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

In this episode of Scale HER Up, I’m joined by Araminta Birse-Stewart, founder of Araminta Campbell, a Scottish luxury woven textile brand based just outside Edinburgh.

Araminta shares how her business creates beautifully crafted woven textiles in Scotland, from mill-woven collections sold around the world to one-off and limited-edition handwoven pieces made in-house. She also designs bespoke heritage textiles, including tweeds and tartans, for private clients, brands and organisations.

We talk about what luxury really means today, and why for Araminta it is about story, provenance, craftsmanship and longevity rather than just status or a label. Sustainability sits at the heart of the brand too, with timeless designs, carefully sourced fibres and a strong focus on creating pieces that are cherished for life.

Araminta also shares the story of how the business began, almost accidentally, when people started wanting to buy the pieces she was making. Ten years on, the business has grown into a significant employer of handweavers and a respected Scottish design brand with an international customer base.

This is a thoughtful conversation about creativity, entrepreneurship, team building, motherhood, self-belief and the importance of trusting your instinct as a founder.

• What Araminta Campbell does as a Scottish luxury woven textile brand
• The difference between mill-woven, handwoven and bespoke heritage textile collections
• What luxury means beyond labels and price points
• Sustainability, longevity and creating heirloom pieces
• How the business began and grew over the last 10 years
• Why Araminta believes in building a team with strengths different from her own
• The challenges of people management and hiring the right fit
• Running a growing business alongside motherhood and family life
• Why trusting your gut matters so much in business
• Her advice for other women starting or scaling a business

In this episode of Scale HER Up, I’m joined by Elise MacDonald, Managing Director of Lux Events, an events company specialising in corporate events, conferences, award ceremonies, brand activations and communications. Lux works mainly across Scotland, while also delivering projects further afield in Europe, London and beyond.

Elise shares how Lux Events has grown over the last 14 years into a respected business with a wide mix of clients, particularly in tourism, food and drink, and the marketing sector. We talk about what makes a great event, from personalisation and delegate experience to the importance of people, planning and the team behind the scenes.

We also dive into Elise’s own journey in events, from her first role at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre to agency life, a short move into a slower-paced university role, and eventually launching Lux. She talks honestly about how the business started, how her co-MD Joanne Lynn joined her early on, and why that partnership has been such a huge part of the company’s growth and success.

This is a really warm and practical conversation about hospitality, leadership, working motherhood, resilience and building a business culture where people feel supported and want to stay.

• What Lux Events does and the different types of events they deliver
• What makes a successful event and why personalisation matters
• Elise’s career journey into events and why she knew she was in the right industry
• How Lux Events began and why the partnership with Joanne has been so important
• Why the team and company culture matter so much in service businesses
• Hospitality industry pressures and how they affect venues, suppliers and events
• How COVID impacted the events industry and what happened next
• Leadership, resilience and handling setbacks in business
• Building an all-female team with flexibility and family support at its core
• What Elise has learned about herself through running the business
• Advice she would give her younger self about confidence, voice and taking opportunities
• Why more women should consider starting businesses and creating portfolio careers

In this episode of Scale Her Up, I’m joined by Jen McLennan, Group Managing Director of Fifth Ring, a global B2B marketing communications agency with offices in Aberdeen, Houston and Singapore.

Jen shares her journey from journalism into agency life, and how she worked her way up through the business to become Group Managing Director. We talk about leadership, business growth, international culture, learning on the job, and the reality of juggling senior leadership with family life.

This is a really honest conversation about what it takes to step into bigger leadership roles, how to understand your own strengths and gaps, and why asking for help is not weakness, it is wisdom.

Jen also talks about the importance of data in marketing, the value of coaching, and why businesses need to think carefully about who they are trying to reach before jumping into activity for activity’s sake.

It is a thoughtful and practical episode for women in leadership, business owners, and anyone navigating growth, responsibility and ambition.

