She Can. She Did.

Having first met Emily when her company, Roundwood Gin agreed to be the all-important G&T sponsor at the Birmingham leg of July’s Midweek Mingle roadshow, I instantly fell in love with her business when she rolled up to the event in quite possibly the coolest branded gin truck going and proceeded to serve the yummiest (and prettiest) G&Ts with an orange peel and thyme garnish throughout evening. With so many gin brands popping up left right and centre in recent years though, I was intrigued to find out why she decided to enter such a saturated market when the idea for Roundwood popped into her head in 2016 (and the reality of what launching and running a gin brand looks like behind the scenes…) From why her and her fiancé now have a ‘no gin in the bedroom’ rule and what Co-Founding a business together has meant for their relationship; how she went about financing the business given that launching a gin distillery is no mean feat to how she’s handled all the niggling challenges that come with prod

I’ve known today’s guest since the early days of She can. She did. and over the past two years her brand has been on quite a journey. Having launched what was previously known as Whistle & Bango with two fellow co-Founders at the age of 24, Rosie Parkes spent four and a half years running the luxury, personalised jewellery company alongside a full-time career in marketing before buying her co-Founders out a year and a half ago and going full-time with the business, rebranding to what is now called Florence London.  Having previously stepped away from the business for a few months whilst her old job demanded more of her time however, the business that Rosie bought out eighteen months ago was not the business she had stepped away from a few months prior. In her own words, she unknowingly bought debt and a name.  From the lessons that particular experience taught her and how she went about repairing the company’s reputation and drastically improving the health of its balance sheet in the process; t

As someone that once upon a time used to commute into London and walk from Euston to my office in Haymarket twice daily, I have battled with the fact that - my morning workout aside - I sit on my bum behind my laptop for the majority of the day. When I discovered Kerrie-Anne Bradley’s business therefore, everything about her brand and ethos spoke to me! From how she dealt with sceptical comments about why on Earth she left her “proper job” for Pilates At Your Desk; how she’s learnt to value her time and her worth; plus the impact giving up alcohol has had on her life, self-worth and mindset towards the business too; I wasn’t expecting this chat to take the turn that it did but I have so much respect for the journey Kerrie-Anne has been through over the past few years and her vulnerability in this recording is a testament to what a brave woman she is.   She can. She did. is hosted by me, Fiona Grayson (hello!) and is sponsored by xero.com For a free one-month trial on Xero followed by 50% off for the ne

On this week’s episode, I got to chat to Christalena Vraila, the unapologetically ambitious, twenty something Founder of Mr Highline – the creative agency based in London with global reach, that is solely focused on improving the social presence of brands belonging to the hospitality industry.  Originally from Greece, Christalena first noticed a demand from the market whilst working at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. After flying back to London, the self-confessed dreamer secured a meeting with one of London’s biggest hotels after being introduced by a friend and with a week to prepare for said meeting and lots of late nights, Mr Highline was born. A week she goes on to describe as one of the best weeks of her life… From her natural advice on sales and how to win over big clients; her admirable reasons for why she is so passionate about investing in a young team; to why she will never stop setting herself goals and has learnt to embrace the drama and suspense of working towards them; for someone that wa

Gosh, this woman is nothing short of incredible! Not many people would sell their home to fund their business but that’s exactly what inspirational, single mum-of-one, Selma Nicholls did to turn her entrepreneurial dream into what is now, a successful reality - Looks Like Me. Why risk so much, might you ask? Because at the time she felt like she had no choice. From her candid thoughts on dealing with the pressure and loneliness that can come when you’re trying to make an impact on a scale unlike anything you’ve ever known before; her practical advice on funding from her initial Virgin Start Up loan of £7000 to selling her flat; to how she uses PTSD from an attack in her early twenties as fire in her belly to fuel her ambition and success going forward; Selma is a woman worthy of every bit of success that comes her way in my opinion and I really hope that you take as much from her story as I did…. She can. She did. is hosted by me, Fiona Grayson (hello!) and is sponsored by xero.com For a free one-month tria

