Scale Her Up: Female business stories and expert tips for business growth and success

Brenda Hector
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If you are a female business owner, self-employed freelancer, or girl boss who wants to build a successful business i.e. work less hours, make more money, and get better results from your staff, then this is the podcast for you. Hosted by Dr Brenda Hector MBA from ActionCOACH UK, this podcast provides relatable and accessible business advice and inspiration from successful businesswomen who have been there and done it before you. This podcast is where you can • hear female business stories • share business success • learn how to overcome business challenges • get advice for businesswomen aspiring to success • find out what needs to change • discover how we can bring about that business revolution Only 1 in 3 UK entrepreneurs are female. UK men are 5 times more likely than women to build a business of over £1million turnover If UK women matched UK men in starting and scaling businesses, it would add £250 billion to the UK economy (Alison Rose, The Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship 2018) As a woman in business, a business coach, and a business growth expert, Brenda’s mission is to help business owners grow their companies, achieve their goals and live the lifestyle of their dreams. She's the help you need to grow your business.

  1. From Materials Engineer to MD – Strategy, Innovation and Employee Ownership with Deborah Creamer of Optimat

    58M AGO

    From Materials Engineer to MD – Strategy, Innovation and Employee Ownership with Deborah Creamer of Optimat

    In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Deborah Creamer, Managing Director of Optimat, a strategy and innovation consultancy based in Glasgow. Optimat helps public sector bodies, universities and technology-based SMEs make better decisions about markets, technology and investment. The team all come from technical backgrounds – materials engineering, biotechnology, mechanical engineering, sustainability and environmental science – and they combine that expertise with rigorous research, stakeholder engagement and analysis to answer clients’ most important “what next?” questions. Deborah explains how Optimat’s work ranges from sector-wide strategies and market opportunity studies to supporting spinouts and start-ups with business plans and market entry strategies. She shares examples from across digital health, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and net zero – including a favourite project evaluating an innovative medical device for thrombectomy after stroke, where she could really geek out on materials. We then trace Deborah’s own journey: from materials engineer in an electronics company, to consultant at Optimat, to senior consultant and director, and now managing director after 27 years with the business. She talks about being made redundant from a US-headquartered company that decided to service Europe from America, and how a professional connection through her chartered engineer application opened the door to Optimat. A big part of the conversation centres on employee ownership. Deborah explains why the founders chose to move Optimat into employee ownership rather than a traditional management buy-out or trade sale, and how the Optimat Trust bought the company from the directors as part of a long-term succession plan. She shares what it looks like in practice: transparent finances, shared decision-making on big strategic issues, a deliberately flat structure and a culture where everyone is encouraged to bring ideas, spot opportunities and shape the future. We also talk about retaining great people. Optimat has remarkably low turnover – several team members have been there 15–20+ years – and Deborah puts that down to three things: genuinely interesting, varied work; hiring carefully for culture fit; and creating a supportive environment where graduates work alongside senior people and learn fast. She is honest about the one time it didn’t work out, and how both sides agreed the type of work just wasn’t the right fit. Deborah then looks ahead at the business challenges and opportunities she sees as MD: pressure on public sector budgets, the need to diversify the client base across the UK and Europe, the shift from nanotechnology to digital, data and net zero, and the importance of continually updating skills and services. We finish with a thoughtful discussion on AI and women in leadership. Deborah shares how Optimat uses AI tools internally to summarise long reports and speed up analysis, while being very cautious about hallucinations and always keeping human judgment at the centre. She also talks about a new service they’re developing to help clients understand what AI means for their business, where the risks are and where the opportunities lie. For women considering leadership or entrepreneurship, Deborah’s message is clear: don’t assume you can’t do it, ask for help when you need it, and remember that imposter feelings are common – but they don’t mean you’re not capable. In this episode, we coverWhat Optimat does as a strategy and innovation consultancy for public sector, research organisations and technology SMEsThe team’s strong technical...