• What Fifth Ring does and the sectors it serves
• Why culture matters in global marketing and communications
• Jen’s career path from journalist to Group Managing Director
• What she has learned about herself through leadership
• The reality of stepping into a senior role after maternity leave
• Why self-awareness matters more as you progress
• The importance of support at home and at work
• How coaching has helped Jen reframe challenges and grow
• Why businesses need both data and clear messaging
• Advice for women considering senior leadership roles

• Why knowing yourself becomes more important the more senior you become
• The difference between activity and real business impact
• Jen’s reflections on the juggle of leadership and motherhood
• Her advice not to let fear make the decision for you
• “If you want to go far, go together”

In this episode of Scale HER Up, I’m joined by Jasmin Corbett, owner of Wealthy You Health Coach Business. Jasmin specialises in helping driven, ambitious women improve their gut health and overall wellbeing through a more holistic approach, looking at nutrition, movement, stress management, sleep and mindset. She shares how her coaching is designed to create real transformation, not just small improvements, and why she typically works with clients over a longer period to help them break habits, build new ones and feel genuinely well again.

Jasmin also shares the deeply personal story behind the business. Originally a chartered accountant, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at 29 and told to expect pain management, medication and major lifestyle limitations in the future. Refusing to accept that prognosis without exploring what else was possible, she began researching what she could control and eventually got herself into remission, which completely changed the course of her life.

That journey led her to discover health coaching, retrain while still working in accountancy, and begin helping people in her spare time before the business became too busy to stay as a side hustle. She talks honestly about the loneliness of leaving a team environment, the steep learning curve of running a business and the support she found through joining a young entrepreneurs’ networking group.

This is an inspiring conversation about health, reinvention, ambition and building a business that fits the life you want.

1. How Jasmin helps women improve gut health and wellbeing through five key pillars
2. Why she takes a holistic approach rather than focusing on just one symptom
3. Her rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis at 29 and why she refused to accept the prognosis as the full story
4. Getting herself into remission and how that changed her life
5. Retraining from chartered accountant to health coach
6. Starting the business as a side hustle before leaving employment
7. The loneliness of solo business ownership and the importance of finding your people
8. Skills Jasmin had to learn quickly as a founder, from content to sales to switching between roles
9. The importance of realistic expectations, long-term thinking and not measuring yourself only against the gap
10. Building a business that gives her location freedom and supports a more intentional life
11. Her advice to other women starting a business: be ambitious, but do not underestimate the time and energy it takes
12. Her long-term goal to make an impact on one million people through her work

In this episode of Scale HER Up, I’m joined by Lucy McNicoll, Managing Director of Exec Space Limited, a venue-finding agency that helps organisations book meetings, events, group accommodation and hospitality across the UK and beyond. Lucy shares how the business takes the time, hassle and risk out of event booking for clients who need expert support but do not organise events every day.

We talk about what makes a successful event, from understanding the brief and the budget to negotiating the right venue terms, flow, food, AV and delegate experience. Lucy explains why venue finding is about much more than choosing a room, and how experience can save clients money, time and stress.

Lucy also shares her own career journey, from training as a chef in London to building a long career in hospitality sales, operations and commercial leadership before stepping into the Managing Director role at Exec Space. She is honest about imposter syndrome, learning to understand the financial side of a smaller business, and the importance of collaboration, self-awareness and having the right people around you.

This is a great conversation about hospitality, leadership, growth and what it really takes to build a business that solves problems brilliantly for clients.

1. What Exec Space does and how venue-finding support works
2. The hidden pitfalls clients often miss when booking meetings and events
3. Why understanding the real objective of an event matters
4. Trends in hospitality, including sustainability and neurodiversity
5. Lucy’s path from chef to hospitality leader to Managing Director
6. What she has learned about responsibility, finance and growth in a smaller business
7. The value of collaboration, trust and support around a leader
8. Advice for women considering bigger roles or more senior leadership

In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Rosie Fraser, founder of Rosie Fraser Real Estate, an estate agency, lettings and property management business based in Dundee. What started just over four years ago as a one-woman business launched during maternity leave has grown into the largest estate agency in the city, with a team of 13 and a record month of selling 76 properties.