From battling imposter syndrome behind the scenes, learning to establish boundaries with clients and defend their worth to the steps they took in the early days to cement their brand, carve out a USP within what is an already saturated market and utilise every possible contact they had; it’s hard not to be impressed by what Emily and Kate have accomplished with Sonder & Tell in just under two years and they’re experiences and nuggets of advice throughout this chat will resonate with many of you I’m sure… She can. She did. is hosted by me, Fiona Grayson (hello!) and is sponsored by xero.com For a free one-month trial on Xero followed by 50% off for the next six months, please feel free to use the code, 'SCSD50' going forward! The good old social handles should you fancy a further peek! She can. She did. @shecanshedid Sonder & Tell @sonderandtell Xero @xero   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How is it the end of series one already girls!? I know I sound like a broken record but honestly, where is this year going? We're ending series one on a high though because this week's guest is the oh so intelligent, resilient and ever so humble Founder of Books That Matter, aka. Miss Molly Masters! *please tell me you read that in your best X Factor voiceover voice!?* Having launched the empowering feminist book subscription box service (which now boasts over 700 monthly subscribers) whilst juggling both her degree and multiple part-time jobs at the time, Molly unveils the reality of what she's had to juggle behind the scenes in order to get to where she is today. From battling her fear of public speaking head on in order to pitch for a £10,000 grant courtesy of Sussex Innovation Centre and the impact winning that grant had on her ability to scale the business; how she approached marketing in the early days to ensure that she had a tight-knit community pre-launch so that by the time Books That Matt

In today's episode, I got to chat to a female founder whose intelligence and creativity genuinely blew me away whilst we spoke and continues to astound me every time I try and wrap my head around the technology that she's created! The woman in question being Daniela Paredes Fuentes, the Co-Founder and Inventor of Gravity Sketch - a virtual reality design tool which allows designers from all over the world to sketch, visualise and communicate their ideas in 3D.  Opening up about everything from how she's tackled the challenging evolution from designing a product to designing a company; the numerous funding methods her and her Co-Founders have pursued since the early days; her welcomed thoughts on the importance of finding time to grow as an individual, not just as a business owner; to her insights into the realities of running a business with Co-Founders, what down time and self care look like for her and how she manages her team creatively; the fact that Daniela has won numerous awards for innovation doe

I have so much respect for the two ladies that I got to chat to on this week’s episode because the company that they run together (formerly known as WickerWood) has the credentials of a business ten times its size.   For me, their thoughts on everything from leadership and how to grow a hardworking and invested team (they now lead a really close team of 20+ employees); how to avoid the dreaded "analysis paralysis" and deal with unconscious bias; what happens when you get stuck in the VIP section of a club in Ibiza with George and Amal Clooney; and Shirley’s empowering views on dating as a strong business woman are personal highlights from our conversation and their advice, as it did with me, will be welcomed by many of you, I'm sure.  She can. She did. is hosted by me, Fiona Grayson (hello!) and is sponsored by xero.com For a free one-month trial on Xero followed by 50% off for the next six months, please feel free to use the code, 'SCSD50' going forward! The good old social handles should you fa

I've admired Jana's brand from afar for a while now so when a potential interviewee dropped out late the night before our planned recording (for completely understandable reasons) and I had a meeting room booked in London for 10am the next day, it didn't take long for me to message Jana and see if she fancied stepping in for a chat!  Thankfully for us lot, she said, "yes!" After walking away from an anxiety-inducing career in the fashion industry to launch her own business, Jana (pronounced "Yana like banana" in case you were wondering...!) has grown The Completist into a well-established stationery brand within what is, in the grand scheme of things, a relatively short period of time. On a rainy Monday morning in London, the two of us sat down to chat about how she’s learnt to embrace her unique style to ensure that she stands out in an already saturated market and learnt to adapt to the ebbs and flows of self-employed life by shifting her focus during the quieter months. We also discuss how she went ab