    37 min
  2. Lettings, Legislation and Leading with Heart – 15 Years with Laura Chapman of Chapmans

    3D AGO

    Lettings, Legislation and Leading with Heart – 15 Years with Laura Chapman of Chapmans

    In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Laura Chapman, Managing Director of Chapmans Property Lettings and Management in Edinburgh. Laura runs a high-service, values-led letting and management agency looking after properties almost entirely within the Edinburgh bypass, navigating complex legislation, political change and the emotional realities of being a landlord and a tenant. Laura shares how she became a landlord in her early twenties while recovering from ME/post-viral fatigue, buying her first flat as a student and renting it out because she couldn’t afford to live there. As a chartered banker, she saw the banking crisis from the inside and realised she wanted to build a different kind of business – one where customers came first, culture mattered and values like honesty and integrity weren’t optional extras. That combination of financial acumen, hands-on property experience and a stint fitting kitchens and bathrooms with her then husband led to the birth of Chapmans. She talks about the reality of building a recurring-revenue, relationship-based business from six clients in year one to a trusted Edinburgh brand 15 years on, growing steadily while refusing to join a race to the bottom on fees. Laura explains why she chose lettings over estate agency, how legislation has transformed professionalism in the sector, and why she believes good safety-led regulation is essential – but politically driven changes can ultimately hurt tenants as well as landlords. We also dive into the personal side: raising two children with no nearby family support, working through illness, intensive care, COVID and constant “on call” responsibility. Laura is honest about the juggle, the lack of real maternity leave, the postnatal doula and patchwork childcare, and the toll it takes when the system isn’t designed for working parents – especially mothers running businesses. Finally, we explore team and leadership. Laura describes recruitment and retention as the hardest part of the journey: attracting values-aligned people, developing “homegrown talent”, dealing with poaching attempts, and creating a culture where there’s nowhere to hide but a lot of support. She shares how coaching and an accelerator programme helped her step into the Managing Director role, the loneliness that can come with leadership, and her reflections on being a woman in business – from higher expectations and empathy load to the importance of women actively supporting other women. In this episode, we coverWhat Chapmans does: full-service letting and management for private landlords across EdinburghHow Laura became a landlord while still at university and started self-managing her first rentalLeaving a chartered banking career after the financial crisis to build a business where customers, values and culture came firstChoosing a recurring-income lettings model over more transactional estate agency work15 years of constant change in Scottish housing legislation – the good (safety and professionalism) and the challenging (politically driven changes and rent freezes)Building a recurring-revenue business from six clients in year one to steady 20% annual growthWhat she’d do differently: introductory offers, systemising processes sooner and leveraging networking earlierli...

    40 min
  3. From Accidental Entrepreneur to City Champion – Food, Exit and Impact with Liz McAreavey

    3D AGO

    From Accidental Entrepreneur to City Champion – Food, Exit and Impact with Liz McAreavey

