She Can. She Did.

I first met Olivia when she agreed to speak on the panel at the launch of The Midweek Mingles back in April 2018 and have since watched her incredible brand go from strength to strength. Having founded Livia's - renowned for it's vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free sweet treats - in her parents' kitchen four years ago, Olivia’s business has grown by 153% year on year, turning over seven figures comfortably in 2018.   Discussing everything from how she’s had to learn on the job how to manage an ever growing team; the negative backlash she faced on social media in November 2018 when her site crashed after thousands of fans flocked to her website unexpectedly; the various fires she’s had to put out in her business; to her recently launched, 'Better Treat Yourself' campaign and why she’s changed her self-care routine in recent months to ensure that she’s the best possible CEO that she can be; Olivia's approach to running a business has been an inspiration since long before I launched She can. She did. and

This week I got to sit down for a chat with the wonderful Jess MacIntyre and Natalie Moores – aka. the Ant and Dec of the marketing world and Co-Founders of Mac & Moore - the London-based but UK-wide marketing company that counts Now TV and Transport London as well as a roster of female founded businesses as clients. We discuss everything from how they navigated the process involved in launching a business together as equal partners when Jess had previously been Nat’s boss; why supporting women in business is so much more than sharing an inspirational quote on Instagram (hear hear!) and the steps they’ve taken to incorporate that ethos into the core of their company; to their thoughts on the competition when anyone and everyone could technically market themselves as a service-based specialist online nowadays and how they position themselves in the market as a result. The two also touch upon the traumatic ordeals that they’ve both encountered in their personal lives that have at times meant they were crum

Imagine two women sat on two chairs surrounded by a whole lot of excess material draped around us, having a good old chuckle and you'll have a good idea of what the recording of this episode looked like behind the scenes (we tried to make a makeshift recording studio but it didn't quite go to plan..!). Anyway (!), this week, I chat to the one and only Heidi May, the 32 year old Founder of Aesthetic Laundry - the confidence boosting clothing brand, renowned for its rainbow tassled jumpers and tracksuits that has been championed by the likes of Zoe Sugg and Fearne Cotton and encourages everyone to feel comfortable and empowered being exactly who they are.  From ongoing challenges with her mental health; the run in with appendicitis that left her bed bound at her busiest time of the year last December; the challenges that present themselves when her creative streak refuses to cooperate with the day-to-day realities and admin involved in running a business; to the steps she’s taken to scale Aesthetic Laundry

It's always handy when I don't have to travel too far for an interview and this week was perhaps the shortest trip to date! (Think five minutes down the road from me and your on the right track!)  My big sister first introduced me to Susan's brand when she made me try the most incredible jackfruit crisps that are part of the One Earth Organics range. Needless to say, I've been a fan ever since so it was a no brainer that I went on to invite Susan on for a chat! We cover everything from the realities of launching a healthy food brand in a saturated market; her advice for anyone looking to launch an ethical business or improve their current company’s transparency to how she manages to juggle the day-to-day responsibilities of running a company with her role as Mum to two young children! We also discuss why the launch of her business forced her to re-evaluate some friendships as well as her experience running and promoting her business as an introvert. With over a decades experience working in int

One of the most humble of women out there with a talent that is taking the art world by storm... this week I got to natter to the incredible Sarah Owusu. Discussing everything from the incident that left her temporarily paralysed aged twenty-two and how that accident shaped her self-worth as a business woman going forward; why she decided to leave her job in recruitment and managed the transition between painting as a hobby compared to a business; to how she learnt to place a value on her designs and how her art led to a unique invitation from the President of Ghana; to say this lady has been on an impressive journey in recent years would be an understatement. I don't need to tell you that success comes with its fair share of challenges though do I?!  Luckily for us, Sarah agreed to share her learnings so far...   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

In the second episode of the series, Fi sits down to chat with twenty-seven-year-old Sarah Owusu, aka. the incredible self-taught artist behind Owusuism. Discussing everything from the incident that left her temporarily paralysed aged twenty-two and how that accident shaped her self-worth as a business woman going forward; why she decided to leave her job in recruitment and managed the transition between painting as a hobby compared to a business; how she learnt to place a value on her designs and how her art led to a unique invitation from the President of Ghana; plus of course the numerous challenges that she faces being self-employed on a daily basis; naturally the road to her success has been anything but straightforward, but luckily for us, Sarah agreed to share her learnings so far...   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

To set the scene for this episode, I'd initially planned to interview Alice in a random meeting room that I'd booked in Farringdon. It was the first ever podcast recording, I had all this new recording gear (that I was still trying to work out how to use) and was determined that I'd get the series of to a smooth start. When we arrived at said meeting room however, a meeting was going on next door that was so, unbelievably noisy that I ended up calling one of my best friends that I used to work with pre-launching She can. She did. (I knew that her new office was around the corner) and after a quick/desperate beg over the phone at my end, Alice and I packed up shop, legged it down the road and arrived at Lizzie's office (thank you Lizzie!), hijacking one of her boss's glass-fronted meeting booths for this recording. *cue the sweats* Thankfully though, after a quick catch up, the two of us calmed down, the mic was switched on and episode one of the She can. She did. podcast was born! Chatting about everything fr

A little insight into the She can. She did. story so far and what you can expect from listening along with me, Fiona Grayson (hello!) as I sit down with some of the UK's most inspiring, young female founders  and have a good old natter about everything that they've faced both in front of and behind the scenes on their business journeys so far... I launched She can. She did. back in 2017 (back in the day, instead of recording each episode I used to type them up word-for-word and share them weekly on the She can. She did. website each week!) to provide young women with more business role models to aspire to but to provide them with the reality that each of those role models have has to go through behind the scenes to get to where they are today, warts and all. The hope being that She can. She did. encourages more women that launching and running a business is possible but to go in with the right mindset, where hard work, patience and resilience are prioritised over quick-fix cash or short-term gain. It's not al