Having first thought of the idea for Pip & Nut whilst training for a marathon at the age of 24, Pippa's come a long, long way since she initially started selling her market-leading nut butters from a market stall each weekend. Now a multi-million pound company that is now stocked in over 5000 stores UK wide, I was lucky enough to sit down with her at Pip & Nut HQ (yes, there is a giant tub of nut butter slap back in the middle of the office... what a legend) to discuss how her role as Founder has evolved throughout that process and how she's adapted to that change. She opens up about how she dealt with the painful reality post-Brexit when she woke up on 26th June 2016 hundreds of thousands of pounds down and how she manages the days when the reality of owning a company tests your resilience beyond belief. Plus, of course, the various funding methods she has used since day one and her advice for anyone looking to raise; what down time and self-care looks like for her; her proudest moments alo

From her experience managing the ever-growing success of the business and why she decided to scale back in recent months to rediscover and prioritise the joy in the job at hand; unveiling what she prioritised in the early days of About Time (she was just 22 when the brand launched!) to ensure that the magazine hit the ground running; her advice for handling the unavoidable challenges on the job with some stellar examples of said dodgy days thrown in for good measure; to how she’s learnt to deal with burn out and set boundaries between work and play; Angelica’s frankness throughout this chat is refreshing and her advice provides a really thought-provoking perspective for all…    She can. She did. is hosted by me, Fiona Grayson (hello!) and is sponsored by xero.com For a free one-month trial on Xero followed by 50% off for the next six months, please feel free to use the code, 'SCSD50' going forward! The good old social handles should you fancy a further peek! She can. She did. @shecanshedid Abo

Having struggled to secure investment the traditional way – turns out investors who are typically male and over sixty, couldn’t see the business potential for a sustainable period product that women would use once a month (shocking eh..!) – Celia, along with her Co-Founder Alec, launched a Kickstarter campaign to launch 'D' that went on to exceed its target by 500%, attracted backers from over 50 countries gaining worldwide media attention as a consequence, trending globally on Twitter in the aftermath too. On a sunny afternoon in London late April, I sat down with Celia to discuss the journey she’s been on behind the glowing headlines so far. From the challenges they’ve faced trying to get women to change long-rooted habits when it comes to their monthly cycle; her advice for anyone looking to go into business with a Co-Founder; to how she balances running a business with motherhood given that she was heavily pregnant with her third child at the time of this recording; I sat in awe from start to finish of th

Oh how I adore this lady! I've admired Gabi for ages now and fell a bit in love with her when she spoke at the first Bristol Midweek Mingle in October 2018 so knew from the minute I launched the She can. She did. podcast, that I wanted to natter to her in full on here! To set the scene, in her final year of university, Gabi launched Chroma Stationery - the personalised stationery brand that now customises diaries and notebooks for stationery lovers in over 28 countries as well as for corporations including American Airlines, Boots and ITV. Naturally therefore, we spoke about her experience launching a business as a student; running a Kickstarter campaign as a twenty-two year old when crowdfunding campaigns were nowhere near as common as they are today; and her experience working with corporations given that she had zero experience working with large companies prior to launching her business. We also chat about her personalised approach to influencer marketing that led to the likes of Lily Pebbles and Zoella s

Having launched Lauren Aston Designs  four years ago with a range of handmade chunky knits that are quite simply fabulous, Lauren's company has gone on to gain international attention, with the likes of Disney, Elizabeth Arden and the Beckham family amongst her fans! From the early days of Lauren Aston Designs when it was just Lauren knitting at home on her own and how she grew the business to the extent that she now leads a team of eight, outgrew her home office and learnt quickly to prepare for the onslaught of Christmas orders throughout the year; how she's utilised Joanne Hawker's #marchmeetthemaker campaign each year and her refreshing view on paid ads and why she'll always prioritise knitting over paid campaigns; to the more challenging aspects of being your own boss that she's had to face behind the scenes, including the impact breaking her arm had on her mental health last year and her experience dealing with intellectual property law when a number of Chinese companies stole her designs in 2017;

