Business Consulting for purpose-led female founders in London
Hi, I’m Denyse. It’s nice to meet you...
Running a business can be lonely at times. Do you ever wish you had a trusted adviser to help guide you and your business?
A business consultant and former CEO, I help female founders create and implement a roadmap that takes their business from where it is today to where they want it to be.
My superpower is helping talented women connect with their values and purpose and make these a strategic driving force in the success of their business.
Let me ask you...
Do you know what you want to achieve in terms of business goals but just can't seem to bring it all together?
Do you feel like you’ve 'hit the ceiling' in terms of growth and don't quite know how to break through it?
Is your excitement and enthusiasm continually squashed by confusion and doubt over what you physically need to do to get started?
Perhaps you just need a 'bit of extra help' to guide you in the right direction or to fine tune your systems and processes and ways of doing things?
If so, you're not alone. If you think I began my business as an enormous success, you would be wrong. Transitioning from my corporate job to start my London business consultancy and learning to navigate the digital world was tough going. Despite all my experience, I made many of the mistakes new and seasoned entrepreneurs make.
But I worked hard to get things right and the payoff has been well worth the effort.
Because every day I get to live the life I envisioned when I left my CEO role.
What kind of business support do you need?
An in-depth business review and tailor-made strategy?
Expert input and clarity into improving the way that their business runs and creating a clear roadmap for your business going forward.
Perfect if you want to get to the heart of how to move your business forward and do it within six weeks so you can move forward quickly.
Personalised 1:1 advice?
Sometimes you've taken in all the information that you can on your own, and you need that injection of tailored support that you can only get from a conversation with an expert.
If you'd like to work with me one on one to build your business, please book a consultation call and tell me why you’d love to work with me.
I'd love to hear from you!
Prefer to be part of a group of like-minded individuals?
A practical and comprehensive small group coaching programme that will guide you towards building the business of your dreams!
I want to make the process of growing your business incredibly straightforward and share my secrets so that you can discover how not to learn the hard way.
Business in London
Covid-19 may have caused an exodus, but London will always be a brilliant city for business with its melting pot of people, cultures and ideas. London’s powerful brand and its reputation for world-class creativity, culture and the arts are well-deserved. When London is described as the city of opportunity, I know this is true because I went to university, became a Chief Executive and started my business consultancy here.
While seven London local authorities in are in the UK’s top ten when it comes to providing a home for high-growth tech companies, it’s small, independent businesses which make the city tick. Selling everything from artisan chocolate to stationery and sustainable fashion, the capital is awash with plenty of brilliant independent shops and boutiques just waiting to be discovered. Even better, many are female-founded.
But as progressive as London is, women nevertheless face barriers at every stage of the entrepreneurial journey. Barriers which have been exacerbated by the pandemic because women-led businesses were unequally affected by the crisis when compared to businesses led by men.
The 2019 Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship found that the cumulative effect of women’s different decisions along the entrepreneurial journey is that men in the UK are five times more likely than women to build a business of £1 million+ turnover. Yes, you read that right! This is even though women-owned businesses have been found to be at least as stable and resilient as those run by men.
Social justice is a thread which runs through my career. That’s why the mission of my company is to level the playing field for female founders. My aim is to ensure that every woman with the ambition to start, grow and scale a business gets the support she needs, when she needs it.
Here are some of the results my London business consulting clients have got from working with me
-
Lucia launched …
… three collections of Spanish influenced tableware in 2020/21, each of which sold out straightaway.
Lucia started her ceramics business a few months after her fashion job fell through due to the pandemic. The business is profitable, and she is paying herself a small salary. Profits are being reinvested into speeding up production of Lucia’s beautiful tableware because it sells out so quickly.
-
Nathalie generated...
… > £11,500/ month in recurring revenue by developing a subscription model for her sustainable flower business.
When the pandemic struck, Nathalie’s routes to market were closed. With help from a grant, she digitalised her business. She set a goal of achieving 250 subscriptions/ month which she achieved 3 months ahead of schedule. Nathalie employed a marketing team, and this has sped up growth.
-
Tara paid herself...
… ...3x what she did within 6 months of starting work with me after doubling the turnover of her marketing agency.
We repositioned Tara’s agency to focus on working with companies in the green technology sector. This took courage and some serious soul searching. But by pruning, Tara’s agency was better able to stand out to her target client and her pipeline and her business grew as a result.
My Official Bio
I’m a business consultant and coach and founder of We Are Mimosa, a leadership development company driven by purpose. Its aim is to create a collaborative community of female founders which lifts as we climb. A Chief Executive for 8 years, I spent 25 years in senior management and leadership roles in London and trained at Cranfield School of Management.
