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

In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Liz Carnie, director of PWS(formerly Power Washer Services), a second-generation family business started by her dad over 40 years ago. From one man and a van to a team of 28 covering all of Scotland, PWS now supplies and services power washers, compressors, generators, heaters and more – with a reputation built on backup service, not just sales.

Liz shares how she went from RAF police and policing in England to “helping dad out for a bit” in 1990, only to discover a whole new world of business, sales and spreadsheets she never imagined herself in. She talks about learning on the job before computers and mobiles, growing the engineer team, and why they chose to service competitors’ machines as a growth strategy.

We dive into the realities of running and scaling a family business. Liz works alongside her brother Jim, his three children and now her own son – and she is candid about disagreements, boundaries and succession planning. She explains how they recruit engineers for attitude and problem-solving skills, often from agricultural backgrounds, and why cross-training staff has become essential.

Liz also opens up about the most difficult chapter of her life: her partner Colin’s cancer diagnosis, his role in the business, working from home during COVID and eventually losing him. She shares how being forced to step back showed her that the business could run without her – and why building a company that doesn’t rely on one person is so important.

Along the way we talk confidence, difficult conversations, “eating the frog”, lists, and how networking through BNI helped her find her voice, ask for help and realise she wasn’t alone in business. Her message to women thinking about starting or scaling is simple and powerful: go for it, and don’t be afraid to ask for support.

1. The story of PWS: from her dad’s redundancy from farming to spotting a niche in power washers
2. How the business grew from two people to 28 staff, serving customers across Scotland
3. Adding compressors, generators, heaters and more by listening to existing customers’ needs
4. Choosing to repair competitors’ machines and why service has been their long-term differentiator
5. Liz’s journey from RAF police and policing to sales, office management and business leadership
6. Learning accounts, systems and HR on the job – and later investing in courses and self-development
7. Recruiting engineers for practical skills, attitude and hobbies, not just formal qualifications
8. The reality of managing people: treating everyone differently, playing to strengths and getting the best out of the team
9. Running a multi-generational family business with her brother, nieces, nephews and son
10. Handing over responsibility, succession planning and involving the next generation in management and numbers
11. Navigating her partner Colin’s cancer diagnosis and death, and how the team stepped up in her absence
12. Why cross-training roles and building a business that works without you is essential
13. The role of BNI and networking in building confidence, learning to ask for help and finding community in business
14. Liz’s advice to women thinking about starting or scaling a business

In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, Dr Brtenda Hector is joined by Kim Woolner, an independent HR consultant, founder of Holding Space, certified menopause coach and part-time team member at the Russell Anderson Foundation in Aberdeen. With more than 25 years in HR across energy, construction and other male-dominated industries, Kim brings a powerful mix of professional expertise and lived experience to the conversation.

Kim talks about juggling multiple roles – HR consultancy, wellbeing work, a charitable foundation, board positions and professional bodies – while navigating menopause and protecting her own energy. She shares why her motto is “healthy body, healthy mind, healthy business,” and how women so often drop self-care first when life and work get busy.

We dig into confidence, intuition and authenticity at work: from masking in tough cultures to learning to trust your own voice, even when it shakes. Kim explains how women can stand in their own way, talk themselves out of opportunities and wait for permission, while men will apply for roles when they only meet a couple of the criteria. She offers practical ideas for owning your worth, building a trusted circle and using your network well.

With her HR hat on, Kim shares honest insight into menopause in the workplace – what it really costs businesses when experienced women leave, and how leaders and line managers can respond better. From flexible working and simple physical adjustments to normalising conversations about feelings and energy, she shows how small, thoughtful changes can transform retention, performance and culture.

We also explore Kim’s entrepreneurial journey with Holding Space: combining Bach flower remedies, essential oils, emotional wellbeing, meditation and mindfulness. She talks about learning not to over-give, setting boundaries, charging properly and recognising that “failure” is usually just information that shapes your next step.

