International women’s day is a chance to shine a spotlight on some of the UK’s greatest female talents, entrepreneurs and ladies making a big change. We took the opportunity to chat to four of our favourite female entrepreneurs about business challenges, business highlights and their top pieces of advice that we could all take something from.

Rachel Knowles – Silly Moo Cider

Heading up the Silly Moo Cider arm of the Trenchmore empire, Rachel is a female force to be reckoned with across the South East drinks producers scene. Having started her career with an internship at Magners, she never expected to be still in the cider game but is still very much in love with the industry.

Harriet Brown – Founder, Lift Yourself Retreats

Brains behind the yoga and wellness retreat company, Lift Yourself Retreats, Harriet is an inspiration to anyone in life wanting to take the leap and change their career for a completely different path. Harriet had a long-standing, fast-paced corporate career and left all of it to pursue her dreams of running Yoga retreats across the UK and beyond.

Where do you see your business in 3 years time?

I have always been a keen traveller so the dream is to take the retreats to international locations. We have our first retreat outside of the UK happening in June this year. In 3 years time, I hope to be conducting 10-12 retreats a year in different geographical locations, some further afield. Raj and I share the same dreams which are to travel and to encourage people to look inside themselves to attain true happiness. So what better way to see the world than to travel and hold retreats at these places?!

What is the greatest piece of advice you have been given so far in your business journey, or in life?

My Grandfather told me – “Find a job that you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Having spent more than a decade dragging myself to different corporate establishments where the primary focus is on making money and people are secondary to profit, it is such a dream come true to have started this project which was born from a desire to help and heal people.

Working hard for someone else’s dream is called stress. Working hard for your own is called passion.

What would be your biggest piece of advice to any person wanting to start their own business or brand?

Just start! You are never going to feel 100% ready. At first, I had an idea to put on a kind of big sleepover and invite Raj to teach all of my family and friends the amazing and traditional Indian techniques he had taught me. That was given a huge push forward when I was contacted by an old friend about the perfect venue. The cost and level of luxury of this place meant that I had to charge a fee per person if I wanted to use it – I didn’t feel ready at all and knew very little about starting a business but with the help of my amazing friends, we did it! Lift Yourself was born.

Find out more about Lift Yourself Retreats here.Jess Wreford – Founder, Moana Maroake

Founder of the Throwbie, a microfiber suede changing robe that feels soft, packs up small, dries super quickly, provides privacy whilst getting changed and is sand-proof. Jess launched her brand after returning from a trip of a lifetime to New Zealand. Upon her return from NZ, Jess was hit with the oh-too-familiar feelings of where to go next with life, and after getting a job, she realised very quickly her path was not going to be down the 9-5 route, as so many of us can relate to.

Where do you see the business in 3 years time, any new product ideas?
There are some new product ideas floating about but at the moment I am focusing on the Throwbie as it is a unique product with a lot of potential and has already been loved by so many. There are some exciting things coming up but I can’t reveal anything just yet!

What would be your biggest piece of advice to any person wanting to start their own business or brand?
Just do it. If you have an idea, just go with it. It’s worth trying than always wondering, what if? 

What is the greatest piece of advice you have been given so far in your business journey, or in life?

Find out more about Jess’s company, Moana Maroke, here.

Jenni Helin, Helin Food Photography

Professional Food Photographer and Stylist, Brighton based Jenni Helin is carving out a path in a competitive and often male-dominated industry. Originally from Finland, Jenni’s passions include strong coffee, beautiful food and wine. Her work is absolutely stunning and we have been lucky enough to work with Jenni on a recent project with Matt Gillan at Heritage.

What has been the biggest highlight in your career so far?

I spent a week at Le Cordon Bleu, shooting with very talented food stylists, chefs and other photographers and I feel like we learned so much from each other. One of the best things about my job is getting to meet all the wonderful people who have the same passion for food as I do. Food brings people together.

Where do you see yourself in 3 years time?

Hopefully, I’ll have a successful business where I can inspire people to eat better and to appreciate food more. I would love to do more photoshoots where I can bring along assistants and support other photographers. 

What is the greatest piece of advice you have been given so far?

 To trust your gut feeling and believe in yourself.

What have you found to be the most useful business resources to support you in your personal business journey, ie. Podcasts, youtube channels or IG accounts?

Definitely podcasts. One of my favourite business Podcasts is called Creative Rebels. These guys are helping other entrepreneurs to become successful and to build up their own businesses. One great piece of advice I got from them was that to build a successful business it can take 5 years or longer, nothing happens overnight.

View Jenni’s portfolio here.

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