My startup journey...

Six years I wouldn't trade for anything.

I have been so blessed to be surrounded by family and friends who have supported me on my entrepreneurial journey.

Times where I have been selfish and only considered spending all my time on building up my company.

Times where I have endured sleepless nights thinking of my sales strategy and who to reach out to next.

Times where I have been stressed and nervous but always had my husband's support to help me push through.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. Being an entrepreneur is not just a job, it becomes who you are.

The days are never the same and the learning curve is immense. It literally is a rollercoaster! In the same day, I've been an accountant, sales manager, visionary, teacher and marketer. Who wouldn't want to hire an entrepreneur?

Here are some of my learnings from the last six years:

1. Embrace Failure: Failure is inevitable on the path to success. Learn from your mistakes and use them as stepping stones toward improvement. If people turn you down the first time, don't give up. Consider other ways of gaining their interest. Failure is simply an opportunity to try again.
2. Build a Strong Network: Surround yourself with mentors, advisors, and peers who can offer guidance, support, and connections. Write a list of events you want to attend. Be specific as to why and what you are hoping to achieve. Write a list of 5 people you want to speak to. Choose your events wisely!
3. Stay Financially Disciplined: Manage your finances wisely, keep a close eye on cash flow, and ALWAYS avoid unnecessary expenses. It's easy to fall into the trap of spending money on unnecessary things, especially in the beginning. Consider simple and cheap solutions at first until you start generating steady cash flow. Identify 'need to haves' and 'nice to haves' by setting up a simple budget in an excel spreadsheet. Remember, if you have a co-founder, be sure to keep each other accountable.
4. Sales Sales Sales: Create a 6 month strategy and write up for every month: how many leads you will contact; how many leads converted to sales; and how many callbacks you have to make. This will help keep yourself accountable and help you understand what worked and what needs to be changed. For example, we hosted a free webinar open to everyone and chose 3 winners who won a free consulting session with us. One of the sessions turned into a sale, which then turned into one year partnership. Always think sales behind everything you do.
5. Time management - only you control your time: Choose your speaking events carefully. If you are offered an opportunity to speak at an event always ask if there a budget for speakers? If not, think strategically and ask yourself, will any potential customers be in the audience?

The above are just a few of the many things I've learnt on my entrepreneurial journey. I'm so grateful for everything that I have accomplished, the opportunities that have presented themselves to me, the incredible people I have met and helped along the way.

We are so lucky to have such a large and diverse talent pool of international talent in Norway. The joy of changing people's lives through helping them find roles and companies related to their skillset is something that will stay with me for life.

To all the companies I've formed close relationships with thank you for giving me your trust, openness to being challenged and trying new approaches to recruitment - you have truly made a difference to our candidates' lives as well as embraced an inclusive approach to hiring.

To my partner in crime, Meryn Zumbo Willetts , you have been instrumental to my growth as an entrepreneur, I've learnt so much from you as a partner and friend, thank you for making this rollercoaster all the more fun!

I've thrived in the entrepreneurial world, enjoying the challenge of starting and growing businesses. Now, I'm eager to explore intrapreneurship within a larger organisation, utilising its resources to drive positive change from within. This new path offers an exciting opportunity to apply my entrepreneurial mindset on the corporate stage, aiming to make a significant impact by introducing fresh new ideas internally when it comes to diversity and talent management —my two core passions. More on this to come...??

Moving forward, Meryn will continue to work with Umbrella and Boardiverse . While I may no longer be directly involved in the day-to-day operations, I will continue to support the company’s mission as an advisor.

So much love and gratitude for everyone who has been part of my journey. I am without words ?? ????