Women Are Good Business

About Women Are Good Business

Women Are Good Business is the podcast making the case that backing women in business is the UK's single biggest untapped growth strategy. Honest conversations with founders, investors and decision-makers who are done waiting. Subscribe. Share it. Help us make this the podcast the UK can't ignore.

Publisher

Being A Grown Up Pod

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Apr 2026

Latest episode

27 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

18 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Sept 2026

   E17: Do I Need A Board?

   In this expert episode of Women Are Good Business, Sam is joined by Fiona Hathorn, founder of Women on Boards, and Julia Elliott Brown, entrepreneur, board chair and advisory board expert, to unpack the crucial differences between formal boards and advisory boards. Drawing on their experiences as founders, investors, board members and advisors, they explain how the right people around the table can help businesses scale, challenge blind spots and provide strategic support. The conversation highlights why founders should think carefully about board structure from the outset and how trust, diversity of thought and independent challenge can significantly influence business success. Fiona and Julia explore when founders should seek outside support and how to identify the skills and expertise they need most. They discuss the importance of choosing advisors who will ask difficult questions, challenge assumptions and bring fresh perspectives, rather than simply reinforcing existing thinking. The episode also covers practical considerations including board composition, shareholder agreements, investor involvement, remuneration and the growing popularity of pop-up boards as a flexible way to access specialist expertise on specific business challenges. A key takeaway from the discussion is that board members and advisors should evolve alongside the business. As Fiona puts it, “board members are for Christmas, not for life,” reinforcing the idea that founders need different support at different stages of growth. Julia adds that the true value of advisory support is not in providing answers, but in asking the questions founders have been avoiding. Together, they encourage founders to seek challenge early, build boards intentionally and create environments where honest conversations lead to better decisions and stronger businesses.

2. 

   20 Sept 2026

   E16: Building A Knicker Brand- From Bamboo

   Nicola Piercy — Co‑Founder, Stripe & Stare & COO, FFR — didn’t take a straight line into entrepreneurship, and that’s exactly what makes her story brilliant. In this episode, she shares how she went from temping as a secretary, learning to fax, and working across tiny, fast‑moving teams to eventually co‑founding one of the most loved sustainable underwear brands in the world. Her early career inside small businesses taught her to thrive in chaos, wear 75 hats at once, and fall in love with being involved in every part of a company. That foundation later shaped her approach to building Stripe & Stare, (https://stripeandstare.com/)where she and her co‑founder Katie spent six years perfecting their now‑iconic knickers — made from ultra‑soft, sustainable Tencel Modal — before launching the brand publicly. As Nicola Piercy — Co‑Founder, Stripe & Stare & COO, FFR — puts it, customers made the decision for them: “Everyone just wanted more of them.” Nicola Piercy — Co‑Founder, Stripe & Stare & COO, FFR — opens up about the reality of scaling a product‑based business — the highs of selling out at Spirit of Christmas, landing Shopbop as a major wholesale partner, and experiencing a viral moment during lockdown where a single influencer caused three months of sales in one afternoon. She also shares the brutal lows: stock nightmares, the unpredictability of demand, and the emotional toll of running a business through personal tragedy. In one of the most powerful moments of the episode, Nicola Piercy — Co‑Founder, Stripe & Stare & COO, FFR — recounts losing her husband mid‑fundraise and somehow still showing up to investor meetings ten days later. Her honesty about resilience, support networks, and simply “getting on with it” is a reminder of the strength so many women founders carry quietly. We also dive into Stripe & Stare’s sustainability ethos and their B Corp journey — why it mattered from day one, how they avoid greenwashing, and what it takes to continually improve every three years. Nicola Piercy — breaks down the roller‑coaster of raising over £4 million, the frustration of pitching knickers to rooms full of men, and the surprising moment when one email to their customer base raised £1 million. Her biggest lessons? Fundraising is a numbers game, never assume money is guaranteed until it’s in the bank, and don’t take rejection personally. This conversation is packed with grit, humour, honesty, and the kind of founder wisdom you only get from someone who has lived every messy middle.

3. 