Rosie shares how low expectations at the start quickly gave way to rapid word-of-mouth growth. She believes a huge part of that success came from bringing genuinely great service into an industry where, too often, people felt they had to accept poor communication and a lack of care. For Rosie, business is about people first: making clients feel supported, informed and looked after during one of the most emotional and stressful periods of their lives.

We talk honestly about what happens when a business grows faster than the founder can comfortably manage. Rosie admits that people management was the part she found hardest. As a perfectionist who cared deeply about the business, she struggled to balance high standards with being the kind of leader she wanted to be. Eventually, after a difficult period, she accepted that this was not her natural strength and hired a manager to take on that side of the business, allowing Rosie to focus on the areas where she adds most value.

A huge part of this conversation is Rosie’s experience of being diagnosed with stage three Hodgkin’s lymphomawhile running the business. She speaks powerfully about working through chemotherapy, stepping back out of necessity, and how that difficult period ultimately forced her to let go of control and build a business that could function without her doing everything. Although the business took a short-term hit, that experience changed the way she thinks about leadership, delegation and growth.

Rosie also reflects on criticism, mistakes and resilience. She cares deeply about service, so poor feedback hurts, but she has learned to separate unfair criticism from genuine lessons. When the business makes a mistake, she believes in owning it, apologising and putting it right. That honesty, she says, is one of the reasons clients stay loyal.

Beyond property, Rosie talks about entrepreneurship more broadly. She shares lessons from a previous children’s boutique that did not work out, why she no longer sees failure as something to be ashamed of, and how she now thinks much more strategically about what kinds of businesses are scalable, sustainable and rewarding. She also reveals her dream of eventually using her experience to work with girls in schools who are struggling academically, helping them see that school is not the only route to success and that some of the traits that get them into trouble in the classroom could make them exceptional entrepreneurs.

This is an emotional, honest and inspiring conversation about service, resilience, leadership and building a business against the odds. It is also a reminder that success does not have to start with a polished plan. Sometimes it begins with simply giving it a go.

In this episode, we cover:

1. How Rosie launched her estate agency during maternity leave with no huge expectations
2. Growing from one person to a team of 13 in just over four years
3. Becoming the largest estate agency in Dundee through service and word of mouth
4. Why great service matters so much in the property industry
5. The emotional reality of helping people through moves, separations and major life changes
6. The challenges of people management and recognising when to hire support
7. Why founders should focus on what they are good at and delegate the rest
8. Rosie’s diagnosis of stage three Hodgkin’s lymphoma and working through chemotherapy while running the business
9. How illness forced her to step back and build a business that could operate without her
10. Handling criticism, mistakes and public feedback as a service-led founder
11. Lessons learned from a previous children’s clothing boutique that did not scale
12. Why failure is not something to be ashamed of if it leads to better decisions later
13. Rosie’s wider entrepreneurial ambitions, including property development and opening a care home
14. Her passion for helping young girls see alternative routes to success beyond school
15. The importance of asking for help, asking “stupid” questions and learning from people ahead of you
16. Her advice to other women: do not be afraid to try, to fail or to start again

In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Iona Crawford, founder of Iona Crawford Atelier, a Glasgow-based multidisciplinary design studio that began as a luxury womenswear brand and has evolved into a rich, design-led business spanning fashion, textiles, interiors and art. Nearly 19 years after launching straight out of art school, Iona is still driven by the same core passion: painting, storytelling and expressing ideas through beautiful design.

Iona shares how the business first grew from luxury fashion into printed garments and accessories, with collections sold in Japan, Europe and the US. Over time, as her artwork was printed onto heavier fabrics and collectors became interested in seeing her pieces interpreted in new forms, interiors became a natural next step. That shift opened up a whole new world of creative possibility, allowing her to translate her painted narratives into fabric, upholstery and interior spaces that influence how people feel, live and connect with their surroundings.

