The Rose Review in 2023 identified that £250 billion could be added to the UK economy if women started and scaled new businesses at the same rate as men. Adjusting for inflation, the figure is now £310 billion.
With that in mind and to mark International Women’s Day, 37 female entrepreneurs share their top tips for how women can start and grow a successful business.
“My biggest tip for female entrepreneurs is to give yourself a “dare to dream” goal. One that lights you up and matters enough to pull you forward on the days you’re tired, overwhelmed, or scared. When you’ve got an inspiring goal, it becomes easier to choose the next right action, even if it’s small: send the email, post the thing, follow up, make the offer. You don’t need to feel confident first. You just need a direction that’s worth showing up for, then keep taking steady steps towards it.”
Julie Begbie, happiness psychologist and small business mentor
“Build a business that supports your life, not one that quietly consumes it. We are often taught to over deliver, over give, and over prove ourselves. Growth does not have to come from burnout. It can come from clarity.
“Be commercially confident. Understand your numbers, price your work properly, and do not apologise for your ambition. Surround yourself with people who expand you, not shrink you.
“And embrace technology early. AI and smart systems are not about replacing your voice, they are about protecting your time and amplifying your brilliance. The future belongs to women who combine empathy with strategy.”
Cheryl Laidlaw, CeCe Digital
“As females our biggest strength is knowing exactly how the world works from a female point of view and then where the obvious gaps and opportunities are that aren’t being addressed by industries that have traditionally been started or run by men, or possibly never been addressed before.
“I started my business because I suffered from a problem that is mainly experienced by women, which was stylish shoes for bunions, a problem which I have suffered with my whole life but had only been given unsatisfactory solutions that didn’t meet the needs of the modern woman.”
Jennifer Bailey, Calla
“Build with purpose and confidence. Start before you feel ready – clarity and courage grow through action. Surround yourself with people who challenge and champion you, and don’t be afraid to ask for support. Know your numbers, value your time, and price your work properly. I’ve seen how powerful community and belief can be in accelerating growth. Your perspective as a female founder is not a barrier – it’s your competitive edge.”
Kelly Peak, Peak & The Pantry
“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that perfection is procrastination in disguise. If I’d waited until everything looked polished and “ready,” we’d never have launched. Your first version won’t be your best and that’s the point. Put it out. Launch the campaign. Send the email. Then listen obsessively. Your customers will tell you what’s working and what needs improving. Focus on one clear problem and become known for solving it better than anyone else. Start messy, move fast, listen hard, and let real feedback shape every next version.”
Abi Reid, Merwave
“Do it your way! Not the bro marketer way. Not the neurotypical way. Just your way. Find out your own strengths and ways of working – even if that’s a monthly cycle instead of a 9-5 one – and work to that.”
Nicci Lou, Amplify To Thrive
“I didn’t start my first business until I was 53 and I’m now 64. Like many women, I put my dreams on hold to raise my children. The business world is tough, so confidence, determination and real passion are essential.
“As an older founder, I don’t feel I have time to wait on people I take action yesterday. I’m a natural people pleaser, so I build businesses that reflect my integrity and values. If something isn’t right, don’t be afraid to pivot I have, more than once. And I never surround myself with negative people.”
Dennie Smith, Geek Meet Club
“The best piece of advice I can give any woman starting or growing a business is don’t do it alone. Building a business isn’t just about your product or your idea, it’s about the people you surround yourself with. Strong relationships and real community will challenge you, support you and open doors you wouldn’t access on your own. Invest time in building genuine connections with other founders. When you build your people, everything else becomes easier to build too.”
Danielle Wallington, Flockhere
“Build your business the way you want to live. By this I mean, start with your values, not vanity metrics. When your decisions stem from your core values, growth itself feels clearer and a lot less noisy!
“And get comfortable being visible before you feel perfect. It is perfectly fine to ask for help without apologising and to charge what your work is worth.
“Surround yourself with people who raise your standards, not your stress. Most importantly: back yourself like you’d back your best friend. Consistently, loudly, and without conditions.”
Rachel Coles, Conv3rt Marketing
“As a female founder, I’ve learned that clarity beats confidence. You don’t need to feel fearless or completely ready to start, but you do need to be clear on your “why.” Build something that matters to you, not something that looks good on social media.