   13 Sept 2026

   E15: Co-founders Two Chicks and Female Founder Programme

   Two Chicks (https://twochicks.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOor8jMOlYAfwcr2t6x83cpZ0R5CaWbA0AZcykjE1pZW1llKXAltw)co‑founder Alla joins Sam to share the story behind building one of the UK’s most recognisable health‑food brands and the mission that’s grown alongside it. She talks through the rapid rise of their hero product — liquid egg whites — which she says are “flying off the shelves,” alongside new launches and her recent partial exit from the business. That move has opened the door to her next chapter: stepping into angel investing to back early‑stage female founders and “put her money where her mouth is.” The conversation dives into the creation of Future Female Entrepreneur (FFE), (http://futurefemaleentrepreneursprogram.com.au/) a program designed to support young women at the earliest and most vulnerable stage of their entrepreneurial journey. Alla explains how FFE fills a critical gap by offering mentorship, community, and — soon — funding opportunities. She shares the mindset she teaches her own daughter: that “doing hard things makes you better,” and how exercise, discipline, and her Miracle Morning routine have shaped her success. Her reflections on raising finance as a young female founder are powerful, including the moment she nearly gave away 75% of the company for £75k before choosing to bootstrap instead. Alla also opens up about the realities of co‑founding, international expansion, failed product launches, and the importance of hiring the best people early. She and Sam explore how sustainable, profitable, slow‑burn growth has been a strength rather than a limitation, and how supporting other women has become central to her purpose. The episode closes with gratitude, meringues, and a shared excitement for what’s next — both for Two Chicks and the future female founders coming through FFE.

4. 

   6 Sept 2026

   E14: Building a Clean Beauty Brand - One Gorgeous Product at a Time

   n this episode of the Women Are Good Business Podcast, Sam sits down with Sabah, founder of Calling Beauty (https://callingbeauty.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqT9IDify9xWMdxmKphIGLpT6kf9-N9lPyX_bKEmj3R4FMLC2xB), to unpack the creative, emotional, and deeply human journey behind building a modern beauty brand. Sabah shares who she was before entrepreneurship — a fashion‑obsessed kid turned Harrods womenswear buyer — and how beauty quietly followed her throughout her life until it became impossible to ignore. From her glamorous Pakistani upbringing to her early roles at Tom Ford Beauty and Sephora Middle East, beauty was always the “best friend” in her story, even when fashion was the shiny quarterback she thought she’d chase forever. Sabah reveals how Calling Beauty was born from 150 real phone calls with women, each one offering raw insight into confidence, clean beauty, identity, and the rituals that shape how women show up in the world. She walks us through the five‑year build — navigating COVID, developing her first product Face Fog, trademarking, packaging, and finding a manufacturer in an industry that keeps its doors tightly shut. She also opens up about the reality of being a solo founder: the loneliness, the sacrifices, the fear of losing her creativity, and the surprising comfort she found in building a community that now feels like a digital girls’ group chat. We also dive into Sabah’s highs and lows — including her recent CEW Award nomination, where her indie lip balm sat beside Benefit’s iconic Benetint. She talks candidly about the emotional power of beauty, the importance of belonging, and the grit required to keep going when everything takes twice as long and costs three times as much. Sabah closes with what Women Are Good Business means to her: “Women are reliable, women are strategic, women are the future.” A perfect note for an episode all about creativity, resilience, and the women shaping the next era of beauty.

5. 

   29 Jul 2026

   E13: Creating a Category, a Legacy Brand and a Profitable Business

   Host Sam interviews Amanda Thomson, founder of Noughty, about creating a disruptive alcohol-free wine category and building a legacy brand through resilience and strategic innovation.

6. 

   19 Jul 2026

   E12: Fail Fast, Build Faster - Linda Du on AI, Financial Confidence and Rewriting the Rules of Money

   Host Sam interviews Linda Du, founder of Mula Money, about embracing AI, financial confidence, and rewriting the rules of money through rapid iteration and user-focused innovation.

7. 

   12 Jul 2026

   E11: Three Founders. Two Continents. One no-compromise Product.

   Host Sam interviews barrister Jenny O’Connell, wellness coach Aoife Matthews, and brand developer Louise O’Riordan about building their no-compromise women's health product.

8. 

   5 Jul 2026

   E10: Do Children Have Too Many Toys?

   Host Sarah K. Johnson interviews Sophia Jarvis, founder of Mia Wealth, about building a family investment app amidst personal and professional challenges, revealing lessons in resilience and strategic growth.

9. 

   28 Jun 2026

   E9: How Two Marketeers Created A Biscuit Business

   Lisa and Saskia share how they built a thriving biscuit business from scratch, focusing on resilience and connection.

10. 

    21 Jun 2026

    E8: What Happens When You Have The Ambition to IPO

    Host Sarah Jane Evans interviews Chantal Epp, music tech pioneer and founder of ClicknClear, about her ambitious journey to IPO and scaling a business born from unique expertise.

11. 

    17 Jun 2026

    E7: Let's Talk About Finance

    Finance expert Roxanne Goodman interviews host [Host Name] about overcoming financial barriers and securing funding for women entrepreneurs.

12. 

    14 Jun 2026

    E6: What Would You Do If Failure Simply Wasn't An Option?

    Business and mindset coach Laura Brunton shares with host Sam how she built a multi-six-figure company by embracing authenticity and overcoming financial pressure, revealing that necessity fuels powerful strategies.

13. 

    7 Jun 2026

    E5: She had the dream job — and realised she hated every bit of it

    Gilly Ridley Whittle, founder of Peach House, shares her journey from a corporate career to launching a bra-fitting service that empowers women's health and wellbeing.

14. 

