Last week, Helen was honoured to go to the everywoman Entrepreneur Awards to hand her Woman of the Year Award onto this year’s winner, Lucy Goff, Founder of LYMA Life.
Helen spoke about her experience of receiving the award last year, and how the award has made such a difference.
“I am truly honoured to stand here today as last year’s recipient of Woman of the Year. I founded ISON Travel in 2013 with the aim of changing the workplace for good and after 11 years I am beginning to realise that I am achieving that, at least within my world. My workforce is over 70% female, with 50% of staff working part time, globally and predominately home-based. Since Covid, that workforce has grown over 450%.
It feels like just last week that I was sitting in the audience waiting to hear who had won this award. I honestly didn’t think it would be me, it didn’t even cross my mind that it could be me. When the bio was introduced, I misheard and thought they had said the winner had founded the company in 2010, then when they said this person is a mum of 5 children, I thought ‘oh great there is another mum of 5, I must meet her’. Even when it was announced and ‘she is in travel’ I still was in the dark. But slowly the realisation hit that the person being described was me.
Women are often doubting themselves and judging themselves, daily, am I good enough? Can I do this? Men, I feel, do not always think like this and do not judge themselves in the same way. How many women go for a job interview or promotion and focus on the 20% they can’t do but men focus on the 20% they can do. But our humility is our strength, our superpower. Female entrepreneurs must never be underestimated – something Max, Karen and everyone at everywoman has always known and everyone in this room is testament to.
Winning this award has opened doors in so many ways. it has started conversations, generated new ideas and made new connections that I will always be eternally grateful to everywoman for. It has helped me to realise that there is a big part of the business community that are looking to women to make things happen. As cliché as it sounds we are all winners in this room. Women have to face so many more obstacles and, listening to the stories today, you should all be so, so proud of what you have achieved and the influence you have had on others around you. Our job now is to lift others up, support each other, bring people together and encourage women to stop doubting – be that 10% bravery.”