1. Kim’s 25+ year career in HR and why she moved into independent consultancy
2. How she juggles HR work, Holding Space, the Russell Anderson Foundation, board roles and professional commitments
3. Why “healthy body, healthy mind, healthy business” underpins everything she does
4. The internal stories women tell themselves, and how they can block confidence and progress
5. Working in male-dominated industries and the pressure to wear a “mask” at work
6. Intuition as a business asset – learning to listen to your gut before hindsight kicks in
7. The gender difference in applying for jobs and opportunities, and what women can learn from it
8. Menopause in the workplace: symptoms, stigma, loss of confidence and the real cost to organisations
9. Practical ways businesses can support menopausal employees: awareness, flexible working, line manager training, small environmental changes and real policy in action
10. Emotional culture at work – why feelings drive behaviour, actions and ultimately business results
11. The role of coaching, leadership development and supporting “managers in the middle”
12. Kim’s Holding Space business: Bach flower remedies, essential oils, menopause groups, meditation and mindfulness
13. Boundaries, pricing and protecting your energy when you are the engine room of your business

In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Paula Paterson, Founder and Solutions Director at FidesOak, a consultancy specialising in organisational cultural transformation in high-hazard industries. Paula explains how FidesOak helps leaders build high-performing teams that act like a “high-performing virus” inside an organisation – spreading better habits, psychological safety and performance from the inside out. Paula Paterson Edited

We talk about measuring culture rather than guessing, why diagnostics matter more than scattergun initiatives, and how FidesOak’s habits framework turns good intentions into repeatable, sustainable behaviour. Paula shares the idea of cultural architects vs cultural assassins, the science behind the “3.5% tipping point” for big shifts, and why cultural change usually takes three to five years – even when leaders are impatient for quick fixes. Paula Paterson Edited

Paula also opens up about her own “chequered” career journey: from office junior and beauty therapist, to mature social sciences student, to learning and development specialist, to co-founding a company three months before the first lockdown. She talks about driving the length of the country during COVID, going underground in mines and offshore to really understand clients’ worlds, and what she’s learned about courage, self-belief and “feeling the fear and doing it anyway” as a woman leading in male-dominated, high-hazard environments. Paula Paterson Edited

In this episode, we cover:

1. What FidesOak actually does and why cultural change starts with high-performing teams, not slogans
2. The “high-performing virus” metaphor – and how to spread positive habits through an organisation
3. Cultural architects vs cultural assassins, and how to empower the right 3.5% of your people
4. Why cultural change takes years, not months, and how to show progress with real measurement
5. FidesOak’s habits framework and the difference between a behaviour you try once and a habit that sticks
6. Paula’s journey from beauty therapy to social sciences, L&D and high-hazard industries
7. Founding a company on the eve of a global pandemic – and what resilience really looked like in practice
8. Her advice to women in leadership: lean into your eminence, mine your past successes, and be a “diva” in the best possible way

In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Fiona Duguid, co-founder of Indigo Seven Ventures, Chief Information Officer at Aurora Energy Services, and the portfolio lead for Expo Design – a business creating sustainable exhibition and display solutions using engineered fibreboard made from recycled cardboard. Fiona describes how Indigo Seven Ventures invests with a focus on sustainability and “doing good in the world,” while she splits her time between fast-growth energy services and a greener alternative to traditional MDF exhibition builds. 

Fiona’s career path is anything but linear. She started in medicine, switched to mechanical engineering at the University of Cape Town, worked in the nuclear industry, then pivoted into software development and technical sales in London – eventually becoming a senior account manager at Halliburton, working across Latin America, Europe and Houston before making Aberdeen home. Through each change she’s been one of very few women in the room, learning how to negotiate pay, hold her own in male-dominated spaces and back herself. 

