International Women’s Day

It’s International Women's Day and as a woman in business I would like to thank all the trail-blazers, role models, peers, cheerleaders, partners, allies, and believers for supporting me on my entrepreneurial journey.

However, my personal experience is that women in business are not supported enough and there is still so much more work that needs to be done to elevate female founders.

There are still winding roads and mountains to climb before we reach the desired destination of equity.

Sisters are doing it for themselves and have been doing so for some time now! However, we still need allies onboard and on boards in order to achieve equity. We need allies to recognise and realise that the struggle is real but it doesn’t need to be because the reality is, and this is a nudge to investors..

“Women-led businesses regularly outperform other businesses, meaning excess returns for the investors, and they tend to reach these top echelons of performance in a more capital-efficient way,” says Claire Trachet, founder and CEO of the diversity-focused advisory company Trachet Consulting. “On top of this, their businesses tend to be less volatile during crisis, something we have seen countless times in the businesses we are advise.”

Breaking down gender biases in FDI and beyond. The investment community can work towards better levels of gender equality by backing female entrepreneurs and tackling its own biases. According to Investment Monitor.

“While there is some good news on the number of women starting a business, new survey findings suggest that there is a long way to go, with Baroness Karren Brady describing gender bias experienced by female small business owners as "astonishing". - Law Donut

“New research conducted by Simply Business shows that there is still a significant gender gap when it comes to small business leaders. Its survey of 900 women has found that sexism and lack of government support are cited as key reasons why less than a third of UK small businesses are owned by women - Law Donut

In fact, a shocking 81% of female business leaders polled say they have experienced sexism, gender inequality or unequal access to opportunities whilst running their own business. The majority (92%) also say that the government should be doing more, with childcare support, government-sponsored funding and access to mentoring and networking called out as areas for improvement. - Law Donut

Creating a new path in uncharted territory was never going to be easy but I do have faith that the view will be amazing and I hope that the legacy we leave behind will be well worth all the hard work, trudging and sacrifices to get to equality. - Ayesha Ibrahim Founder & CEO - HONEY CORN gender-neutral skincare

As a female entrepreneur I am grateful for the the lifts, the hitches and the signposting on the drive forward but still more needs to be done if we are to reach Sustainable Development Goal 5 - Gender Equality by 2030.