A big theme in this conversation is evolution — both personal and commercial. Iona talks about launching young, hungry and full of enthusiasm, expecting success to come quickly, and how 19 years of perspective have taught her that a more gradual progression was exactly what the business needed. She reflects honestly on early mistakes, taking bad advice, being too trusting at times, and how every setback became something to learn from rather than something to regret.

We also explore the power of partnership and support. Iona credits her business partner Tracy as a major force in the growth of the interiors side of the business and speaks warmly about the trust, shared decision-making and respect that underpin their relationship. She is clear that they would not be where they are now without complete trust in one another, honest discussion and the ability to use each other as a sounding board when making important decisions.

There is also a fascinating conversation about international expansion, especially into the US. Iona explains how the brand was approached by multi-line showrooms in different territories and how entering America required serious investment, patience and research. Although it was a major commitment, it has become a hugely worthwhile market and one they now serve alongside the UK, Europe, Australia, the Middle East and the early stages of Asia.

Iona also talks about building a small but mighty team, creating opportunities for emerging designers and working closely with art and design schools through internships and placements. Supporting the next generation matters deeply to her, especially because she remembers the people who gave her opportunities, advice and confidence when she was just starting out.

Above all, this episode is about authenticity, patience and asking questions. Iona’s advice is refreshingly grounded: do your homework, ask lots of questions, be hungry to learn, do not be too desperate for immediate success, and stay true to yourself in a world that can feel noisy and demanding. It is a thoughtful and inspiring conversation for anyone building a creative business with ambition, integrity and a long-term view.

In this episode, we cover:

1. How Iona Crawford Atelier began as a luxury womenswear brand and evolved into a multidisciplinary design studio
2. Why painting remains the creative core of the business and the source of its storytelling
3. The move from fashion into interiors, upholstery and textile-led spaces
4. Selling collections internationally in Japan, Europe, America and beyond
5. Entering the US market and why expansion takes patience, investment and research
6. The role of her business partner Tracy in growing the interiors side of the brand
7. The importance of trust, shared decision-making and having a strong sounding board in business
8. Learning from early mistakes, bad advice and setbacks rather than being defined by them
9. Why Iona no longer chases immediate success and now values slower, more intentional growth
10. Building a small but mighty team and supporting emerging designers through internships and placements
11. What it means to be a “new wave Scottish design” brand rather than a traditional tartan label
12. Her advice to founders: do your homework, ask questions, be authentic and do not rush the journey

In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Emma Kirk of User Vision, a UX and accessibility consultancy that has been helping organisations create better digital experiences for 26 years. User Vision uses research-led insight to help clients understand real user needs and design services that work for everyone, including people with disabilities. Over the years, the team has worked with more than 350 clients globally, from major brands to public sector organisations, always with a focus on bringing humanity to design and making digital services both inclusive and commercially effective.

Emma explains why inclusive design is still being missed by so many organisations. Too often, businesses race to launch digital products based on internal assumptions, tight budgets or legacy systems, without asking how real people will actually use them. She shares why that is such a costly mistake, and why accessibility is not a niche issue but a commercial, practical and human one. Whether it is a website, an app, a kiosk or another digital touchpoint, Emma argues that businesses are leaving both people and revenue behind when they do not design with real users in mind from the start.

We also dive into the practical side of user research. Emma’s advice is simple and powerful: test early, speak to people and do not build until you know what your audience actually needs. She talks about lightweight ways small businesses can do this, from interviews and focus groups to low-cost sketches and simple concept testing, rather than wasting time and money “racing to the finish” with the wrong solution.

Emma’s own business story is fascinating too. User Vision was founded by Chris Rorke, but Emma joined just a year later after seeing the gap between what digital teams thought people wanted and what users actually needed. A major government project became the sliding-doors moment that pushed them from “helping out” into growing a real business together. Over time, they built a specialist team around usability, accessibility and insight, growing through long-term relationships, repeat work and word of mouth rather than a large sales machine. Today the business remains intentionally small, under 15 people, with a strong reputation and clients that have stayed with them for many years.

