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Penny Mallory, TV Presenter, Author & Motivational Speaker, explains why she got involved with everywoman's Modern Muse project. Find out more at www.modernmuse.co.uk

Video Transcription:

I am involved I think, because I think we all believe that I can help to inspire young people, young women to do extraordinary things.

In a funny way, my biggest inspiration was a bloke cleaning some windows up a ladder when I was about 19 and my life was out of control, I was just crashing constantly. I saw this  guy up the ladder and I thought "if I am lucky that's as much that I can hope for" so he  inspired me to change the course of my life and do something better, bigger...I don't know  something more, I wanted to do something that would make me feel good. So that's how I ended up driving rally cars and  doing telly and doing all the others things I've done. But I think that guy, I don't know who he was, he has no idea, he probably changed the course of my life...just a bloke up a ladder.

You know, I have always had this analogy, when you get in a car and you have the windscreen and it is made of glass, and it's quite useful, it let you see where are you going, so it shows you all the opportunities ahead. And the rear view mirror is much smaller, and you just use it as a point of reference to what's gone behind.

But if you spend your life as I was at the time, living with a rear-view mirror this big, you will crash because you can't see where are you going and I will just say to anybody, doesn't matter where you've come from, doesn't matter what's gone in the past, it's where you are going that's important and actually took me some many years to work that out.

So for me that will be, you know, it's gone, it’s past get on and don't let it hold you back. Because I think for a lot of us that is our obstacle in our path and it doesn’t need to be.

Maria Kempinska MBE, Owner of Jongleurs Comedy Ltd, explains why she got involved with everywoman's Modern Muse project. Find out more at www.modernmuse.co.uk

Video Transcription:

When I started Jongleurs in the early days, what I really really liked was other women to turn to and what Modern Muse will give us and is giving is the ability to turn to other women who will feel that they can pass on their knowledge now, which at that time, I don't think we had enough experience to be able pass on knowledge, and weren't enough women, so everybody had the head down doing what they did.  

Bloke can go down to the pub and they talk to each other in the pub about, you know, what's good for business and what isn't; they go to the football or rugby. Women go home and look after their kids in isolation and to have a company that actually helps you to do that is just unbelievable really, it's so vital for women particularly because then you can do it at nine o'clock at night, you can send an email or have some communication at the time when you are stuck at home in some ways.

I'd love to bring young women through and influence them. In a way truly mentor them, be there when they want to pick up the phone, and help them in their understanding of business.
 

Sharon Hilditch MBE, Founder of Crystal Clear, explains why she got involved with everywoman's Modern Muse project. Find out more at www.modernmuse.co.uk

Video Transcription

I find it's really quite surreal because people say to me "gosh you have done so well, how you have done it". But to me I haven't, I've done what everyone else does; operate a small business and try to make it a success...I think success is to everybody, it's different, it depends on what you have done, what you have achieved, what are you trying to achieve, you know, be it running your own business or going into something like nursing. For the  women out there it's just about empowering themselves, and believing they can actually contribute something and do something really successful.

I believe that in schools today, we should be educating our children that there are other routes to your career, that you don't have to stick to the academic route or you can be in apprenticeships, which is very good...you know, apprenticeships in plumbing, hair dressing, beauty, whatever. But there are other avenues and kids that age should be taught, I believe.

I have had 15 years of making mistakes, I've made most all the mistakes you can make in business, but it's actually nice to offer to somebody else that experience because I think you can only gain that experience through actually having done it, made those mistakes. So you know, I know for me if I have had someone like me fifteen years ago, that could have said like "look, don't go that way, go this way, because you know if you go down that path maybe this can happen". It would have been fantastic.

I had to just make these mistakes myself and learn from them.
 

The NatWest everywoman Awards celebrate inspirational business women who have achieved significant success - particularly those who've had to overcome adversities such as financial constraints, social disadvantages or skills gaps. The Awards play an invaluable role in both recognising success and inspiring other women to venture into the field of business.