    In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Liz McAreavey, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, whose business journey started not in a boardroom, but in a student flat baking flapjacks. What began as a way to fund her accountancy studies became a deli, then a catering company that grew over 16 years to a £7 million turnover and Scotland’s largest independent caterer – serving everything from racecourses and football stadia to Edinburgh Castle, the National Museum of Scotland and the Royal Yacht Britannia. Liz MacAreavy Liz shares how recession forced her to stop waiting for customers and start taking a basket of sandwiches into local offices, accidentally discovering networking, relationship-building and word-of-mouth growth. She talks candidly about scaling from five staff to 150, learning to build systems and structure, putting on 2,000-cover events to immovable deadlines, and why people, trust and culture were always at the heart of the business. We then explore her exit journey – selling the company, navigating earn-out and culture clash with the acquirer, and what she’d do differently to maximise value and protect her team. Liz explains why you should always think about your exit well ahead of time, strengthen your balance sheet and get proper corporate advice rather than “making it up as you go”. Today, as CEO of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, Liz uses everything she learned as an entrepreneur, business developer at Deloitte and market leadership strategist at EY to champion businesses and the city. She breaks down what chambers actually do – from helping micro and SME members find clients, connections and confidence, to lobbying on infrastructure, skills, housing, transport and tax so the business environment supports sustainable growth. We also dive into women in business and exports. Liz talks about the success of the Chamber’s Women in Business lunches, the Pathways programme that helped women scale (before funding was cut), and her mission to increase the number of women-led businesses exporting. She shares ideas for women-only trade missions, the real barriers female founders face (from risk and complexity to caring responsibilities) and the support she wants to see from government. Throughout the conversation, Liz comes back to relationships, resilience and self-compassion – from building “a world-class team, not world-class individuals” to being more forgiving of yourself as a leader and remembering that you don’t have to get everything right first time. In this episode, we coverHow a student side-hustle baking flapjacks turned into a deli and then a multi-site catering businessGrowing to £7 million turnover and 150 staff, serving major venues like Edinburgh Castle, the National Museum of Scotland and the Royal Yacht BritanniaLearning to stop “making it up” and start building systems, controls, financial discipline and a proper management structureUsing catering to learn planning, logistics and hard deadlines – when lunch is at 1pm, it’s at 1pmFinding and developing people: spotting attitude and culture fit, nurturing talent and helping staff grow into new roles and careersThe power of challenging “that’s how it’s done” – moving from silver service to restaurant-quality plated food at scalespan class="ql-ui"...

    39 min
  4. Sustainable Space, Sovereign Tech – Energy, Orbits and Agency with Angela Mathis of Think Tank Maths

    6D AGO

    Sustainable Space, Sovereign Tech – Energy, Orbits and Agency with Angela Mathis of Think Tank Maths

    In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Angela Mathis, co-founder and Managing Director of Think Tank Maths, a specialist mathematical-modelling company working at the sharp end of energy transition and sustainable space. Angela explains, in wonderfully human terms, what her team actually does: building advanced models that help maximise every gust of wind in places like Shetland for hydrogen production, and creating space situational awareness tools that track thousands of satellites zooming around Earth at eight kilometres per second so they don’t smash into each other. We talk about why she cares so deeply about sovereign capability – developing critical technology here rather than simply importing it – and how that led her from a global corporate career commercialising the internet to founding Think Tank Maths in Edinburgh, with a subsidiary in Norway and strong Franco-German partnerships. Angela shares stories from across her career: working on CFC-free insulation materials long before “sustainability” was a buzzword, commercialising early data-storage tech, helping roll out the commercial internet in Europe, and now sitting on the Norwegian Space Cluster board while serving as President of the Scottish Energy Forum. Through it all runs a consistent thread: curiosity, courage and a refusal to accept “that’s just how it’s done”. We also dive into Angela’s personal journey as a woman in high-tech industries. She talks about being nicknamed “Little Miss Trouble”, why that’s become a compliment in hindsight, how she deals with people who don’t trust or value women in leadership, and why she believes this is the moment for all of us to “act with agency” and create the world we want rather than waiting for others to fix it. This is a fascinating, big-picture conversation about science, space, energy, diplomacy and entrepreneurship – grounded in very practical lessons about resilience, relationships and purpose-led leadership. In this episode, we coverWhat Think Tank Maths does in practice:Advanced modelling for energy transition projects, including using intermittent wind optimally for hydrogen productionSpace situational awareness algorithms for tracking satellites in low Earth orbit and supporting sustainable, safe use of spaceWhy accurate modelling matters for both climate goals and national securityAngela’s international career journey:Studying French and German and deliberately building a cross-border careerEarly work at ICI on polyurethane foams and the transition away from CFCsCommercialising the zip drive and data-storage tech across EuropeHelping roll out commercial internet services with PSI NetThe origin story of Think Tank Maths: a “Dragons’ Den”-style university spin-out panel that led her to co-found the companySovereign capability and why she chose to stop building value solely for US corporations and instead develop technology in the UK and Europeli...