We also talk honestly about leadership, time management, stress and the loneliness that can come with running a business for more than two decades. Emma reflects on learning to manage people, navigate HR, stay calm under pressure and ask for help when needed. She shares what changed when she became a mother, the reality of trying to build a business and raise a child at the same time, and why support from both inside and outside the business has been fundamental to her sanity and success.

This is a thoughtful, practical and deeply honest conversation about accessibility, digital design, growth, resilience and the confidence it takes to stand in front of the room and say, “I know this will help.”

In this episode, we cover:

1. What User Vision does as a UX and accessibility consultancy and why that matters more than ever
2. Why inclusive digital design is a commercial issue, not just a compliance exercise
3. The cost of assuming your customers think like you do
4. Why businesses should test early, ask users and avoid building before they understand real needs
5. How neurodiversity, situational disability and human variability affect digital experiences
6. Emma’s journey into User Vision and the big government project that became the turning point for growth
7. Building a specialist team through thought leadership, research and long-term client relationships
8. Why User Vision has stayed intentionally small, under 15 people, and what Emma values about that size
9. The realities of time management, stress and staying calm as a business owner
10. The challenge of combining entrepreneurship and motherhood, and the “maternity leave” reality when it is your own business
11. How Emma has handled imposter syndrome, male-dominated rooms and confidence under pressure
12. Why every founder needs support, boundaries and an external voice they trust
13. Emma’s advice to women in business: be brave, be confident and believe in yourself

In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Eve McCurrich, Managing Director of Whiteburn Projects Limited, an award-winning SME house builder based in Edinburgh and building across the southeast of Scotland.

Eve shares what it really means to build homes, not just houses. From the earliest stage of looking at a piece of land, through planning, design, construction and handing over the keys, she and her team are thinking about the lives that will be lived there. She talks passionately about quality, customer experience, placemaking and why home is so much more than a financial investment.

We talk about Whiteburn’s work on both brownfield and greenfield developments, the importance of building communities rather than just filling land, and the role SME house builders play in tackling Scotland’s housing emergency. Eve also explains why she is such a vocal advocate for smaller builders, local supply chains and greater support for the sector.

Eve’s own journey is fascinating. She started out with a summer job on the Sizewell B nuclear power station project, went on to train as a chartered quantity surveyor, worked across major infrastructure and housebuilding projects around the UK, spent time in Dubai building a climbing wall and aerial assault course, and eventually found her way to Whiteburn. Her career has not followed a neat straight line, but it has been shaped by relationships, curiosity, confidence and a willingness to say yes to new opportunities.

We also dive into the realities of leadership in construction: managing a small core team with a wide network of subcontractors and professional partners, creating a culture of pride and accountability on site, and helping young people see the huge range of careers that exist within the built environment.

This is a thoughtful, practical and passionate conversation about construction, leadership, resilience and why building homes well still matters deeply.

In this episode, we cover:

1. What Whiteburn Projects does as an award-winning SME house builder
2. Why home is about emotion, memory, family and safety, not just bricks and mortar
3. The difference between building developments and creating places where people want to live
4. Brownfield vs greenfield sites and why brownfield can be the most sustainable option
5. Designing homes for different life stages, including downsizers and older buyers
6. The realities of building net zero homes under current Scottish regulations
7. The challenge of balancing sustainability, affordability and profitability in housebuilding
8. Eve’s career journey from temporary document control job to chartered quantity surveyor to Managing Director
9. Working on infrastructure, major housebuilding projects and even a climbing wall build in Dubai
10. Taking Whiteburn from developer-led projects to full designer-builder-seller model
11. Managing a small team with many moving parts, subcontractors and specialist partners
12. Creating a site culture focused on quality, cleanliness, pride and customer care
13. Encouraging more young people to consider careers in construction and the built environment
14. The huge variety of professional roles involved in delivering a single new home
15. The decline of SME house builders and the barriers facing smaller firms today
16. Planning delays, legislative uncertainty and why certainty matters for housing delivery
17. Why resilience, relationships and asking for help are essential leadership skills
18. Eve’s advice to women stepping into senior roles: go for it, ask the question and trust yourself

