Beth Mazza and Victoria Sivrais are the founders of Female Mavericks and the authors of the USA Today bestseller Entrepreneur Like a Mother, written as successful entrepreneurs with nine children between them. Use the code "MAVERICK20" for 20% off Over twenty years their relationship grew from boss and employee to mentor and mentee to business partners, work wife and best friend. Together they started, scaled and sold two consulting firms, Ashton Partners and Clermont Partners, with a combined enterprise value approaching $50 million, without venture capital and without sacrificing their family lives. With female founders receiving just 2.3% of global VC funding, many women stay small and scrappy, working all the hours and chronically undercharging. Beth and Victoria believe the problem is not a skills deficit but a broken economic system, and that the skills of motherhood are the same skills that build great businesses. They now advise Fortune 500 CEOs and are on a mission to help 10,000 women build seven-figure businesses. In this conversation, recorded while Beth was in an airport on her book tour, they share how they funded their firms with family loans and bank credit instead of investors. They explain how they walked away from the wrong deal and went on to receive an offer worth five times the first, and how a kitchen cabinet of cheerleaders, connectors and compensators carried them through. We talk about non-negotiables, delegating before you burn out, pricing with confidence and why they both hate the word supermom. Running through it all is the message that women who collaborate, champion and cheerlead each other go further. 💡 “It’s not just about cheering on other women. It’s about walking the walk and actually supporting other women.” - Victoria Sivrais In this conversation, we explore: ✨ How Beth and Victoria’s twenty-year alliance began, and what Beth saw in Victoria that made her push her forward ✨ Why Victoria believes women can be the biggest detractors in corporate life, and why real support means walking the walk, not just cheering from the sidelines ✨ Funding a services business without VC: dipping into a 401k, borrowing from family and earning a first bank credit line of $50,000 after four profitable quarters ✨ The story of walking away from the wrong sale, the argument at the bottom of a ski hill and the six unsolicited offers that followed ✨ The kitchen cabinet: cheerleaders, connectors and compensators, and how Victoria built hers in school carpool lines and at field day ✨ Personal and financial non-negotiables, from the 4.45 train home for dinner to keeping two months of operating cash in the bank ✨ Why delegating to a fractional CFO, an HR expert and an office manager matters, and why a buyer does not want a founder who does everything ✨ Pricing and permission: why Beth is the world’s worst pricer, how Victoria doubles her numbers and why asking for more has to be rooted in fact ✨ Why they both hate the word supermom, why the kids are fine and why Victoria is a better mum when she works About the Guests: Beth Mazza and Victoria Sivrais are the founders of Female Mavericks and the authors of Entrepreneur Like a Mother, a USA Today bestseller published on 22 September. They started, scaled and sold two consulting firms, Ashton Partners and Clermont Partners, with a combined enterprise value approaching $50 million, without venture capital. They advise Fortune 500 CEOs on leadership transitions, crisis communications and high-stakes decision-making, and are on a mission to help 10,000 women build seven-figure businesses. Between them they are mums to nine children. You can find Beth and Victoria at Female Mavericks (femalemavericks.com), where you can buy the book and access the supplementary course and workbook. You can also connect with Victoria and Beth on Linkedin, where they're be happy to hear from you. About The Host: I’m Victoria Phipps – a Mum of two, analogue family photographer, personal brand photographer, educator, charity co-founder, marketer and now podcaster! 🎙️ I was raised by a nurturing Mother and an entrepreneurial Father and have inherited traits from both, so the tension between ambition and motherhood is one I grapple with on a daily basis! I’m fascinated to hear the stories of other women on a similar path, who are striving to build thriving businesses whilst being present for their children. It's a tough juggle, but I hope the conversations shared on this podcast help Mums in business feel less alone and inspired to keep going in pursuit of their dreams. Head to the Mum Means Business Podcast website for full show notes. I would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed in this conversation, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @victoriaphippsmbe or @mummeansbusinesspodcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5* rating and review!