We dive deep into the gender pay gap, why women often wait to be “noticed” while men actively negotiate, and how language, body language and “knee-capping” ourselves with constant apologies holds us back. Fiona shares why coaching, mentors and honest feedback are so powerful for women – and why we have to stop assuming good work will automatically be rewarded. 

From an investor’s perspective, she explains what Indigo Seven Ventures looks for in opportunities: values-aligned people, authenticity, realistic plans and a clear understanding that things will take longer and cost more than you think. We also talk about the funding gap for women-led businesses, how to aim higher when you’re raising money, and why asking for help on LinkedIn or in your network is often the most underused strategy. 

Above all, this is a conversation about self-belief. Fiona is candid about underestimating herself early on, and the mindset shift that came when she realised she was “so much more able” than she’d ever given herself credit for. Her message to younger women – and to all of us – is clear: trust yourself, reach higher, and be the master of your own destiny. 

• What Indigo Seven Ventures does and how Fiona and her husband involve their (adult) children in learning about investment
• Fiona’s portfolio roles: CIO at Aurora Energy Services and leading Expo Design, using recycled cardboard honeycomb board for sustainable exhibitions and activations
• A non-linear career journey: medicine to mechanical engineering, nuclear industry, software development, technical sales and global account management
• Being “the only woman in the room” in engineering, tech and energy – and the reality of the gender pay gap
• Why women often stay too long in roles, expecting good work to be recognised, while men tend to move and negotiate for higher salaries
• The concept of “knee-capping” ourselves in emails and meetings with apologetic language – and how Fiona now edits her words to show she belongs at the table
• How coaching, mentors and good courses can transform women’s confidence around money, negotiating and career progression
• What early-stage businesses often underestimate: the sheer number of hats you wear and the importance of knowing your strengths and weaknesses
• Advice for women seeking funding: look at how men approach it, aim higher and don’t be afraid to ask for help from people who know the investment world
• What Indigo Seven Ventures looks for in an opportunity: authentic people, shared ethos, realistic plans and contingency for “it’ll take longer and cost more”
• Why it matters who you take advice from – and Fiona’s rule to only listen deeply to people she genuinely respects
• The power of networking, building genuine relationships, and paying it forward by supporting other women coming through

Fiona Duguid is co-founder of Indigo Seven Ventures, a small investment company she runs with her husband, with a focus on sustainability and doing good in the world. She is also Chief Information Officer at Aurora Energy Services and portfolio lead for Expo Design, which creates exhibition stands and experiential activations using strong, printable engineered fibreboard made from recycled cardboard. 

Originally from South Africa, Fiona studied mechanical engineering after a brief start in medicine, worked in the nuclear industry, and later pivoted into software development and technical sales. She spent years at Halliburton in a technical software division, including five years based in Venezuela covering Latin America and later managing major operator accounts across Europe and Houston. Having spent her whole career in male-dominated sectors, she is passionate about helping women understand their value, negotiate fairly, and take ownership of their careers and businesses. 

In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneurs Show, I’m joined by Iona Foubister, Director and Building Surveyor at FG Burnett, a long-established firm of chartered surveyors and commercial property consultants based in Aberdeen. Iona lifts the lid on what FG Burnett actually does – from those “For Sale” and “To Let” boards you see around town, to building surveys, schedules of condition, property management, valuations and rating advice. 

If you’ve never leased or bought commercial space before, this conversation is a must-listen. Iona explains why taking professional advice before you sign a lease or purchase agreement can save you tens of thousands of pounds later, and why a schedule of condition is so important for protecting your business at the end of a lease. She also talks honestly about being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated profession, her route from graduate to board director, and the realities of running a small professional services firm in a changing Aberdeen market. 

We also dig into wider industry challenges – from the impact of the oil crash and COVID on office space, to a looming shortage of building surveyors as university courses close and firms pivot to graduate apprenticeships. Through it all, Iona comes back to two big themes: enjoying your work and believing in yourself as your experience grows. 

