In partnership with Shopify, AllBright co-founder, Anna Jones, explains why having a powerful network of women was instrumental in her journey to becoming a female founder, and offers her words of advice for those looking to build their sisterhood.

I’ve always loved this quote: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” It really sums up the power of building your network to supercharge your career, and it’s a motto that I’ve lived my life by. 

I started building my network and developing my sisterhood really early on in my career. In fact, some of my colleagues from my first ever jobs are still in my network today! I spend a lot of time helping them with their own careers, and they, in turn, help me. They’ve provided crucial advice when I’ve been at crossroads in my work. Equally, I’ve hired women from my network and invested financially in their startups, so I know first-hand the power of having a strong and supportive sisterhood around you.

I’ve also spent the majority of my career working for female-focused businesses, so I’ve been lucky enough to develop an inherent understanding of the issues faced by women in their careers – especially when it comes to taking the leap of launching their own business.

Taking the reins and founding your own company can be daunting, and this fear is something that can often hold us back. We’ve seen evidence of this in the results of our recent survey in partnership with Shopify, which found that a massive 79% of the AllBright community would like to start their own business – yet despite this ambition, 56% of those surveyed said that the fear of failure and putting themselves out there prevented them from getting started. My advice to women who feel that way? You need to find your tribe, and build up a strong network of powerhouse women that can support, encourage and motivate you in your venture.

“We all know that you cannot be what you cannot see”: Anna Jones’ path to becoming a female founder

As a female founder myself, I’ve seen first-hand the power of having a strong network of women in your corner. In fact, this is what the whole ethos of AllBright is built on! We are the careers network for women, and we’re proud to connect and inspire a global sisterhood of ambitious females, through both our physical club in Mayfair and our innovative digital platform and app. 

The idea of creating a community such as AllBright was born six years ago, when I met fellow businesswoman, Debbie Wosskow OBE, at a party. A friend introduced us to one another and said, “I don’t know many senior female leaders, so maybe you two will have a lot in common”. This one networking opportunity went on to change the course of my entire life.

At the time, I was working as the first female CEO of Hearst UK, overseeing 24 global brands including Harper’sBazaar, Cosmopolitan and ELLE. Debbie had been working as an entrepreneur since the age of 25 and was the founder of successful home exchange website, Love Home Swap (which was later sold to Wyndham for $53m). 

As we sat and chatted, Debbie and I realised that we shared a common passion for empowering women. We were both working in senior leadership roles, yet despite knowing numerous talented, ambitious and successful women, the statistics showed that only one in six leadership roles were held by females. 

We knew these numbers weren’t good enough, so we asked ourselves: how can we support ambitious women to thrive in their careers? We all know that you cannot be what you cannot see, so developing better networks for women and giving more visibility to female role models is key. This is especially true for empowering women to launch their own companies and businesses. So we recognised the need for something new, and AllBright was born in 2018, when we opened our first membership club in London.  

Our mission is to change the narrative for women at work, by providing support, a sense of community and an inclusive environment that all women need to thrive. We believe that networking opportunities are vital for success, so we work hard to actively encourage as much collaboration between our members as possible. It’s this collaboration, connection and community that I believe is vital for any woman looking to launch an online business. 

“Expanding your network means expanding your horizons”: The importance of having a strong sisterhood when launching a business

The power of having a strong network around you has never been more important for women – after all, a decade of women’s progression has now been erased by the pandemic, according to estimates. Only 1 in 3 entrepreneurs in the UK are female, and as our recent survey with Shopify has shown, this number isn’t due to a lack of passion or ambition. Our results showed that 52% of women feel they don’t have adequate tools and resources to support them in getting started with launching their online business, while 40% said that not knowing where to start with their venture was the main reason for not getting started. 

Having launched AllBright arm-in-arm with Debbie, I know first-hand how much knowledge women have to share with each other, and how many practical skills we can learn from each other. Networking with women who are adept at the skills you want to learn can really help you to develop and progress on your path to becoming a female founder. Do you need help with pinpointing and defining the USP of your future business? Do you want to learn more about drawing up a business plan and visualising your specific path to launching online? Your most valuable resource will, undoubtedly, be the women who have gone before you and can offer their hard-earned words of wisdom and advice. 