This highlights video features testimonies from the co-founders of everywoman, Maxine Benson MBE and Karen Gill MBE, Richard Taylor (Brand Director, NatWest), Larry Hirst (Chairman, IBM EMEA), and the inspirational Award winners themselves. There is also a short extract from the address given by Sarah Brown, wife of then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

Mandy Nickerson, Managing Director of Bales Worldwide, explains why she got involved with everywoman's Modern Muse project. Find out more at www.modernmuse.co.uk

Video transcription

It's great to be made to feel glam. I never spend so much time looking after how I look, not sure if I like being in front of a camera, but I didn't feel awkward, I'm just not used to it being all about me.

I am a married mother with a full-time job running a company. Juggling your life is part of the mix of how can you be successful. They say women multitask, and men don't. I don't think I agree. I do think one of the secrets is having a supportive particularly partner and we are lucky with a lot of men today because they are supportive and share the home role with you which they didn't use to do.

Personally I don't think I do a great job at juggling, I think I muddle through life, rather than juggle through life. How I am doing it? Because I am prepared to just work whatever hours it takes to do everything I want to do.

I'd like to feel I was available to talk to women who want to understand how they can get round on the challenges that they're facing and be a business consultant to them if you like. I believe anybody, anybody can aim to achieve what they want to, reach for the stars and we can help on the way to tell you how to get there.

Christina Vaughan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Image Source, explains why she got involved with everywoman's Modern Muse project. Find out more at www.modernmuse.co.uk
 

Wendy Hallett, Founder and Managing Director of Hallett Retail, explains why she got involved with everywoman's Modern Muse project. Find out more at www.modernmuse.co.uk

Dame Mary Perkins, Founder of Specsavers, explains why she got involved with everywoman's Modern Muse project. Find out more at www.modernmuse.co.uk

Dawn Gibbins MBE, Founder of The Barefoot Foundation, explains why she got involved with everywoman's Modern Muse project. Find out more at www.modernmuse.co.uk

Judy Craymer, Chief Executive Officer of Littlestar Services, explains why she got involved with everywoman's Modern Muse project. Find out more at www.modernmuse.co.uk

Sandra McClumpha, CEO of Fake Bake UK Ltd, explains why she got involved with everywoman's Modern Muse project. Find out more at www.modernmuse.co.uk

Carrie Rubin, Director of Pentland Group Plc, explains why she got involved with everywoman's Modern Muse project. Find out more at www.modernmuse.co.uk

Sam Smith, CEO of finnCap Ltd, explains why she got involved with everywoman's Modern Muse project. Find out more at www.modernmuse.co.uk

Anna Lee, Co-Founder of STORM, explains why she got involved with everywoman's Modern Muse project. Find out more at www.modernmuse.co.uk

Find out more about everywoman's Modern Muse project, and check out the website: www.modernmuse.co.uk

Karen Gill MBE and Maxine Benson MBE, Co-Founders of everywoman, talk about the Modern Muse project, it's aims and ambitions.

Video transcription

KAREN GILL: It was our 10th birthday last year, so we were thinking gosh ten years...  what have we achieved over 10 years? But more importantly, what are we going to do over the next 10 years? 
We've met thousands and thousands of women that always say "how can we help?", "how can we  get on board?", so we need to create is something where they can.

MAXINE BENSON: We've put a spotlight on women and asked them to tell their stories. It  inspires everyone else in that room. So the idea that we can ask them now tell their story and give advice to young girls, we honestly believe- and they believe too- that it can have a really positive impact at a time, we believe young girls have never needed it more.

KAREN GILL: 99% of women we met  are happy to give their time and to give their advice to help people. I wish I'd known that as a young girl. You know there are women here that have gone to university and graduated and following their passion and their profession. But there are women here that really struggled at school and school just didn't work for them for whatever reason but they've still taken their energy and their passion and really made a success of their life.

MAXINE BENSON: It's OK not to know if you don't know what you are going to do when you get older. You know, this is a journey, other people can help you on that and help to point you in  different directions. They can help, maybe guide you to where it is you are going to succeed.