• What FG Burnett actually does: building consultancy, sales and lettings, property management, valuation and rating – and how these departments work together for clients 
• The big differences between buying/leasing a home and taking on commercial property – and why there’s no “home report” safety net in the commercial world
• Why business owners should always take surveyor advice before leasing or buying, and how a schedule of condition can drastically limit your dilapidations bill at lease end 
• The hidden risk of letting the landlord’s team have professional advice while you try to negotiate on your own
• Iona’s career journey: RGU building surveying degree, APC, becoming chartered, then progressing through senior surveyor and associate to Director and board member in around 10 years 
• What changes (and what doesn’t) when you join the board – from 5-hour board meetings to being a voice for employees while still being “one of the team” at lunchtime
• The reality of working in a small firm competing with global consultancies – doing your own BD, networking, articles and social media alongside client work 
• How Aberdeen’s oil downturn and COVID have reshaped the office market: remote working, empty buildings, refurbishments and even demolitions
• The challenge of educating landlords that the old days of “do nothing and they’ll still take it” are over – investment and upgrades are now essential to attract tenants 
• A looming skills shortage: RGU closing its building surveying course, the shift to graduate apprenticeships, and what that means for salaries, recruitment and training time in small firms 
• Being a woman in building surveying: expectations vs reality, why she hasn’t personally experienced major barriers, and the importance of visibility for future female surveyors
• The mindset shift from needing constant reassurance to trusting your own professional judgement as your experience grows

Iona Foubister is a Director and Building Surveyor at FG Burnett, an Aberdeen-based firm of chartered surveyors and commercial property consultants that’s been serving the city for over 65 years. After studying Building Surveying at Robert Gordon University, Iona joined FG Burnett as a graduate, completed her APC to become chartered, and has steadily progressed to board level while remaining hands-on with clients. 

Working in the Building Consultancy team, she delivers building surveys, schedules of condition, dilapidations advice and refurbishment projects for landlords and tenants, while also playing a key role in business development and strategy. Passionate about enjoying your work and backing yourself as your experience grows, Iona is a brilliant example of a woman building a successful career – and now shaping an entire firm – in a traditionally male-dominated profession.

On this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Alana Innes, founder of Rethink Accountancy – a fully digital, remote-first accountancy practice that was paperless and cloud-based long before it became the norm. After 20 years in traditional firms and being told she had to be in the office, Alana walked away from corporate life to design a business that fits the way she wants to live and work. 

What started as “just enough for travel beer tokens” has grown into a team of around 18, supporting SMEs and e-commerce brands all over the UK with bookkeeping, accounts, payroll, tax and plain-English advice. Alana shares honestly about rapid growth during the pandemic, losing clients when side-hustles closed, closing over 200 companies in two years, and how she’s reset the business so it can scale sustainably again. 

We talk about what it really takes to build a values-driven, remote team, why she refuses shoeboxes of receipts, and how her mum’s quiet support behind the scenes made it possible for her to go all-in on her business. If you’re a woman who wants more flexibility, freedom and balance – without sacrificing ambition – this conversation will give you a big dose of reassurance and practical insight. 

In this episode, we cover:

• How 20 years in traditional accountancy led Alana to create Rethink Accountancy
• Starting a remote, paperless, cloud-based firm before the pandemic made it trendy
• Supporting SMEs and online/e-commerce businesses with full back-office finance support
• Why Rethink won’t accept boxes of receipts – and what “digital first” really looks like in practice
• Making tax understandable: unlimited email questions and ditching the jargon
• The impact of COVID: rapid client growth, then the reality of side-hustles closing
• Closing 200+ businesses in 24 months – and what that taught her about failure and resilience
• Major legislation changes like Making Tax Digital and what they mean for sole traders
• Building an 18-strong hybrid team and creating a culture of openness and flexibility
• Being more selective about clients and pricing as the business matures
• Why mindset and work–life balance matter more to her than corporate status
• Her advice to women who want to start or scale a business but are scared to take the leap 