“Do your homework. Start before you feel ready. Charge properly. Protect your time. Surround yourself with other women who are building too.
“Growth isn’t linear. You will pivot. You will evolve. That isn’t failure, it’s how businesses are built. Take ownership of your direction and have the courage to recalibrate when necessary.”
Susan Bonnar, The British Craft House
“A lot of female entrepreneurs hold themselves back because of doubts. Am I good enough? Do I know what I’m talking about? Will people say I’m too expensive?
“I had all these doubts too and I’ve been a successful entrepreneur for more than 20 years. I didn’t wait until I was ready or until I knew enough. I decided what I wanted to do and told people that’s what I do – the work and the money came afterwards!
“Don’t overcomplicate things, think you need to have everything perfect or wait for the “right time”. Mediocre men don’t so why should you?”
Rachel Morgan-Trimmer, Firebird
“Starting and growing a business as a woman isn’t about doing more. It’s about deciding what actually matters.
“My biggest advice is this: build your business like a CEO from the beginning, even if it’s just you. Get things out of your head and into simple systems early. Document how you onboard clients. Track a few meaningful numbers. Protect time to think.
“Growth doesn’t come from constant busyness, it comes from clarity. And don’t wait until you feel “ready” to charge properly or take up space. Professionalise sooner than you think you need to. You don’t need to work harder, you need structure that supports you in your business.”
As women, we often believe that, if we don’t have all of the skills we need, we can’t possibly set up a business because we don’t know enough. Realistically, though, most of us set up businesses because we’re very good at what we do, and there’s always free training around to help with the bits we don’t know.
“So, take regular deep breaths. Remind yourself that you are an expert in your field. Keep quotes, or affirmations, or books, anything that works for you, around you, to motivate you to believe in yourself, and motivate you to succeed.”
Vie Portland, VIP Empowerment
“Female entrepreneurs often wait until they feel ‘ready’ but clarity comes from movement, not perfection. Start before you feel prepared. Build a business that supports your wellbeing, not one that burns you out.
“Focus on sustainable growth, genuine community, and values-led visibility. Collaborate with other women, networks like Buy Women Built prove that collective amplification is powerful.
“And remember: your lived experience is not a weakness, it’s your differentiator. The most resilient brands are built from truth, not trends. Protect your energy, know your numbers, and never underestimate the commercial power of authenticity.”
Alicia Drabble-Castellano, Single Swan
“My biggest tip for female entrepreneurs looking to grow their business is that you don’t need all the bells and whistles such as a polished brand, pictures and website from day one. A simple one pager on what you’re doing for who and what outcomes you’ll help them achieve is just fine. You can do simple outreach to people you know and start to win work. Anyone who says you must have a brand etc is generally selling you something. No need to overcomplicate anything. Focus on revenue-generating activity first, just get started. Clarity and confidence come from doing and learning rather than endlessly designing.”
Ayo Abbas, Abbas Marketing
“Do it out of passion, you will work harder and invest more of yourself if it’s something you’re passionate about, and it wont feel like work!
“Be a positive role model. Whether you’re a hairdresser, florist, chef, demonstrate that passion to others, do it yourself, show off your skills and inspire others.
“Have a USP. What sets you apart from others?
“Network. Go to events, talk about your business, ask lots of questions, fact find and share a little about yourself, people will warm to you.
“Don’t worry about what other people think.”
Jude Freeman, Tonic Fitness
“The most powerful growth strategy for female entrepreneurs isn’t a tactic – it’s the right people around you.
“One of the biggest things that’s helped me as a female founder is building a strong community.
“Look for role models who are just a few steps ahead – not only the big names on stages, but women who are doing what you want to be doing. Seeing someone relatable make it work makes it feel possible.
“And don’t underestimate the power of peers at your level. Other business owners you can ask honest questions, share doubts with, and learn alongside. Growth feels far less overwhelming when you’re not doing it alone.”
Karen Webber, Goodness Marketing
“If you have an idea, start today. Don’t wait for the perfect moment, the ideal climate or support from the people around you. You can work out details as you go along but don’t wait as the market is constantly evolving and all small steps add up. Hold on to self belief and even be delusional about it if you have to, it will keep you moving forwards to your goal especially when challenges arise.
