TEST HOME

Empowering
female founders
to fly

Julia Elliott Brown
CEO & Founder of Enter The Arena
Equity fundraising and business growth expert

"As a serial entrepreneur who's been in the start-up industry for over 20 years, and successfully raised investment for my own business several times, I know what it takes to navigate the challenging process of building, funding and scaling a high-growth potential business. And I've helped hundreds of female founders take that very same journey."

>1,500

Female founders supported

72%

Fundraising client success rate

96%

Founder recommendation rate

>£20m

Raised by clients

 

Further resources

Many female founders feel that the start-up and investment arena is intimidating at first, so Julia shares her industry insights to demystify some of the more complicated elements. Gain the inside track as she lifts the lid on the industry secrets founders commonly wished they’d known when starting out.

Discover your Investability Score™

Benchmark your current potential to raise investment and identify how to increase your chances of securing funding.

Take the test

Complete your Strategic Business Review

Understand which areas of your business might need extra focus to ensure you maximise the value of your company.

Take the test

Fundraising Pathway email series

Sign up, and over the next 6-weeks, you’ll receive:


  • A step-by-step guide to fundraising
  • Insight into what investors are looking for
  • Inspirational stories and insider tips and hints
  • Resources to help you step into your journey


What its like to work with me


Here are a few things to consider about what it's like to work with me, as your coach and advisor, before you take the plunge.

 

  • I will push you way out of your comfort zone. Before that prompts an anxiety attack, please know that I will walk every step of the way with you. 


  • I’ll give you more ideas than you can imagine and then help you work through what you really want, to get you there faster and save you time. I will be on your side, champion your cause and connect the dots for you. I’ll guide you in harnessing your inner power to achieve amazing things. 



  • There will be times I will hammer you to just get it done, rather than getting stuck in perfection paralysis. And in doing the hard work, you'll find yourself with a seat at the table that allows you to fly beyond the success of your dreams.


Oh, and we’ll have fun. Because if it’s not fun, why do it?!


What my clients say

 

Advisory and coaching support options

Julia's goal is to meet you where you are hands-on, helping you work through your challenges with a disciplined approach to maximise your success. Support is tailored for you, and is a blend of advisory, coaching and mentoring with options for online support, group coaching and one-to-one sessions.

