Trademarked brand Female Founder UK hosts first ‘Founder Live’ event at Teesside University.
Female founders from across Teesside were joined by captains of industry, education providers, finance experts and health and wellbeing specialists at a landmark event to discuss the need to back female entrepreneurs – and capitalise on one of the greatest economic opportunities of our time.
The inaugural Female Founder UK ‘Founder Live’ event, held at ‘The Curve’ in the heart of Teesside University, examined how women in business have been represented by the media in the last 26 years and the entrenched cultural norms that prevent them from achieving their unique aspirations in business.
The event encouraged the audience to explore what support female entrepreneurs need if they are to access a portion of the £310bn that could be added to the UK economy, if women were given the same support as their male counterparts.
Max Freer, a successful brand strategist and the visionary behind Female Founder UK, trademarked the brand three years ago, after years of informally supporting women in business at different stages of foundership over many years.
Female Founder UK now brings together an ecosystem of female-led businesses on Teesside to offer strategic business support and deliver sustainable business plans that fit with every female business owner’s unique aspirations, whatever age and stage they may be at.
It also supports their psychological health, wellbeing and longevity.
Max said: “This was a landmark event, drawing a line in the sand about the lack of support female entrepreneurs have experienced at different stages of running a business and asking what we can do now to support women to help grow the economy – on Teesside and beyond.
“It was unique in bringing together senior leaders across a wide range of sectors and industries – including education and finance – together with female business owners and executives, to discuss the challenges female founders face – and how these can be overcome.”
At the event journalists and PR experts Sarah Dale and Sarah Walker, of SASS media Ltd, Female Founder UK’s official media partner, looked back at the way women in the media have been treated since the early noughties – and how that translates to female entrepreneurs.
Sarah Dale also presented an emotive interview with fashion designer and beacon of British creativity Kate Fearnley, who recently closed her successful business, after years of dressing celebrities on the red carpet and other followers of her exquisite designs.
Kate’s story represented a common issue for businesses in the creative industries, where profit is a requirement – but purpose and passion are also equally important.
For creatives like Kate, business acumen or the ability to successfully market products in an online, increasingly AI-driven world can also be weak areas – and this is where tailored support from the likes of Female Founder UK comes into play.
The audience were invited to share their experiences during a roundtable event and discuss what needs to change in the way we support women in business across the Tees Valley going forward.
Joanna Wake, an AI strategy and skills consultant, with 15 years at the sharp end of digital and AI adoption, is a passionate advocate of women having the skills they need to succeed.
Contributing to the engaging ‘Question Time’ element of the event, she discussed the importance of Female Founders on Teesside understanding the digital marketplace – and the way AI influences both consumer and B2B spending decisions and contributes to the success or failure of businesses.
She said: “Women’s jobs are three times more likely to be taken over by AI – but there is also a lot of exciting growth opportunity with AI.
“We need more of a focus on women’s understanding of how this could work for them – but could also work against them if they don’t embrace the potential that’s there.
“Teesside could be the AI literacy capital of the UK – we have to be, so we’re not left behind.”
Samantha Anderson, CEO of Wolviston Group, said: “I’ve never been around a round table with so many women before. I’m usually the only woman round a table of men. We need more opportunities to come together like this and advocate for change. If I had something like this early in my career I would have flown.”
Kelly Whitfield, founder and CEO of KLIK SaaS© and a mum-of-three, said: “As women, we are far too modest. We don’t shout loud enough and I am very passionate about that. We have got to champion each other; promote our ideas and the problems we solve.”
The event was also attended by representatives from HSBC, as well as Atomix Educational Trust, which runs Prior Pursglove College and Stockton Sixth Form College; and the Education Training Collective (Etc.), which runs Stockton Riverside College, Bede Sixth Form, NETA Training Group and Redcar and Cleveland College.
Female Founder UK recently helped independent financial adviser Christine Tarran launch a new brand called Her Invest, aimed at supporting women to be more financially savvy.
The launch event at Porsche Teesside followed months of planning around the brand strategy with the support of Female Founder UK.
Sarah Dale said: “Following the event at Porsche Teesside, where I had the pleasure of interviewing Christine about the aspirations behind her business and the need to support other women, it was exciting to present the first Founder Live event for Female Founder UK.
“Foundership for women is complex and women have very differing and unique perspectives on what success looks like for them – and why they want to venture into being their own boss.
“It’s not always about wanting to be the next multi-million-pound turnover business and Female Founder UK recognises that; and provides a strategic direction that meets women where they’re at, whether they want to turnover enough to pay the mortgage and be independent, work towards becoming VAT registered or turnover £250,000 and more.
“If we have more of all of these types of business we have a healthy economy.”
Sarah Walker added: “Talent is everywhere – in the Tees Valley and beyond – but opportunity isn’t.
“With the possibility of creating £310bn in revenue if women are backed in the same way as male business owners, unlocking female entrepreneurial talent is one of the greatest economic opportunities of our time.
“The question is not whether Tees Valley can afford to invest in women entrepreneurs – it’s whether it can afford not to.”