As a farmers daughter born and raised on a free-range chicken farm in Aberystwyth, Rachel was raised to appreciate the importance of knowing where a product comes from, the value of supporting your local community and staying true to your morals in business. Over a fancy platter of pastries in her beautiful home at the start of May (what a legend, I know), the two of us sat down to discuss the serendipitous encounter that led her to leave her job in theatre aged twenty-five and set up her dream company (formerly knows as the Rachel Burgess Bridal Boutique) despite being dyslexic, having no business degree or even a maths GCSE to her name. Of course, we also discuss the many trials and tribulations that she's overcome behind the scenes since then too... She can. She did. is hosted by me, Fiona Grayson (hello!) and is sponsored by xero.com For a free one-month trial on Xero followed by 50% off for the next six months, please feel free to use the code, 'SCSD50' going forward! The good old social handles

Having first interviewed Rosie when I launched She can. She did. back in August 2017, the two of us caught up over a glass of wine last fortnight to chat about everything she’s been up to behind the scenes since then (launching a second company, expanding her team, moving offices twice, getting married etc… to name but a few!). We discuss everything from the numerous internships and jobs she juggled when she first moved to London in order to gain experience and her disruptive approach to launching LFA without funding in 2013, that tipped the traditional PR agency model on its head. We also chat about how she has approached the recruitment process since day one to ensure that she attracts the right kind of people and what she’s learnt about managing a team of women en route; why having the difficult conversations in business is so important and why she refuses to let her dyslexia hold her back; to her ongoing struggle to switch off from work and be present in her personal life and why she doesn’t feel the need

I first met Rebecca when she started coming along to The Midweek Mingles in London and after exchanging a few DMs thereafter, it didn't take me long to realise that I wanted to interview her on here! Chatting about everything from how Rebecca launched Rebecca Tembo as a student  four years ago in spite of intense objection from her family at the time and the ways in which she juggles running a company with her now, 9-5 job; the depression that led her to drop out of fashion school and the impact investing in self-development has had, not just on her mental-health but her ongoing attitude to running her company today; to her unique approach to market research (which includes lots of fancy meals out in Kensington and Mayfair... the dream eh!) and why, as a black woman in the fashion industry, her motto is ‘be the change you want to see’; Rebecca’s ambition is not only infectious but limitless and at 22, she’s undoubtedly one to watch…   She can. She did. is hosted by me, Fiona Grayson (hello!) and i

Gosh, this woman is a bit of a legend! In the 8th episode of the series, I sat down for a chat with the Manchester-born, London-based artist behind the self-titled art empire that is Sophie Tea that she has grown organically online to such an extent that her paintings now sell internationally for thousands of pounds in a matter of seconds... literally.  We chat about everything from how she used her art as currency in the early days of her business and the series of value exchanges that enabled her to lay the foundations of the company; her experience working on a ‘Tinder for artists’ app after graduating with a first class degree in Business and the advice from a particular investor that encouraged her to take her own art seriously; and why she’s learnt in recent weeks just how important self-care is after being close to burning out, after weeks of back-to-back travel to and from her studios in Sydney, LA and London. She also reveals what she’s learnt from best friend and fellow business owner Jenn

Discussing  everything from the early days of Inkpact when Charlotte first thought of the concept and how she went about scaling the idea later down the line; why the photo of her that was used in the Forbes '30 under 30' list at the time concealed the stress and anxiety that she was facing behind the scenes in reality; the thought process that went into her decision to seek a Co-Founder and how they’ve learnt to adjust to the shared leadership dynamic along the way; to why she’s so passionate about emotional intelligence and how she applies its principles to the way in which she runs her company today; what Charlotte has achieved with Inkpact in the space of three and a half years proves what's possible when you persevere and thankfully for us, she was happy to share so many of the lessons she's learnt along the way… She can. She did. is hosted by me, Fiona Grayson (hello!) and is sponsored by xero.com For a free one-month trial on Xero followed by 50% off for the next six months, please feel free to