Today sees a Leeds based businesswoman and ex-NHS Strategist featured on BBC Business, also showcasing 4 other local fellow female entrepreneurs, after having been approached to star in a short film to encourage women to quit the 9-5.
Leeds mum of 4, Catherine Asta Labbett, 37, was approached by BBC producers looking to inspire other women to set up their own business, after the roaring success of launching Girl Gang Tribe, a members only collective for women who work for themselves or aspire to do so. Having attracted local and national attention, Girl Tribe Gang welcomed DJ Stephanie Hirst to their last event, who is an honorary member, having aligned with Catherine’s story after interviewing her on BBC Radio Leeds.
Catherine’s story is being showcased today on the BBC nationally as an inspiration for others, alongside 4 of her local members, including Lisa Steane who today takes up her role as Leeds Tribe Leader launching Girl Tribe Gang in the city centre tonight. Lisa, whose working life pre maternity was in Sales for Carlsberg & Pepsi, and Buying for Walmart Canada is keen to share her experiences since turning self-employed and running 2 businesses in the wedding industry, The Hook Box and The Bobby Pin, to support other women looking to move from employment to self-employment.
Other members to feature in the BBC film include Danielle Bolser founder of Deluxe Blooms who’s making faux flowers fashionable again after setting up her business at her kitchen table having struggled to find employment post kids (Dani also recently featured on the BBC showcasing successful mumtrepreneurs); Anna Mewes, a personal stylist and image consultant who’s worked with global retail brands; Kate Ibbotson, Founder of A Tidy Mind, a decluttering expert with a psychology background who’s frequently turned to by the likes of Good Housekeeping for expert tips and comment; and Olivia Scott from Story Teller Marketing whose previous roles in the corporate world included marketing the NUTRiBULLET Europe.
Catherine and her fellow Girl Tribe Gang members are discussing the rise of female entrepreneurial businesses and the need for support for other women looking to quit the 9-5, sharing her views on the importance of women supporting other women, helping women network with like minded women, and tips on how women can set up their own business.
With the first group only having launched in her hometown of Ilkley in May this year, with just £200 investment used to kick start it, Catherine is now currently rolling out Sheffield, Skipton, Manchester and East London in the next month.
Catherine said: “There is a whole generation of women who are taking risks and following their dreams and we are a hidden workforce. Often we can feel isolated and ‘out of the system’ but once we uncover others working in similar circumstances it is incredibly empowering to connect with them. What we do at Girl Tribe Gang is we find all those like minded women in your community, all those women who are working from their kitchen table doing work that works for them and their family and we facilitate a space (a stylish one with wine and nibbles) and we connect you with those women and they become your Tribe.”
Catherine, 37, who is a female only Psychotherapist and Success Coach, started her own business 2 years ago – Bringing Sparkle Back – whilst she was working as a Strategist in the NHS. After discovering the downsides of working independently ‘Girl Tribe Gang’ was born last December when Catherine was heavily pregnant with her daughter Kristina and she’s been working hard ever since to bring her idea to life.
Girl Tribe Gang advertises providing an alternative to traditional corporate networking with ‘no suits, no hotels, no corporate nonsense, no breakfast meetings, no sticky name labels, no eating in front of strangers, no board tables, no awkward introductions, no men and no death by power point presentations philosophy and are all about creating a community of like minded women, an eco-system of support, of encouragement, of women who are embracing work that works for them and of women who totally get what it feels like to be on your own in business.”
Anyone wishing to attend the Leeds launch event can get a ticket via www.facebook.com/girltribegang.
Catherine has clearly seen a gap in the market for an alternative approach to female networking and is now looking for women nationwide to help her grow the organisation. She said: “Our Tribe Bosses need to be social butterflies, socially and digitally savvy, a Girl Boss in their own right and a complete supporter of women and totally up for the challenge of building and growing and nurturing and leading their own TRIBE of Girl Bosses alongside their existing business.” Anyone interested in getting involved can contact Catherine on [email protected]
