There I was, sat in a room filled mostly with women all eagerly anticipating the answers to our questions. We are all there for the same reason; we wanted to be, or already were entrepreneurs.
The start-up event was run by a successful businesswoman in London with a panel of other entrepreneurs. I was yearning for an understanding as to whether to take the plunge and start my own business or to keep climbing the corporate ladder until I retire. I was a year into my role at a fin-tech firm in London with a vision for a business that had absolutely nothing to do with my career and nothing to do with the skills required at my job. Quite frankly, I needed all the help I could get.
Whilst I was sat in the room, looking at the panellists and frantically taking notes, it dawned on me that the majority of the panel had taken a leap of faith and pursued their businesses without the distraction of their careers. I looked around the room and realised the audience members contributing to the conversation in the room were also established business women and men who had the luxury – or what at the time appeared to be a luxury – of solely focusing on their business.