the differences in the society they live in.
Tamara Gillan discovers the beauty of being her own boss
Aneela Rose fashions an inspirational combination of East-meets-West glamour
A wardrobe crisis on her 30th birthday, a bit of inspiration from Bollywood and her own British-Asian heritage were the recipe for Aneela Rose’s fashion success. She now owns an East-meets-West ladies' fashion business in the South East. Hand-embroidered garments and accessories in luxurious fabrics from the Indian sub-continent and the Far East are unique but affordable.
Kativa Oberoi is providing IT solutions to Primary Care
Liz Jackson has never lost sight of her dreams
Vanessa Phillips Surfs the Web to Unprecedented Success
Upon recognising a gap in the consumer market, Vanessa Phillips dives head first into entrepreneurship, becoming the UK's leading online digital transcription provider.