“Be aware of your competitors but don’t compare yourself to them, it will hold you back and steal your joy. Follow your own path and you will build a brand that you love.”
Bharati Manchanda, Embellished Truth
“Back yourself unapologetically. Confidence isn’t arrogance; it’s belief in your value.
“Build strong networks early as collaboration opens doors that hard work alone sometimes cannot. Seek mentors, but always trust your instincts. Don’t wait for perfection before launching; progress beats perfection every time.
“Most importantly, resilience is your greatest asset. There will be setbacks, but consistency and courage will set you apart. Success is rarely overnight, it’s built through persistence, relationships and reputation.”
Charlotte Notley, Taylor Investigations
“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as a female founder is to build from purpose, not pressure. Trends come and go, but businesses built on authenticity and lived experience create lasting impact.
“Start before you feel ready, but be intentional — understand your customer deeply and solve a real problem. Don’t dilute your vision to fit into traditional expectations. Resilience is your greatest asset; setbacks are data, not failure.
“Surround yourself with mentors, protect your energy, and remember that sustainable growth is more powerful than rapid visibility. Build something that reflects your values — that’s what truly scales.”
Samantha Parkash Singh, LUSHKA Cosmetics
“Being a female founder comes with many opportunities and many challenges. Here are my top three tips to help your journey be less of a rollercoaster.
“Be clear on what your business does and who you help. This way you won’t waste time trying to help people who are not your ideal client.
“You cannot do everything yourself. It’s better to focus on what you can do and want to do and delegate the rest.
“It’s okay to ask for help, so do ask.”
Sonal Dave, celebrant, Toastmaster and public speaking expert
“My advice is to begin with kindness, towards yourself and your journey. You don’t need everything to be perfect to start; you just need one honest conversation and the courage to show up as you are.
“The most meaningful opportunities in my business came from real relationships, not strategy. Surround yourself with women who lift your energy, share your values, and believe in your potential. When you build from authenticity and care, your business becomes a place where others can grow, too.”
Laurel Alper, Laurel Leaf Networking
“If you’re starting a business, I believe two foundations matter most: passion and clarity. Passion for your product or service is essential because business has highs and lows, and without belief in what you’re doing, it’s hard to sustain.
“Clarity around your market, pricing, profit margins, and cash flow is just as important before investing time or money. I started small to test and refine my idea, staying flexible and ready to pivot.
“Building a supportive network of mentors and fellow female entrepreneurs helped enormously. Focus on consistent action over perfection, progress drives growth more than standing still.”
Emma Morgan, All About Sleep
“My biggest advice to female entrepreneurs is to begin before you feel fully qualified. You learn by doing. Build your business around your values, not just what’s trending. Enter awards, not just to win, but to clarify your story, build credibility and open doors. And remember, resilience matters more than perfection. Sustainable growth may look slow, but it’s powerful and lasting.”
Sarah Turner, Little Beau Sheep
“Remember that everything takes time, run your own race and keep your eyes on where you are heading.
“Other people’s progress is theirs to own and does not define whether you are doing well or badly, try not to measure yourself against them.
“Measure yourself against your own goals, that you set, taking into account the other things that you have going on in your life.
“Forgive yourself your failures, for in time you will come to realise that they were your greatest learning points.
“But above all, be passionate about what you do, service your customers above their expectations and enjoy the journey.”
“My biggest tips are:
- Use your imagination to focus on what happens if it goes right and start there every day.
- Your intuition is your biggest superpower. It supercedes algorithms, scheduling, or logic.
- Say yes and take opportunities, especially if you don’t feel you’re ready or resourced enough.
- Women work best when nourished. Regularly depleting yourself and living in a hustle-and-grind culture makes you less effective, not more. Too much, and you’re hiding from your inspiration. Choose love, not fear. Fear of stopping or not doing enough is still fear. As much as avoiding, procrastinating and giving up is fear in action.
- It’s not about the result; it’s about who you become on the journey of pursuing your dreams, and that will always be your greatest achievement.”
“I didn’t quit my career to start my business — I built a second one alongside it. My biggest advice to women is to stop waiting for the perfect moment or permission. Start small, start messy, and let your skills grow in public. Use what you already have — evenings, weekends, your kitchen table.