I made the leap from corporate to founding a London business consultancy and have worked with a wide range of small and medium sized businesses, many of which are purpose-led and female founded. My mission is to close the gender gap in business and make it easier for women to start, grow and scale a successful business without compromising their values.
Social justice is one of the threads which runs through my career, and I led the introduction of equal pay and flexible working schemes at three workplaces. I worked on a London-wide project to implement the MacPherson Report into systemic racism and introduce anti-racist business practice as part of my Diversity, Equality and Inclusion work.
I have a deep knowledge of what’s involved in growing and scaling businesses, having led teams of 150+ people and been responsible for overseeing multimillion-pound budgets, multiple workplaces in London and complex change management projects. This included the award of Investors in People, a prestigious accreditation for people management.
I love being part of the London business community and play an active role in local groups, including the Allbright, Athena and ONLE London. London businesses like Becky’s were my very first clients, and I’d love the opportunity to partner with you too.
FAQs
-
Every client is different, and we work towards achieving outcomes which are aligned with your goals and aspirations. The strategy we develop is tailored to the needs of you and your business. With hard work and persistence, you can expect to:
Become more strategic and intentional in building your business.
Stay on track with your goals and highest priorities.
Make more money to fund the growth of your business and pay yourself properly.
Build a business which meets the needs of a post-pandemic world and which is aligned with your purpose and values.
Develop a crystal-clear understanding of your ideal customer’s needs and how you are uniquely positioned to help them.
Build a brand you’re proud of.
Gain clarity and confidence about the most effective ways to market your business.
Build a thriving network that supports you in your mission.
Learn how to run a flourishing business which respects that you have a life outside of work.
-
Yes, I follow a similar strategic planning process to the one I used as a Chief Executive: a process which aims to answer the following four seemingly simple questions:
Where are you now?
Where are you going?
How can I support you in bridging the gap?
How will you measure progress towards that envisioned future?
Through my blended approach - using proven consulting frameworks drawn from my time as a Chief Executive combined with expert coaching - I help my clients to create a roadmap to take their business from where it is today to their envisioned future.
We work together to understand where they are, where they want to be, and what they have in place already to get them there.
We look at available resources, capacity, assets, and existing systems and processes to identify their best opportunities for growth.
We focus on five key areas: building a brand, business growth strategy, financial health, building a successful company and making values and purpose a strategic driving force.
In true collaboration, we create and implement a strategy that works for them, their team, and their customers to ensure they get the results they really want.
-
I work with women entrepreneurs in the professional services, education, retail, health, wellness and beauty sectors i.e. accountancy, legal, marketing, HR, tutoring, traditional brick-and-mortar, ecommerce, gifts, yoga, dance, personal training and therapies.
If you’re a tech company, we may still be a good fit. I have several clients whose target markets are the tech sector. Let’s chat!
I tend not to work with businesses in the manufacturing or SaSS industries.
I’ve worked with more than 50 types of companies, and you’ll find case studies in my portfolio.
-
In a limited number of cases, and for very specific reasons, there are businesses I don’t work with. These reasons include:
The business isn’t financially viable.
Unethical business practices.
Poor customer care.
Not taking action on their decisions.
Not paying on time.
-
Absolutely! If you do the work, I guarantee that you’ll make progress in your business much faster than if you were doing it alone. I expect my fee to be covered quickly by an increase in profits. Just one new client or a small increase in customers and you will have made back your investment many, many times over.
-
I work with a limited number of clients on a 1:1 basis, and I only take on one business review and tailor-made strategy project at a time - which means you get the full VIP treatment. This tends to mean that I get booked up rather quickly. I recommend reaching out 2-3 months in advance, but you can use the inquiry form below to get my most up-to-date availability.
From time to time, I offer small group coaching programmes. You can use the inquiry form below to get on the waiting list for my next course.
-
Brilliant! Simply book in an introductory call and let’s take it from there. On the call we’ll discuss the support you’re looking for and I’ll ask you some questions about your business. Then if we both think we’re a good fit to work together, we’ll find a mutually convenient time and get started.
Ready to get the support your London business needs?
Business consulting sessions can take place face-to-face here in London, or we can meet remotely via Zoom. A mixture of both works well too. To get in touch about working with me, simply fill out the contact form below and I’ll get back to you within 2 business days to discuss availability and next steps.
“Denyse coached me through a time of enormous change, moving from a salaried job to setting up a PR firm. Her advice on business development, marketing and goal setting was invaluable and our sessions left me feeling confident and positive. ”
— Ruth Peacock, London