A look at the world of business

If you are interested in working for yourself and have been wondering just how to make that happen, then this month’s WEN forum (which took place two days ago) was the place to have been. We were delighted to have three remarkable women speaking at this month’s event, all of whom work in the business sector, with two of them working for themselves.

Debbie Akehurst, the first guest speaker of the evening, gave an overview of how she came to be in her current position of Director of Corporate Responsibility for a FTSE-100 company based in London. A highly-encouraging talk, Debbie spoke about her top five tips for surviving the corporate world.

These tips included acquiring the skills and qualifications you need to get into the sector in which you are interested; communicating effectively (which, for the modest among you, includes talking about your achievements); and going to the office with your work hat on i.e. be professional at work.

The next guest speaker was Jo Wilkinson who works for herself and said she thrives on working so hard for her company. She had held several roles throughout her career, all of which gave her the skills to do her present role, a role she relishes.

Jo’s key message was to learn, train and develop yourself, which was a message echoed by all three speakers. For those interested in starting their own business, she emphasised the need to be clear on your business idea, right through to your brand and your target market.

Sheleen Rodney’s motivational speech wrapped up the events for the evening. Taking the audience along with her as she reminisced about her early days of setting up her business, she spoke of how she answered her mum’s question of why she wants to work for herself and not find another job. Her response was to analyse the pros and cons of both possibilities. Working for herself, she concluded, would give her a happier work-life balance.

She invited all the ladies to share one achievement of which they are proud, which is something she stops to reflect upon herself every single day. These daily reminders of her achievements help her to keeping moving forward, pursuing her dream. Her key messages were to be focused, make your idea viable, be ready to multi-task and especially to believe in yourself.

For more information of how WEN can help you follow your dream career, contact HCMA.

It was great to see so many ladies attend the evening. We look forward to hosting the next WEN forum during when we will hear from ladies working in different sectors including the government sector and the charity sector.

By Tulasi Siva