About Alana Innes

Alana Innes is the founder of Rethink Accountancy, a remote, cloud-based firm specialising in SMEs and online/e-commerce businesses across the UK. After two decades in traditional accountancy, she launched Rethink nearly eight years ago to create a more flexible, digital-first way of working – for herself, her team and her clients. Today, Rethink provides full finance support from bookkeeping and accounts to personal tax, payroll and advisory, all delivered in plain English and with a strong focus on culture, balance and client relationships

In this episode of Scale Her Up, Brenda Hector sits down with Mary Smith, founder of Relocation Scotland, who has spent 30 years helping individuals and families relocate to Scotland and call it home. From housing and schools to bank accounts and culture shock, Mary and her team support people through every step of a global move. 

Mary shares how her own experiences living abroad in Zambia, South Africa, Australia and Singapore led her to spot a gap in support for expats and ultimately build a relocation business in Aberdeen. She explains the difference between working for landlords versus tenants, why trust and honesty are crucial in relocation, and how going the extra mile creates lifelong relationships (and holiday invitations all over the world).

Mary also opens up about the realities of running a small business in a volatile energy-driven economy, growing a team from just herself to 12 and back to four, and the challenges of recruiting, managing and sometimes letting people go. She talks about the importance of having the right contracts, HR support and external advice when you are building a team for the first time.

We also explore the emotional side of entrepreneurship. Mary reflects on losing her mum at 11, growing up quickly, working in her dad’s grocery, delicatessen and wine business, and how his “three options” advice helped her take the leap into business. She shares the message she’d give to her 18-year-old self about confidence, speaking up and not letting self-doubt quietly eat away at you.

If you’ve ever considered working internationally, starting a service-based business, or you just want a real and honest look behind the scenes of global mobility, this conversation will give you both practical insights and a powerful reminder to back yourself.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Relocation Scotland supports tenants from first conversation to fully settled
• What really happens behind the scenes of a corporate relocation
• The power of empathy, trust and honest communication with clients
• Riding the peaks and troughs of Aberdeen’s energy-driven economy
• Growing and managing a team in a small, niche industry
• The influence of Mary’s entrepreneurial father and early work experience
• Confidence, imposter feelings and the importance of having the right network
• Mary’s dad’s three options for any big decision – and how they still guide her today

And as always, Brenda closes by reminding us of the huge untapped potential of female-led businesses: when women start and scale companies to the same extent as men, we can add billions to the UK economy and create millions of jobs.

In this powerful episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneurs Show, I’m joined by Marion McLaughlin, founder of Aurora – an autistic-led business that supports organisations to better understand and work with autistic and neurodivergent people. After years in the third sector delivering “womb to tomb” services for autistic people, Marion hit burnout trying to juggle passion with an unsustainable workload. Starting a business was never on their to-do list – yet Aurora has become the most aligned, impactful way for them to use their lived and professional experience. 

Marion is autistic, non-binary and disabled, and brings a deeply intersectional lens to the conversation. We talk honestly about what it really feels like to be autistic in noisy workplaces, in healthcare systems that often don’t listen, and in a political climate that is challenging for trans and non-binary people. They share how concepts like monotropism(interest-based attention and “flow tunnels”) can be a superpower at work – if leaders understand how to support it. 

This episode is full of practical advice for managers and business owners: how to respond when someone discloses they’re autistic, why “can you just pop into my office later?” can trigger panic, and how to manage change in ways that respect people’s sensory needs, energy levels and humanity. Marion also talks about creating Autistic Pride Aberdeen, developing courses like “My Child Is Autistic – What Now?”, and why good allies and “accomplices” are essential if we want a genuinely inclusive world. 

If you want your business to be safer and more supportive for autistic, neurodivergent and gender-diverse people – this conversation is a must-listen.

