#FEMALEBOSS

The Female Boss program kicked off with an energetic first session that had everyone buzzing. The lineup of guest speakers was impressive - Mandy from the Royal Bank of Scotland gave an overview of the program's mission to empower women to be entrepreneurs, which had everyone in the chat feeling really optimistic about the journey ahead.

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Next up, Ciara shared her story of reviving her grandmother's distillery dream. This was my favourite speaker because Ciara was still not at a point where she was selling anything and she's been doing this for years. This made entrepreneurship really human for me and the fact that business take time to do things right really stuck out  to me. - she faced some initial setbacks but managed to crowdfund over £11,000 and even won a big business award. It was super inspiring to hear how she just kept pushing forward.

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Then there was Jordyn, a program alumni, who walked us through her transformation from being very shy to being a confident business owner. She drove home the importance of networking and self-belief and reminding everyone that we're the experts in our own fields.

The Female Boss program's second session delved into the values behind the initiative and the personal values of the participants. Lynne, the program head, kicked things off by reflecting on the previous week's energetic networking and diverse range of specialties among the group. She emphasized how the program's core value is to inspire and share knowledge with women aspiring to become entrepreneurs. This resonated deeply, as Lynne's insight that aligning one's business with personal passions and values is the key to achieving goals really struck a chord.

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Next, we heard from two successful female entrepreneurs, Baylie and Viana, who shared their inspiring journeys. Baylie, overcame initial familial opposition to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams. She spoke vulnerably about navigating grief after her mother's passing, crediting her supportive "tribe" for helping her through that difficult time. Viana, shared how she learned to balance ambition with self-care after initially burning out - a valuable lesson in pacing oneself. Both women underscored the importance of boldness, community, and respecting oneself and others.

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In small group discussions, we explored the positive changes we've witnessed in female entrepreneurship, I was in a group with Tammy and we spoke about how we love to hear from women who have done the thing and sharing their story as well as encouraging other women to follow in their footsteps and making their spots in male dominated space.

As someone who's already pretty confident navigating the digital landscape, especially when it comes to platforms like Wix, I have to say I was looking forward to this week's Female Boss workshop on social media and branding. And the session didn't disappoint - if anything, it solidified my existing knowledge and gave me some valuable new insights to enhance my personal brand.

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Elery from Wix kicked things off with an overview of the platform, and to be honest, a lot of it was familiar territory for me. I've been using Wix for my website and blog for a while now and have also used it in the past, so I was able to relax during this part of the session.  I imagine for those still getting to grips with web design, Elery's session was incredibly helpful.

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The part of the workshop I really needed to pay attention to was Niki Hutchison's deep dive into personal branding. Even as someone who considers themselves fairly savvy in this area, as she was talking at light speed to fit everything she needed to say in the timeframe. Niki is clearly very passionate about her job, and it was inspiring to see her break down complex branding principles in such an accessible way.

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I Left this session feeling a little dazed by that info dump if I'm honest but I made sure to follow Niki on social media as I may want to have a chat with her about my  business in the future.

This week's Female Boss workshop was all about the power of networking - something I'll admit I didn't have a great handle on prior to this session. Our two speakers, Lynne and Emma from Bridge 2 Business, provided some invaluable insights on what networking really means, and how to leverage it effectively for our businesses.

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Lynne kicked things off with a more laid-back, conversational approach, explaining that networking is all about making genuine connections with people who share your values and passions. It's not just about collecting business cards, but actively learning from others' unique experiences and perspectives. She encouraged us to really be ourselves and let our enthusiasm shine through when networking. This resonated with me, as I often struggle with confidence in social situations.

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Emma then built on Lynne's advice, highlighting the importance of seeking out relevant networking events and making the most of them. Whether it's an industry-specific meetup or a more general entrepreneurial gathering, the key is to approach it with an open, curious mindset - asking questions, sharing your ideas, and seeing where those conversations might lead. She emphasized that networking looks different for everyone, so it's about finding an approach that plays to your strengths. I left the session feeling much more empowered to start expanding my professional network in a meaningful way.

This week's Female Boss workshop was all about the ins and outs of business finance - a topic I was already familiar with from doing Uni, but one that I was eager to dive deeper into, especially in the context of real-world entrepreneurship.

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Our speaker, Carla from the Royal Bank of Scotland, kicked things off by running us through some key financial terminology. I was interested in the categories she spoke about as I already recognised them from Anca's finance and fundraising class, I could particularly relate to the nuances of variable expenses fluctuating based on factors like product usage and client volume. Carla did a great job of keeping the discussion interactive, welcoming questions throughout rather than only at the end.

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The session then shifted to the importance of diligent bookkeeping and cash flow management. Carla emphasized the value of tools like spreadsheets to track the ins and outs of a business - something I've found invaluable in my studies. While I felt the information was a bit surface-level for my personal needs, I could tell the other participants were finding it incredibly helpful in demystifying the world of small business finance. I was glad to share some of my own lessons learned when it came to creating cash flow projections and managing expenses. Overall, the workshop left me feeling well-equipped to tackle the financial side of my entrepreneurial ventures.

For the final Female Boss program session, the spotlight was on the art of pitch presentation - a topic I was particularly eager to dive into, given an upcoming "Dragon's Den" style project I have coming up for university. We were fortunate to hear from two seasoned experts in this realm - Mairi Ann from the Royal Bank of Scotland, and Kevin Walls, the chief of Scottish Edge, a company that provides funding to Scottish businesses.

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Mairi kicked things off with a deep dive into the key components of a successful pitch - structure, content, and delivery. She emphasized the importance of tailoring your approach based on the specific goals of the pitch, whether that's securing funding, networking, or something else. Mairi also shared invaluable tips on crafting compelling, jargon-free messaging that hooks the audience from the start. I found her advice incredibly useful in helping me refine my own presentation structure and content.

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Kevin then took the stage, drawing on his extensive experience evaluating pitches for Scottish Edge. He shared insights gleaned from reviewing countless submissions, highlighting what works (and what definitely doesn't!). The example video he showed of a successful £100K funding recipient was particularly inspiring - her confident, passionate storytelling and smart use of visuals really drove home Kevin's point about the power of pace, clarity, and authenticity. I left the session brimming with ideas to elevate my upcoming pitch, feeling more self-assured than ever about my ability to communicate my business vision effectively.