These lyrics will get anyone who has seen the iconic 1980’s film ‘9 to 5’ humming along.
“Want to move ahead
But the boss won’t seem to let me
I swear sometimes that man is
Out to get me, hmmm
They let you dream
Just a watch ’em shatter
You’re just a step on the boss man’s ladder
But you got dreams he’ll never take away” (1)
Dolly Parton’s famous song ‘9 to 5’ and the subsequent movie of the same name explored the vast chasm of differences between the expectations of men and women in the workplace in the 1980’s.
‘9 to 5’s’ characterisation, focused very clearly on the stereotypes of men and women in business and employment, particularly in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.
Dolly Parton’s character as the ever abused and sexualised secretary to the boss, Lily Tomlin’s character overlooked and surpassed by male peers despite her length of service & qualifications for management and Jane Fonda’s character as the mother returning to work, being punished for needing flexibility in her working hours.
Despite there being a huge shift in the recognition of women in the workplace as business owners and as business pioneers; there are still areas where women are overlooked, overseen and surpassed despite their skills, knowledge and educational capacity being equal to or greater than their male counterparts. Therefore, what about the women who have taken this and made it their strength?
Two British women who have used their belief in themselves and their strength in their business mindset, are Deborah Meaden and Sara Davies MBE.
Deborah Meaden
Deborah having studied business at college, began her first import company at aged nineteen. With very little capital Deborah launched her own glass and ceramics import company supplying upmarket stores like Harvey Nichols. Once the products started to appear in other high-end stores and despite Deborah having sole agency rights; she did not have the funds for a legal fight and therefore walked away.
After this initial step into the world of business, Deborah embarked on a series of other business ventures including a successful business start up with an Italian clothing franchise ‘Stefanel’ and running a prize bingo concession at Butlins.
With several successful business ventures in the leisure and retail industry already to her name, Deborah then took up a position in the family amusement arcade business. Having started on the shop floor, Deborah then worked her way up to Operations Director, before moving across into the holiday park side of the business, Weststar Holidays. (2)
Within two years of joining Weststar Holidays, Deborah was promoted to Managing Director and grew the company to offer over 150,000 families holiday opportunities every year.
In 1999 Deborah borrowed the funds to enter into a buyout of the family business.
In 2005 Weststar found itself the target of several takeover bids. Deborah finally sold the family business to Phoenix Equity Partners in a deal worth £33m, whilst retaining a 23% stake and an active role within the firm. She sold her remaining stake in the business when Weststar was sold to Parkdean Holidays for £83m. (2)
Deborah is most known as being one of the Dragons in the popular television BBC television programme, Dragon’s Den. Deborah joined series three of Dragon’s Den (2006) and has since invested in dozens of businesses with investments in the region of £3.3M.
Some viewers find Deborah to be relatively blunt towards those pitching for investment, but as Deborah so rightly says “It’s a serious business investing money and I’m not afraid of telling it as it is, if needs be! I’m there to invest my own money which can be quite sobering” (2)
Sara Davies MBE
“All you need to succeed is an idea & a can do attitude” Sara Davies MBE
When you hear the name Sara Davies MBE, for a lot of people they have vision of a feisty Dragon from Dragons Den or a graceful star from a recent series of Strictly Come Dancing.
However, Sara Davies MBE is most certainly best known as the Entrepreneurial Crafting Queen and has built her portfolio and crafting empire from humble beginnings into a multimillion-pound business with an estimated net worth of £37M.
Sara Davies MBE had a good start in understanding the world of business whilst helping out her parents with their decorating business in her youth. Helping with the business Sara and her sister Helen both learnt the value of money and the basics of running a business.
Having grown up around a hard-working business driven family, Sara felt from a young age that she wanted to be in business herself. However, her path was to be a different one and as her sister Helen joined & now runs the family decorating business, Sara went off to university and was introduced to the world of crafting.
It was while at university that Sara discovered crafters were putting their beautiful handmade cards into standard white envelopes. It was at this point that Sara identified a gap in the market and Crafter’s Companion was born.
Crafter’s Companion is now a global retailer with headquarters in the Northeast of England, employing more than 200 people around the world.
An inspiration to millions of would-be entrepreneurs, Sara is an incredible example of how a dream can become a reality, but she also ensures that anyone wanting to enter the world of business, is under no illusion that it will be an easy path.
Sara Davies MBE having built her business empire through determination and hard work, is now in a position where through her role on Dragons Den and beyond, she can invest and inspire new generations of entrepreneurs.
These women have forged their businesses through determination and belief and have been successful in their own rights, knowing that their brands, products and business decisions have been challenging, but equally liberating.
Written by Katy-Jane Mason for & on behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd.
(1) Dolly Parton – ‘9 to 5’ Lyrics.
(2) https://www.deborahmeaden.com/2/about-me
