Historically, the world of business can be a very isolating and unwelcoming place for women. Whilst the world has improved in terms of social norms, barriers and ideologies, many of the stigmas surrounding women in business still remain especially when it comes to running their own business.
According to Prowess, only 1 in 3 UK entrepreneurs are female, and only 5.6% of UK women run their own business. Out of all the business owners in the UK (owners, managers, employers etc.), women only account for 17% of this overall figure. Throw in the navigational difficulties of balancing work and family life, and it becomes apparent that the pressure on women professionally is still extremely perilous.
We spoke to Samanah Duran about her journey in business, how BEYOUROWN champions and empowers women in business, and what’s ‘newborn’ aspirations are on the horizon…
Tell us a bit about yourself, and what made you into the person you are today?
I did come from a TV and media background, which I loved but I always wanted to venture more into building businesses to a scalable size. I’ve always put a fierce emphasis on inspiring each individual to embrace their identity and to take pride in their individuality. I believe this is where my sense of entrepreneurship derived from. I enjoy the idea of taking a concept to reality, building businesses, and creating communities within them that people really connect with.
So, with what I’ve learned over the many years of entrepreneurship, my core aim is to share this knowledge with other business leaders out there doing it too.
In your own words, describe what BEYOUROWN is and what is it’s objective in business?
BEYOUROWN is a global media company offering an all-in-one solution that will help you to achieve your full potential and cultivate your business growth.
The overall vision of BEYOUROWN is to help other entrepreneurs flourish and grow their own business by helping them access the right tools and provide the relevant resources that are often hard to find. Whether you are a budding entrepreneur looking for an effective solution to start your business, or an SME owner sourcing tools to optimise growth, increase profits or market share, BEYOUROWN covers it all.
Since launching in 2016, we have since amassed a community of 17,000, worked with experts from 167+ industry sectors, served in 40+ countries to date, whilst also partnering with 2300 agencies and companies to bring together insightful and informative content.
Did you always aim to run a business dedicated to helping other businesses through different ventures?
First and foremost, I think supporting other women in business is paramount. When I started my own business journey, a lot of the mistakes I made could have been avoided had I surrounded myself around champions of my industry and get involved with a support network of other like-minded ambitious women in business.
As we have shifted gears a bit, I believe it’s equally important to give our male counterparts and leaders the same amount of space to share, advise and help other business leaders through our platform.
How important is female empowerment in your business and what can more industries do to improve equality and diversity across the board?
This is a great question. Women have always had the power and they always will! With that being said, more industries need to have a better understanding of the challenges that women specifically face which are mostly unique to them. By listening, understanding and putting the solutions in place to allow women more accessibility and flexibility in the workplace, it provides improvement which will level the playing field in the long-term.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time both personally and business?
Well, five years is a fair way off yet. I have recently just launched another business in the form of Baby Bloomberg, with a solid team of award-winning journalists and credible expert industry leaders, so that our Baby Bloomberg community feel supported, empowered, and reassured throughout their pregnancy and parenthood journey. It is a subscription-based model, whereby I am looking to have a Podcast and App come out by end of Summer 2022. So my focus on this is definitely the top priority, as well as growing it to an equally scalable size.
And of course to continue what I’ve been doing with BEYOUROWN in shining a light and empowering women and other individuals to take the leap of faith in business and thrive.
We hope this has outlined to you exactly what BEYOUROWN is and what they do cultivate growth and success in business. If you require any more information on achieving growth, or anything accounting related for that matter, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us at Nordens where one of our trusted advisors would be happy talking you through your query.