    33 min
  5. From Trainer to Tech MD – People, Culture and Self-Belief with Lynne Reeves of Motion Software

    FEB 13

    From Trainer to Tech MD – People, Culture and Self-Belief with Lynne Reeves of Motion Software

    In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Lynne Reeves, Managing Director of Motion Software, an Aberdeen-based company that provides inspection and compliance software to clients in oil and gas, renewables, construction, insurance and even live events and entertainment. If a piece of kit needs a safety certificate – from lifting gear on an offshore platform to rigging and lighting at a major event – there’s a good chance an inspector is using Motion’s software to do it. Lynne Reeves Lynne shares her career journey from trainer at leisure software company Gladstone, to project manager, head of operations and ultimately MD of Motion Software after both businesses were acquired by Canadian group Jonas Software. She talks honestly about what Jonas got right in their acquisition approach – especially investing in peoplethrough leadership programmes, coaching and a strong “people are our greatest asset” culture – and how that opened doors she never imagined. We dig into what it’s like to lead a hybrid, geographically spread team of 17 people across Aberdeen, Wales, Birmingham and offshore in Pakistan, and how she keeps connection and culture alive when not everyone is in the office. Lynne explains how she approaches hiring for culture fit, why she tests candidates in mixed in-person/online scenarios, and how important it is to trust your gut and wait for “the right bum on the right seat” instead of rushing to fill a vacancy. Lynne also reflects on her own growth as a leader – from being very focused on her own department to taking the 10,000-foot view across sales, R&D, operations and finance. She shares how external coaching helped her unpick imposter syndrome, build confidence and become an advocate for neurodiversity in the workplace, including bringing in training for the whole Motion team. Throughout the conversation, there are powerful messages about self-belief, taking opportunities even when they feel uncomfortable, and building support networks so leadership doesn’t feel so lonely at the top. Lynne’s mantra is simple: get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and don’t try to do it all alone. In this episode, we coverWhat Motion Software does and how its inspection and compliance tools are used across heavy industry, insurance and entertainmentLynne’s journey from software trainer to project manager, head of operations and finally Managing DirectorHow acquisition by Jonas Software created new opportunities through leadership programmes, mentoring and investment in peopleWhat “people are our greatest asset” looks like in practice, not just as a sloganLeading a hybrid team spread across Aberdeen, the rest of the UK and offshore, and why face-to-face time still mattersHiring for culture fit: staged interviews, mixing in-person and online panels and trusting your gutThe importance of saying no to the wrong hire and waiting for the right personHow Lynne shifted from focusing on her own function to seeing the whole business system and trade-offs between departmentsSpinning plates, deciding which “plates” can be allowed to drop and which really...

    35 min
  6. Find Your Strength Within – Wellbeing, Resilience and Menopause at Work with Gael Simpson

    FEB 10

    Find Your Strength Within – Wellbeing, Resilience and Menopause at Work with Gael Simpson

