Creating SHE Plymouth - One Month In by Jo Dench-Owens, Business Advisor

It's been a whole month since I started in my post as Business Advisor for the brand new SHE Plymouth Project through Iridescent Ideas. And what a wonderful welcome I've had from Mel, Gareth, and the team. 

What is SHE Plymouth?
A completely new initiative, SHE is a project designed to offer completely free business advice, support, and guidance to women within the Plymouth area who want to start, further, or improve their social enterprise. The idea is to help reduce social isolation for women, particularly after COVID, who find themselves holding on to a great business concept but who just need the confidence and push to get them over the next hurdle. We are fortunate to have funding from the Rank Foundation and Livewell South West to support the SHE Plymouth project.

I read about the project by chance while I was looking for my next work adventure. It seemed too good to be true. Here was a socially enterprising company, already doing a lot of good in the community, looking for someone, who on paper, looked a lot like me.

I have over twenty years of experience in small business. I ran my own businesses for many years, and have since worked for a whole host of private companies throughout my career in management, HR, finance, and marketing. And it's been a real hope of mine that somehow I could take the experience and knowledge I've gathered over the years and use it to help others achieve their goals. Which is exactly what this role allows me to do.

What have you learned in your first month?
We've been structuring the project from scratch over the past month. Figuring out what the needs are of business women in Plymouth, how we can reach as wide an audience as possible, ensuring equality and accessibility to all. And a huge part of my learning process has been about Social Enterprise[GH1] . There are some fantastic examples, such as The Eden Project, The Big Issue, and Divine Chocolate that are all nationally famous and successful in fulfilling their social missions. Coming from a background of private industry, mostly in Limited Companies, I was quite green when it came to understanding the sheer scope of how many ways you can do business in a socially beneficial way.

Gareth and Mel have given me so much well thought out information, and the tools I need, to feel confident in taking my business experience and turning it into socially responsible advice. After all, the mission for Iridescent Ideas is all about making a greener, fairer world for us all. Through the first dozen clients we've already seen under the SHE banner, I'm realising that there are a lot of heroes out there. People who truly care and want to make a difference.

When I started I was sure I'd be trying to convince business-minded individuals to be more community minded (after all, pretty much any business has the potential to be a social enterprise!) But what's become apparent is that I will be spending most of my time encouraging truly socially minded people to think more about the business side of their idea. The women we've helped so far have the biggest hearts, and most noble of intentions... often at the expense of their own personal needs. This is where I hope my guidance will help. Giving them the permission to use their ideas to not only create a better world for all of us, but also to help them maintain (if not improve) their quality of life at the same time.

In just one month I've seen so much potential! Not to mention the many cups of tea at Moments Cafe in Plymouth (if you haven't been - go immediately.)

So, who are you exactly?
I grew up moving about a lot, and spent most of my childhood in the US. I've lived all over London, Essex, Kent...and stopped for a bit in York with family. Up until I moved to the South West in 2021 with my husband and Bentley (the love of my life, my 15 year old Westie), if someone asked me 'where are you from?', I'd struggle to answer. But at last, I've found where I'm meant to be. And from here on out I will always answer 'Devon.'

I adore nature and the outdoors. We go on walks whenever possible, by the coast, over Dartmoor, anywhere our feet will take us. We've embraced the coastal life and are already wet-suited with paddle boards, and all the gear you need for a trip to the beach. I am happiest in my garden, tending to my tomatoes, rooting out brambles, and drinking tea looking out at our countryside views. I love the little village community where we live, and I am determined to do as much good as I can to make sure my friends and neighbours are supported and looked after in this topsy-turvy world.

When it comes to work, I know business. But I also trained in production management and technical theatre, worked in television, and spent a great deal of my life as a restauranteur and baker. My career highlight was once being the buzzer girl for the game show 15-1. So I suppose I'd describe myself as rather eclectic!

What's the one piece of advice you hear yourself repeating to SHE clients?
Other than 'think about the finance!', which I harp on about all the time... I think the one thing I've heard myself ask many times already is 'So what's stopping you from doing it now?' I've seen projects that are ready for launch, ideas that are fully formed in their concept, and business plans that are ready for investment.  And each time I think, well why are you stalling? This sounds fantastic. You're ready. It's time to take the plunge! What I've found is that in many cases the women who come to SHE just need a vote of confidence. Someone outside of their circle to say, yes, that idea has legs and is good to go. But also, it's making someone aware that unless they embrace the uncertainty and 'just do it' then the good that they want to achieve will go unrealised.

It makes me think of my husband on holiday. He hates getting into cold water. But once he's in, he has the best time snorkelling, swimming, and clowning about. Sometimes, he just needs me to push him in. And I'm happy to oblige. Even if he screams (which inevitably he does...)

What's it like working with the Iridescent Ideas team?
I haven't stopped smiling since I started. I genuinely cannot believe my luck to have been taken on as part of the Iridescent team. It's a small group of us, but the support from everyone has been like a warm hug. I have been very welcomed. Iridescent Ideas as a business (and the individuals) cares greatly about their social enterprise mission. It rubs off on you immediately. The experience within the team is really comprehensive and it's great knowing that if there's anything I'm struggling with, I know I can ask and someone will help me find the answer. I'm used to carrying a lot on my own when it comes to business. Even for small companies I've worked for, there have been a lot of times where I've had to shoulder the bulk of the responsibility. Here, I feel fully supported to be able to perform at my best, and to function well in my role. It is truly a team effort and it makes me want to do my absolute best to make sure that Iridescent thrives and the SHE project is a roaring success.

This all sounds a little bit over-the-top and too good to be true, surely there's room for improvement going forward?
Well of course, it may be that my first month is through rose tinted glasses. But I can't see many pitfalls to my position with SHE at the moment. However, we are funded by the RANK Foundation to fulfil this project over just two years. After that, who knows! So there is pressure to prove that this project will have a positive social impact on Plymouth, in the hope that we can continue to provide this support even further into the future.
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I have no intention of letting anyone down, so there is a little bit of stress thinking about how I can gather the evidence we need to show our success.

What else do you want people to know about SHE?
Spread the word. Tell all of your friends and family about us. If there is one single possibility out there, to help someone with their social enterprise endeavours, we want to hear about it. We can help! Even if it's just to chat through the glimmer of an idea, don't put it off any longer. Fill in our form and book in a meeting.