It’s important to remember that expanding your network means expanding your horizons. Networking isn’t just about finding a new job – I lean on the incredible women in my network all the time. They provide me with inspiration, advice, practical tips and words of encouragement when I’m unsure about something, from small issues to bigger worries. Even women working in different industries to my own are invaluable parts of my network – in fact, they can often offer a unique perspective that I might not get from those working in similar circles to myself. I think it’s really important to network outside of your own ‘swim lane’ and learn from people that are different from you.

One of the most important things I’ve learned about networking over my career is that it’s not the size of your network that matters, but the quality of the relationships you have within your network. It’s crucial to have a few really deep connections within your network, and these will give you more support than thousands of followers on social media.

I want you to know that it is never too late to develop and grow your sisterhood. If you’re looking to start building your connections, I’ve shared my advice below.

How to build, grow and maintain your network: Anna Jones shares her top advice for growing your sisterhood when launching a business

I know many of us dread networking, but we don’t need to! You can definitely learn how to network effectively, and it can lead to huge opportunities, especially if you’re an aspiring female founder looking to launch online for the first time. So how can you build your sisterhood to help supercharge your career? Read on for my (tried and tested!) words of wisdom and advice.

First things first: I want you to know that the idea that some people are ‘good’ at networking and some are ‘bad’ is just a myth. Networking is about building good relationships, and we can all do that.

You don’t need to network face-to-face. I’ve met so many incredible and inspiring women over Zoom, through social media and via phone calls, and the pandemic has shown us all that we can still build those crucial relationships in the digital sphere. So don’t panic if you have fewer opportunities to circulate with people IRL – the online world is full to the brim with brilliant future contacts just waiting to meet you! If you’re looking to connect with female founders that you admire, to ask them for advice about launching a business or to simply chat through their story, I’d recommend sending them a connection request on LinkedIn or reaching out on social media. You’ve got nothing to lose!

The first step in building your sisterhood is to start with the people you know. This can be your friends, colleagues, neighbours, and so on. What can these people bring to the table, and how can you support them in turn? Perhaps this is in the role of a critic, to provide important feedback, or perhaps this is in the role of a cheerleader, to offer motivation and moral support. These roles are crucial for defining your journey to becoming a female founder. Next, consider who else you would like to include in your network. Do you want to form connections with someone who is 10 years ahead of you in their career, or someone more junior? Are you looking to speak to fellow female founders, or women working for others, to learn from their experience? Take some time to think about this to really ensure that you have a diverse network around you, which will provide you with a rich tapestry of insight and experience. Also consider what you can offer to other people. This is crucial in making those lasting connections – after all, networking is a two-way street!

Remember that introducing yourself to people is not a one-size-fits-all approach. You need to tailor the way you present yourself, your talents and your experience depending on who you’re introducing yourself to. Ask yourself, what do you want from this future connection? For example, this could be a advice, mentorship or just inspiration. Once you have decided on this, you can develop a tailored ‘elevator pitch’ about yourself, to include all the things that are unique about you. How can you tell your own story, in your own words? Practise this to make sure you feel comfortable talking about yourself, and be clear on what you want and equally, what you can offer to others. The power of sisterhood is all about supporting each other, so be sure to help your network as well as allowing it to help you.

Finally, remember that your network is never ‘finished’. My main piece of advice for maintaining your network is to check in people regularly. Say hi and ask people how they are doing and what they are working on. Relationships are a living, breathing thing and you have to put the time in to strengthen those connections and make them last.

Now it’s time to stop hiding and get out there. No woman is an island! Don’t be scared – networking is what’s going to make the biggest difference and have the most important impact on your future business going forward.

Whatever your burning business idea is, there is no time quite like now to start.

If you need some accountability, why not tell a friend, colleague, family member or mentor your plan? Chances are they will offer an inspiring perspective or helpful insight. At AllBright, we know firsthand how important our networks are to successful entrepreneurship.

So, what are you going to start? Do it now, do it with support, and do it with the incredible education, resources and tools we’ve pulled together for you in partnership with Shopify. We can't wait to see what you create.