“Consistency matters more than scale in the early stages. Also, don’t underestimate the power of community and visibility: markets, collaborations and storytelling build trust faster than perfection. You don’t have to choose between stability and creativity — you can build both, on your own terms.”
Paulomi Debnath, Handmade by Tinni
“Work on figuring out your corporate values at the very start of your business journey, since this can provide a sense of stability, direction and support as you move forwards. So often, we can get caught up in growth, expansion and outward projection, but setting our own business values first can provide a great foundation for future development.
“We can also develop a closer connection to our own working lives as founders or small business owners if we feel our work is aligned with the things we truly value, or to our own sense of meaning.”
“As a female founder, my biggest advice is to back yourself before anyone else does. You cannot overthink it or worry about what people think of you – you just have to keep posting. Consistency builds trust, and confidence grows through action, not before it. Don’t wait until you feel polished or ready.
“Start messy and refine as you grow. Focus on solving a real problem for your audience, charge properly for your expertise, protect your energy, and remember that community will always outperform comparison.”
Rosey Davidson, Just Chill Mama
“Build your business around who you truly are. In a sea of online clones, it is tempting to copy what looks successful. But performing in your own business is exhausting and unsustainable. The women who grow are the ones who stop trying to sound like everyone else and start owning their voice, energy and perspective. When your marketing reflects your real personality and values, you attract the right clients naturally. Authenticity is a branding choice, and a growth strategy.
Jade Cooper, Social Butterfly Studio
“My biggest advice for female entrepreneurs is to stop waiting for permission and act like the successful version of you now. If ‘future you’ walks confidently into networking rooms, introduces herself clearly, and knows the value of her work, start doing that today.
“Growth accelerated for me when I stopped seeing myself as ‘just starting out’ and began behaving like a founder and CEO. Confidence signals credibility. Just as importantly, despite what you’ve been told, you don’t build alone. Some of my biggest partnerships came from simple conversations. Strategic relationships and collaboration will scale you far faster than hyper independence ever will.”
Esme Michaela, Evulve Productions
“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as a female founder is to find your niche and commit to it, but allow yourself to evolve. When I started, I didn’t try to be everything to everyone. I focused on qualified guides, safety and building confidence in the outdoors. That clarity created trust.
At the same time, business is rarely linear. You have to adapt, test ideas and respond to what your community actually needs. Stay true to your values, but flexible in your approach. Growth doesn’t come from copying others, it comes from building something that genuinely reflects who you are.”
Julia Hartley, Guided Outdoor Adventures
“You don’t need to have everything perfectly mapped out, you need conviction and resilience. I left a secure role at a conglomerate because I couldn’t ignore the gap I could see in the sweets aisle. My advice to female founders is to get obsessive about your growth early – margins, cash flow, rate of sale, because creativity is powerful, but sustainability is what keeps you in the game.
“Don’t wait for confidence to magically arrive, it will grow through action. Build strong relationships, especially with buyers and partners, and don’t be afraid to hear ‘no’ . Trust me, every rejection sharpens your proposition. Most importantly, back yourself. You’re often more ready than you think.”
Fliss Newland, Wild Thingz
“There’s something called the peanut butter effect – where you do a bit of everything, spreading your efforts and respect as far as you can. We learnt prettty quickly how limiting that was. We were showing up everywhere, but not loudly enough.
“As women we often feel we need to be everywhere and do everything to be credible. But our advice would be to pick one lane, one metric or one North Star and make that work. Put all your energy into nailing one thing, it helps with focus, clarity and ultimately makes you smarter with your resources, particularly if you are bootstrapping.”
Taya and Lucy Jackson, Nashi Pear Juice
“Growth isn’t about chasing every opportunity, it’s about focus. No is often more defining than saying yes. We were selective about retail partners, protecting our margins &building an eperience-led brand centred around our community. As female founders, we’ve learned to walk into rooms prepared, know our business plan inside out, know your value and don’t dilute your vision to make others comfortable.
“Raising £1.5 million was a milestone, but the real work is discipline and brand consistency. Surround yourself with people who are better than you in their field, and build a team that believes in the Marg fuelled mission as much as you do.”
Alice Parmiter and Wynter Karo, Pimentae