    In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Gael Simpson, personal trainer, menopause movement coach and former senior education leader. After more than 20 years as a teacher, head teacher and local authority leader for health and wellbeing, Gael has completely redesigned her career around movement, resilience and workplace wellbeing. Gael shares her journey from primary teaching to headship, then into a strategic quality improvement role where she led health and wellbeing, physical activity and mental health initiatives across Aberdeen schools – including introducing the Daily Mile and helping create the city’s Mental Health Collaborative. She talks honestly about a later move into the NHS as lead specialist for wellbeing and development, why the culture wasn’t right for her, and the big decision to resign without another job lined up. Alongside her education career, Gael and her partner were quietly running Tunnel Training Fitness, offering free outdoor fitness sessions to build community and remove cost barriers. After formalising her qualifications as a personal trainer and gym instructor, she decided to “take the bull by the horns” and launch her own business focused on personal training, outdoor classes and corporate wellbeing – with the mantra “healthy body, healthy mind, healthy business.” Gael now works with individuals and organisations on fitness, lifestyle, resilience and menopause. She runs one-to-one and small group training, outdoor classes and two corporate programmes: one focused on individual wellbeing, and “Vibe with Your Tribe”, which helps teams build collective resilience, shared values and healthier everyday habits at work. We also dive into menopause at work and for business owners. Gael explains the difference between perimenopause and menopause, the impact of symptoms like brain fog, poor sleep and low motivation, and why strength training, nutrition, rest and digital detoxes can make such a difference. She shares how leaders can support menopausal staff and talks about her six-session menopause movement programme and her free Resilience Alphabet resource for adults and young people. This is an uplifting, practical conversation about listening to your values, backing yourself through big career change and finding your strength – whether that’s getting out of bed on a tough day, leading a team or running a marathon. In this episode, we coverGael’s 20+ year career in education: teacher, head teacher and local authority quality improvement managerLeading health and wellbeing in schools: Daily Mile, physical activity initiatives and the Aberdeen City Mental Health CollaborativeA move into the NHS as lead specialist for wellbeing and development – and why the culture didn’t fitThe decision to resign without another job and the mindset and support network that made it possibleRunning Tunnel Training Fitness: free outdoor fitness sessions that build community and remove cost barriersGaining personal training and gym instructor qualifications and launching her own businessThe reality of early self-employment: financial uncertainty, being your own boss and the importance of networkingCorporate wellbeing offers:li...

    32 min
  7. Relationships, Lettings and Growth by Acquisition – 20 Years with Catriona Smith of Arden Property Management

    FEB 6

    Relationships, Lettings and Growth by Acquisition – 20 Years with Catriona Smith of Arden Property Management

    In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Catriona Smith, founder of Arden Property Management, an Edinburgh-based residential letting and property management agency celebrating its 20th year in business. Catriona shares how she “accidentally” became a letting agent after careers in primary teaching and a family business, starting out with her own small portfolio and learning the industry on the job. What began as a practical next step has grown into a long-standing, values-led agency that focuses on service, relationships and doing the right thing for both landlords and tenants. We dive into growth by acquisition – the steep learning curve of her first purchase, how later acquisitions became smoother, and why relationships with sellers, lenders, staff, landlords and contractors are at the heart of making them work. She talks candidly about funding deals without bricks-and-mortar assets, using cash flow, loans, personal guarantees and property security, and why honesty and no-retention deals have helped her retain more business. Catriona also shares her perspective on property as an investment. She explains why investors need to treat buy-to-let as a business rather than an emotional purchase, the importance of speaking to a letting agent before buying, and how to think clearly about yield versus capital growth, risk, compliance and tenant realities. Throughout the conversation, a strong theme emerges: people and relationships matter more than profit alone. From supporting long-term contractors and landlords to managing staff departures and acquisitions with care, Catriona has built a business where trust, service and mutual respect come first. We finish with reflections on confidence, learning to forgive yourself and others for mistakes, and advice for women in business to believe in themselves, recognise the value of their life skills and not assume their gender is a barrier to starting or scaling a company. In this episode, we coverHow Catriona moved from teaching and a family business into starting Arden Property ManagementBuilding a residential lettings agency in Edinburgh and why it is really a people and service business, not just about propertyThe emotional side of lettings for both landlords and tenants, and the role of a good agent as the “middle person”Catriona’s journey into growth by acquisition and what she learned from buying several other agenciesWhy relationships with sellers and lenders are crucial and how openness and trust improve retention after a dealFunding acquisitions in a service business with few tangible assets: cash flow, bank loans, personal guarantees and using property as securityChoosing continuity: bringing staff across, respecting existing relationships and avoiding the “big bang” merger approach that can lose landlords and teamsWhy Arden focuses on service and long-term relationships rather than treating landlords purely as an income streamPractical advice for business owners thinking about investing in property: talk to a letting agent, treat it as a business and avoid buying with your heartspan...