    3 Jun 2026

    E4: Burnout isn't a Badge of Honour- Reclaiming Sustainability as a Strategy

    Host Sam interviews female experts Nonie White and Yvonne Biggins about their research revealing how women entrepreneurs reclaim sustainability as a strategy to combat burnout and thrive.

15. 

    1 Jun 2026

    E3: No Degree, No Plan, No Clients - How Grace Hardy Built Seven Businesses Anyway

    Grace Hardy’s story is anything but traditional. Diagnosed with dyslexia young and dismissed by an education system that didn’t know what to do with her, she found her entrepreneurial spark early — selling American sweets from her school locker at 12. By 21, she’d quit her corporate accounting job with no clients, no plan, and three months of savings, giving herself a deadline to make it work. As she told us, she downloaded a business plan, posted on LinkedIn, and started talking about money in a way people actually understood — and within three months, she’d matched her salary. Today, Grace runs seven businesses, reaches over four million people, and has been recognised as Forbes 30 Under 30, Accountancy Personality of the Year, and more. Her journey spans Hardy Accounting (https://www.hardyaccounting.com/), a cross‑border e‑commerce consultancy, a financial education arm delivering free talks in London schools, and even a student banking app in development. She’s spoken at the House of Commons and the House of Lords, met the Royal Family, and is lobbying for better financial education nationwide — all while making accounting feel human, accessible, and stigma‑free. In this episode, Grace opens up about dyslexia as her superpower, the Morocco trip where she wrote every SOP in her business, the burnout that forced her to learn delegation, and the realities of being a young female founder in rooms not built for her. Her advice to her younger self — and to every woman listening — is simple: care less about what others think, start before you feel ready, and back yourself, because you are the USP.

16. 

    25 May 2026

    E2:If You Don't Have An Age Strategy, You Don't Have A Growth Strategy

    Lyndsey Simpson (https://uk.linkedin.com/in/lyndsey-simpson), Founder & CEO of 55/Redefined, (https://55redefined.co/) joins us to unpack why age strategy is now one of the biggest growth levers in business. After rehiring 400 retirees in eight weeks, she uncovered a truth most organisations overlook: retirement is breaking people, and the over‑50 workforce is the most undervalued economic force in the UK. Her upcoming book, The Age Rebellion (https://specialeditionbooks.co.uk/products/the-age-rebellion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=author), dives even deeper into this shift — and listeners can access an exclusive discount using code AGEREBEL. We explore the Rainbow of Retirement, the emotional crash that hits many within 12–18 months of leaving work, and why longevity has added decades to our lives without workplaces evolving to match. Lyndsey shares how she pivoted her business, what she’s learned across eight ventures, and why listening — not defending your original idea — is the real founder superpower.From the brutal funding reality facing female founders to a masterclass in building teams that scale, this episode is a wake‑up call for leaders. If you don’t have an age strategy, you don’t have a growth strategy — and Lyndsey shows exactly why.

17. 

    19 May 2026

    E1: The System Isn't Broken - But It's Not Working For You

    In the first episode of Women Are Good Business, we dive into why the system isn’t broken — it simply wasn’t built for women. Hannah Bernard OBE, Group Director of Business Banking at Nationwide and Co‑Chair of the UK Government’s Invest in Women Taskforce, (https://www.investinwomentaskforce.org/) shares insights from decades supporting over one million SMEs and leading major banking transformations. Karen Rudich, serial entrepreneur, fintech founder and one of the Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch, brings the founder perspective — revealing how Sherloc (https://www.sherloc.co.uk/who-we-serve)is giving SMEs the real‑time financial intelligence big corporates rely on.This episode explores: Female founders + funding gaps SME financial intelligence and data access Why traditional systems disadvantage women How tech, mutual banking and policy can shift the landscape Perfect for founders, leaders, investors and anyone building in a system that wasn’t designed for them. Follow, subscribe and share — Women Are Good Business.

18. 

    20 Apr 2026

    WAGB- Launching 20th May 2026...

    Women Are Good Business is the podcast making the economic case for female entrepreneurship in the UK.The argument is clear: female-led businesses deliver stronger returns, are less likely to go bankrupt, and outperform their male-founded equivalents across virtually every financial measure. This channel exists to change that — one conversation at a time.Each episode brings together the founders, investors, policymakers and advocates who are rewriting the rules of business in the UK. Real stories, hard data, and the proof that backing women is the single best investment this country can make.Hosted by Sam Cooper-Gray, Chair of the Gender Index, and lead of the Conditions to Scale workstream for the UK Government's Invest in Women Taskforce.New episodes every week from 20th May 2026.Subscribe and join the growing community who know that women are good business — and are doing something about it.womenaregoodbusiness.com@womenaregoodbusinessFuelled by FFInc

Who has been a guest on Women Are Good Business

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Amanda Thomson
• Linda Du
• Jenny O’Connell
• Aoife Matthews
• Louise O’Riordan

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Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

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Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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