In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Nathalie Agnew, Managing Director of Muckle Media, a founder-led communications group delivering corporate and consumer PR, social media and influencer engagement, with specialist agencies in drinks and hospitality now part of the wider business. Nathalie started Muckle Media from her living room after leaving London and moving back to Scotland, and has since grown it into a 30-person agency group working with major brands and ambitious clients.

Nathalie shares the story behind that journey, from struggling to find the kind of PR role she wanted in the Highlands, to gaining experience on global campaigns in London, to returning home and deciding to build something of her own. What began as freelance work soon became something bigger, driven by a desire for team, structure and a business that could grow beyond one person.

We talk about what helps a founder-led agency win against much bigger competitors. Nathalie believes clients are looking for something more personal, more invested and less faceless than the big global networks can sometimes offer. She explains how important it is that clients meet the people who will actually work on their account, not just the senior team who pitch, and why that founder-led energy can still be a real advantage as the business scales.

A big focus of this episode is growth by acquisition. Nathalie has acquired three businesses, starting with an early deal that was creatively structured and paid over time from client income rather than upfront capital. She talks candidly about what she learned from that first acquisition, how later deals were different, and the real challenges of bringing together different cultures, teams and systems while keeping momentum and morale high.

We also get into people, leadership and scaling. Nathalie talks about the shift from being the person clients buy into, to building a business that can operate well without her being at the centre of everything. She shares the phrase her team uses a lot – delegate and elevate – and explains why growth depends on everyone having clarity, ownership and room to step up. She also reflects on becoming “top heavy” after promoting and retaining strong people, and why continued growth matters if you want to keep creating opportunity for the team.

There’s a strong conversation around team culture and flexibility too. With colleagues split across Edinburgh, Forres and remote locations, Nathalie has worked hard to create a culture that keeps talented people in the business, especially working parents who might otherwise leave the PR industry. She shares how flexible hours, remote roles and clearer progression frameworks have helped her build a more sustainable environment for the team.

Nathalie also talks about learning more about herself as a leader, using profiling tools to understand her own natural style, and recognising the importance of building a team with a wider mix of strengths and working styles rather than simply hiring people who feel familiar. She discusses the traction model she keeps coming back to, and how tools like accountability charts, 90-day rocks and competency frameworks are helping her build a stronger operating system for the business.

This is a smart, honest conversation about scaling a service business, staying founder-led without becoming the bottleneck, growing by acquisition and building a business in a way that works around real life, ambition and family.

In this episode, we cover:

1. How Nathalie built Muckle Media from a living room startup into a growing communications group
2. Why founder-led agencies can win against much larger competitors
3. The difference between earned media, PR, thought leadership and reputation management
4. Starting out as a freelancer and quickly realising she wanted team, structure and scale
5. Winning bigger clients and growing from SMEs to major established brands
6. Growth by acquisition and how Nathalie has acquired three businesses over time
7. Creative deal structures, staged payments and what she learned from her first acquisition
8. The challenges of integrating teams, systems and cultures after an acquisition
9. Why scaling means making sure you are not the business
10. The concept of delegate and elevate and how it supports team growth
11. Building competency frameworks, accountability charts and 90-day rocks into the business
12. Retaining talent, avoiding a top-heavy structure and continuing to create progression opportunities
13. Flexible working, remote teams and building a PR agency culture that works for parents
14. Insights profiling, self-awareness and why balanced teams perform better than “same type” teams
15. Nathalie’s advice to women in business: start where you are, make it manageable and just give it a shot