• Marion’s journey from teacher and third-sector CEO to founder of autistic-led consultancy Aurora
• Marion McLaughlin
• Why disclosing autism at work is an act of bravery – and how managers should respond
• Practical examples of reasonable adjustments: lighting, noise, sensory needs, flexible dress codes and more
• How not to respond when someone says the environment is difficult for them (“nobody else has a problem with it…” vs “thank you for telling me”) 
• The impact of big life transitions (moving house, pregnancy, menopause, marriage) on autistic support needs and performance at work
• The brilliant Star Trek analogy: why you can’t expect staff to operate at “Warp 9.9” all the time
• The quote we all need: “If the most I have to give today is 40%, and I give 40%, I’ve still given 100% of what I’ve got.” 
• Monotropism explained – attention tunnels, deep focus and why constant task-switching is so costly
• How everyone (not just autistic people) can use monotropism principles to get into flow and do better work
• What businesses get wrong – and right – about supporting non-binary and trans team members
• Why inclusive toilets, policies and explicit support for trans and autistic staff really matter right now 
• The story of Autistic Pride Aberdeen, info-dump events, giant bubbles in the park and building joyful autistic community 

Marion McLaughlin is the founder of Aurora, an autistic-led organisation providing training, consultancy and one-to-one support around autism and neurodiversity. A former primary school teacher and charity CEO, Marion has supported autistic people of all ages in “womb to tomb” services and now works with businesses, schools, universities, charities and healthcare providers to create more neuro-affirming environments. 

Autistic, non-binary and disabled, Marion brings lived experience and deep professional expertise to topics like monotropism, sensory needs, autistic mental health and intersectionality. They also lead Autistic Pride Aberdeen, hosting community events and webinars that centre autistic joy, connection and advocacy.

Patricia Noel Drain, founder of Patricia Drain & Associates, author of 14 books, former teacher and executive recruiter turned mentor for women 50+. Patricia helps female entrepreneurs over 50 work less and make more—doing what they love. We talk reinvention, building saleable businesses with systems (she created 27 to step out of day-to-day), and designing life around freedom, not busyness. She shares the health scare that forced a reset, the power of digital productsand high-ticket offers, and why women must give themselves permission to earn well. Expect practical prompts to find your zone of genius, say no to misfit work, and—above all—put yourself on your own calendar.

In this episode:

• Why she mentors women 50+ to work less, earn more—and how reinvention often starts at 50.
• From brick-and-mortar recruiter to exit: building 27 systems so the business could run (and sell) without her.
• Health wake-up call → boundaries: freedom is the point; schedule you first.
• Digital products and packaging expertise; thinking bigger with values-aligned, high-ticket containers.
• Writing 14 books (including a children’s book about self-worth) after being told she “couldn’t write.”
• Coaching mindsets: “You can’t sell you,” “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should,” and follow your flow.
• Advice to her 18-year-old self: think bigger, then bigger again—there are no limits except the ones you set.

Liz Clayton-Jones, founder of Beehive Performance, advanced strengths coach and former corporate leader. Liz helps science, research and manufacturing teams become truly high-performing by putting people at the heart of every success. She shares her leap from 31 years in corporate to building a business from the heart (not just the head), why she once walked away from a signed contract that wasn’t a values fit, and how an experimentation mindset (“you can’t fail an experiment—you only get unexpected outcomes”) unlocks progress in life and work. We dig into inclusive teams (including neurodiversity), strengths-based leadership, and practical ways to support women through menopause at work—from honest manager conversations to flexible, “reasonable” adjustments that keep great people in the room.

In this episode:

• Building people so people build the business (strengths, engagement, team performance)
• Leaving corporate: breathing space, ditching the “shoulds,” and designing work your way
• Saying no to misfit clients and magnetising the right ones through authenticity and referrals
• Menopause and work: you’re not broken; strengths + small adjustments beat stigma
• The one-month experiment: try, note results, keep what works—applies to health, leadership, and culture