International Women’s Day: Breaking the Bias Together
I'm Amy, Co-founder of Inkthreadable.
I started Inkthreadable with my husband Alex back in 2013 when we were just 17 years old. Building Inkthreadable to be the business it is today is one of my greatest achievements in life, only superseded by having three beautiful children.
The theme for International Women's Day (IWD) 2022 is #BreakTheBias. The aim is to focus on a gender-equal world. A world in which women aren't victims of stereotypes and discrimination. A world where women feel valued and have equal opportunities.
Today, I'd like to share some thoughts about my own experience as a woman in business.
Female Entrepreneurship ♀️
Being a female entrepreneur is a title I'm incredibly proud of. There were very few female leaders when I entered the print industry, much like most other industries!
Over the last decade, our industry has definitely seen a growth in female leadership. But whilst we've seen a positive change towards equality in society, there is still a huge gender gap in business.
Only 1 in 3 entrepreneurs in the UK are female*.
This isn't due to a lack of ambition or ability, but there are many other factors as to why fewer women become entrepreneurs. Still, we need to support and encourage our future generation of women to become entrepreneurs, if they wish to.
Gender-Equal Opportunities
Being a female business owner and employer has allowed me to have an empathetic view of gender gaps and ensure that opportunity within Inkthreadable is always available equally and fairly.
Equal opportunities are something that is a core value here at Inkthreadable. A person's gender does not affect their ability to do their job and should not limit their career progression. Over 50% of the Inkthreadable team are women, and we're proud to support our colleagues to develop their roles within the company no matter their gender identity.
Women In Business
Inkthreadable’s service proudly supports many female-founded businesses too. Our service allows entrepreneurs the flexibility to create their business without the substantial time requirements and investment needed with traditional stock purchasing in fashion and merchandise.
Our service gives business owners more time to invest in creating, marketing and growth. And this is something that can be particularly desirable for women (especially mothers) who may have limited time available due to other commitments.
Want to speak with other women in business? Join our discussion over in the Hub!
Final Thoughts
To any woman who dreams of becoming an entrepreneur, I say go ahead!
If you never try, you'll never know what you're capable of achieving. The only person you have to believe in is yourself.
*Source The Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship, HM Treasury 2019