    35 min
  8. You Don’t Have To Achieve To Be Loved – Redefining Success with Becca Pearce

    FEB 2

    You Don’t Have To Achieve To Be Loved – Redefining Success with Becca Pearce

    In this powerful episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Becca Pearce, executive coach, former healthcare CEO and author of You Don’t Have To Achieve To Be Loved: Escape the Lies You’ve Been Sold to Design the Life You Want. Becca shares her remarkable journey from leading the implementation of Obamacare in Maryland, to a very public job loss, to a life-threatening brain tumour and major surgery that left her having to learn to walk again – and how all of that ultimately led her to completely redefine success and redesign her life. Becca Pearce She talks about landing back in a senior hospital role to “prove” she could still do it, only to realise that titles, money and corporate achievement no longer mattered in the same way. What she really wanted was time – like one more morning to put her daughter on the school bus. That realisation led her to quit, retrain as an executive coach and focus her work on high-achieving women who have done everything they were “supposed to do” and are quietly wondering, “Is this it?” Becca introduces the core belief that shaped her life – “I must achieve in order to be loved” – and explains how many women carry similar unconscious rules such as “I must have a title to be respected” or “I must earn a certain amount to be valued.” She shares her change framework, starting with “unfortunate awareness” (that nagging sense something isn’t right), moving through mourning old identities, and into the “one foot in, one foot out” phase where social and emotional ties make change feel scary and sticky. We also talk about boundaries, identity and perfectionism as a business owner: giving yourself grace, not “should-ing” all over yourself, and setting up a business that honours your values and needs – like Becca’s own non-negotiables of daily dog walks, daylight, no weekends and clear finish times. She offers practical advice on hiring support early, investing in yourself, and remembering that if you don’t have an assistant, you are the assistant. This is an honest, compassionate conversation for any woman who looks successful from the outside but feels restless, exhausted or disconnected on the inside – and is ready to start designing a life and business that truly fit who she is now. In this episode, we coverBecca’s story: leading a major healthcare reform project, losing her job publicly and later discovering a golf-ball-sized brain tumourBrain surgery, rehabilitation and coming back with partial deafness, vision and balance challenges – and what that taught her about what really mattersReturning to a big corporate role to prove she could still do it, then realising titles and money weren’t enough anymoreHow she retrained as an executive coach and why she now focuses on successful women who feel like they’ve done everything “right” but are still unhappyThe core belief “I must achieve to be loved” and other common hidden rules women carry about worth, money and successHer change model: unfortunate awareness, mourning old identities, one foot in/one foot out, and the reality that deep change takes years, not weeksThe power of identifying your true core values and needs today (not 10 or 20 years ago)“Shoulding” on yourself and noticing phrases like “I should

    29 min
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About

If you are a female business owner, self-employed freelancer, or girl boss who wants to build a successful business i.e. work less hours, make more money, and get better results from your staff, then this is the podcast for you. Hosted by Dr Brenda Hector MBA from ActionCOACH UK, this podcast provides relatable and accessible business advice and inspiration from successful businesswomen who have been there and done it before you. This podcast is where you can • hear female business stories • share business success • learn how to overcome business challenges • get advice for businesswomen aspiring to success • find out what needs to change • discover how we can bring about that business revolution Only 1 in 3 UK entrepreneurs are female. UK men are 5 times more likely than women to build a business of over £1million turnover If UK women matched UK men in starting and scaling businesses, it would add £250 billion to the UK economy (Alison Rose, The Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship 2018) As a woman in business, a business coach, and a business growth expert, Brenda’s mission is to help business owners grow their companies, achieve their goals and live the lifestyle of their dreams. She's the help you need to grow your business.

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