KAREN GILL: Actually success is attainable to everybody,  anybody.  Some of us need more help than others but it's really about understanding what are you interested in, where would you like to put your effort and your energy.

MAXINE BENSON: I think the other thing that we know after these 10 years, in fact most people know this, you motivate a woman and get her engaged in something, especially a busy woman, then something really happens very very quickly and we know this movement will gather a speed and momentum and can be incredibly powerful very very quickly. We are just providing the mechanism by which people can make a difference. Be under no illusion, success takes hard work but it's incredibly rewarding and when you read the stories of the women that have come onboard, you recognise just how much they have achieved and how much happiness that's given them.

KAREN GILL: We have met incredible people, like all the women in this country who have joined in really.

MAXINE BENSON: The idea that we can now join forces with them, and hopefully, help encourage other women to get involved as well is so exciting. You know, we've got 100 women here, but it's 100 with the power of millions that could be helping with this...How exciting is that, it's amazing!
 

Some of the everywoman team joined the Women on the Bridge, including Annie Lennox OBE and Bianca Jagger on Tuesday, 8th March 2011 to celebrate 100 years of International Women's Day. We also gave out Modern Muse books to young girls and women in Borough, London to inspire them into the world of work, and spoke with Google's Sarah Speake.

everywoman invited a number of influential women, including previous NatWest everywoman Award winners, to a breakfast roundtable meeting to launch the 2011 NatWest everywoman Awards recently. Find out what everywoman co-founders Max Benson MBE and Karen Gill MBE have to say about the awards, and also hear from Secretaries Plus founder Lyn Cecil, Mydeo's founder Cary Marsh and Silver River Productions' founder Daisy Goodwin.

everywoman recently interviewed Anna Bance (Girl Meets Dress), Lauren Westwood (Westwood Rocks) and Liz Bell (B&Q Plc), winners at the 2010 Specsavers everywoman in Retail Awards, to get an insight into their thoughts on working in retail and being a woman in business. Find out what impact being recognised amongst their peers has had, and why awards that recognise female contribution to the retail sector and business in general are so important.

Find out more about the Specsavers everywoman in Retail Awards >>

Wendy Hallett, from Hallett Retail, and 2011 NatWest everywoman Award winner discusses her biggest achievement as a successful business owner.

The NatWest everywoman Awards are for female entrepreneurs who have overcome challenges to achieve success. Find out more and how to nominate yourself or an inspirational woman in business you know right here >>

Overcoming Barriers: Start Up Costs

Elvina Pittaway, from Broad Lane Vets, and winner of the 2011 everywoman Demeter Award, discusses what it's like to run your own business, and the challenges she faced around the initial financing of the business.

The NatWest everywoman Awards are for female entrepreneurs who have overcome challenges to achieve success. Find out more and how to nominate yourself or an inspirational woman in business you know right here >>

In this video by StartMeUp, Dr. Steven Gedeon discusses the art of writing a business plan - keeping things concise and clear for potential investors.

Discuss business plans and other start up challenges in the Business Owners Hub (everywomanNetwork Members) >>

In this video Ros Taylor, Managing Director of the Ros Taylor Group, countsdown the ten commandments of great leadership as found from researching executive level leaders.

Ros has over 25 years' experience in leadership, coaching and training and is a leading UK Chartered Psychologist and Professor of Leadership at Strathclyde Business School.

Develop your leadership and team skills with everywoman's Personal Development Topics >>

In this video Ros Taylor, Managing Director of the Ros Taylor Group, counts down from five to one, of the top ten commandments of great leadership, as found from researching executive level leaders.

Ros has over 25 years' experience in leadership, coaching and training and is a leading UK Chartered Psychologist and Professor of Leadership at Strathclyde Business School.

Develop your leadership and team skills with everywoman's Personal Development Topics >>

Find out what the Specsavers everywoman in Retail Awards is all abut and why so many high profile women are getting involved, helping to judge who the role models are for future generations of women in the retail industry.

Find out more about the    Specsavers everywoman in Retail Awards >>