List of Services

Fundraising tips and advice @enter.the.arena on Instagram

During her fundraise, @nicnacpiercy , the Founder of @stripeandstare , experienced a devastating personal loss—her husband’s unexpected passing. Despite the immense grief, Nicola persevered, meeting investors and navigating the complexities of running a business. Her journey shows the strength, dedication, and resilience required to overcome adversity in both personal and professional realms. Tune in to the latest episode of Fundraising Stories with Female Founders as Julia Elliott Brown, Founder & CEO of Enter the Arena sits down with Nicola Piercy, the co-Founder of Stripe and Stare, the world’s most comfortable knickers sustainably sourced from trees to talk through her journey. Stripe and Stare went on to gain their first major venture capital round of £1.8m from the Business Growth Fund as well as a further shareholder and customer “crowdfund”. Nicola and her co-founder @katielopes24 have now raised a total of £3.6million in investment. In this episode you’ll discover the unique journey of Stripe and Stare, the brand’s commitment to sustainability, and the remarkable story of Nicola Piercy’s triumph over personal tragedy while building a globally recognised and eco-conscious business. * How to navigate VC term sheets * Why you need to do due diligence on investors * How to not take investor rejection personally #femalefounder #underwear #sustainability #crowdfunding #angelinvestment #fundraising #podcast
How do you raise #investment for a business that isn't, on the surface of it, in a remotely 'sexy' or 'hot' sector? For example... a dry cleaning business. Not something you'd think investors would take a second glance at! But Vicky Whiter rose to that challenge, and recently raised £450k for her business @PetersCleaners, proving that it is very possible. Vicky acquired and transformed a struggling heritage dry cleaning business after she saw potential where others saw challenges. The business had a stellar reputation but suffered from poor marketing and a lack of awareness. She initially self-funded and had friends and family invest while she replaced physical locations with lockers. She wanted to solve the challenge she had faced in her busy corporate career: the dry cleaner never being open at the right time or place. Vicky brought on Clare Gill, to take charge of all aspects of marketing, and help take the businesses to the next level. One of her objectives was to “make dry cleaning sexy” and inject life into the brand ahead of their crowdfund which she did with attention-grabbing tag lines such as, “drop your trousers”. In our latest Fundraising Stories with Female Founders podcast episode, our founder and CEO Julia Elliott Brown spoke with Vicky and Clare to learn more about their journey, where they explore topics including the power of strategic planning and storytelling to secure the right investment partners and control the destiny of your business. Tune in to unravel the journey of making dry cleaning sexy and investable! In this episode, you'll discover: ✅ Why you should consider your exit strategy at the start ✅ The art of warming up investors before a crowdfunding campaign ✅ The importance of investing in marketing #femalefounders #equityfundraising #podcast Link to the podcast in the bio. https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/vicky-whiter-claire-gill-peters-cleaners
Figuring out your business valuation isn't easy! Here are 5 key factors to take into consideration... #femalefounder #fundraising #raise #investment #valuation
Messy cap tables can cause you problems with investors. Here are 5 gotcha’s to look out for. The overriding message here is, be careful what you do with your shares! Need any help with this stuff, please reach out. #femalefounders #investment #captable
As a high growth potential business, something that can really make or break your business is taking your Board of Advisors more seriously, whether you’re about to raise investment, or whether you’ve already raised and are on the journey to scale. Having the right board structure, members and governance can be critical.   Our founder and CEO @julia_elliott_brown has spent 16 years at board level, both in an executive and non-executive capacity, and here are 3 things she knows about WHY you should put a proper Board in place, and think strategically about it…   #startup #scaleup #investment #board #advisoryboard #boardofdirectors #femalefounders
Founder salaries. What do investors expect and how much should you pay yourself? #femalefounders #investment #salary
How hard is it to find #investors ready to fund a #menopause business? Rebekah Brown , the Founder and CEO of innovative menopause supplement brand MPowder , reveals all about her experiences as she talks through her #fundraising journey with our founder and CEO, Julia Elliott Brown in the latest episode of our podcast Fundraising Stories with Female Founders. http://enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/rebekah-brown-mpowder In this episode, you’ll discover: ✅ How #accelerators can help you begin conversations with investors ✅ How do deal with feeling confused about the world of #VC and #angel investment when you’re brand new to it. ✅ Why storytelling during pitches is the key to getting investment #femalefounders
There are 5 things investors need to know before they will invest in your company. This is not about whether or not they think there's technically an opportunity in your field. Because that's just the beginning. Once you've convinced an investor that there is an opportunity, and that your business provides a great vehicle for them to get a return on their investment, there are some crucial things any investor has to believe about you and your business before they've ever going to stump up any cash. 1) They need to know that your judgement is sound. 2) They need to know that you are the right person to run this business. 3) They need to know that you operate with absolute integrity. 4) They need to know that they can work with you. 5) They need to know that you have the capacity to build and lead your team. This is why investors ask so many questions before they invest. They aren't just testing your theory about product: market fit, or future trajectory of the company. They're testing your judgement skills, your communication skills, your ability to receive feedback and be coachable. They're looking for weaknesses. That's their job. Many founders don't realise this, and think they simply have to have a good financial plan in place, and communicate that effectively. Don't forget this part of the equation. An investor has to believe in YOU as much as they believe in your idea. #femalefounders #investment
Raising investment? Thinking about working with an ‘introducer’? Proceed with caution. Here’s why… #investment #introducers #brokers #fundraising #femalefounders
#Crowdfunding! One of the most popular ways to raise #investment, and especially favoured and favourable for #femalefounders. But what are the key things you need to know about this route to #funding your high-growth #startup? Check out our guide for the top 10 things to be aware of... Check out the two biggest crowdfunding platforms in the UK, @seedrs and @crowdcube to learn more!
💰 Are you raising enough money? 💰 This was just one of the many topics covered in the latest episode of Fundraising Stories with Female Founders podcast, where our CEO and Founder Julia Elliott Brown interviewed Polly McMaster, the founder and CEO of successful modern luxury workwear brand The Fold London https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/polly-mcmaster-the-fold. Hers is a turbulent but ultimately inspiring story that's well worth a listen. Polly has raised a total of £11m in several rounds over the years, and is an extremely impressive entrepreneur, navigating many challenges along the way including her business falling off a cliff during the pandemic. Underfunding was an issue Polly experienced in the early days, saying "I think the age old thing that people say of you're going to need much more money than you think was obviously true". In this episode, you’ll also discover: ✅ Why a simple approach to raising investment is key ✅ How to deal with the immense stress of fundraising ✅ Understanding when you just need to get the deal over the line #femalefounders #enterthearena #raise #investment #fundraising
It can feel challenging to raise #investment in the current market. Here are 3 things you can do: #fundraise #femalefounder
A start-up with has an outstanding board in place will be significantly more attractive to potential investors, lowering the cost of your capital. I’ve spent 16 years at board level, both in an executive and non-executive capacity, and here are 5 things I know about WHY investors love it when you have a strong board… #startup #scaleup #investment #board #femalefounders
💰 Putting a price on your business is one of the most challenging issues to figure out when you’re a start-up, because there is no simple way of calculating it at the early stage. It’s an art and a science, and that makes most of us nervous about getting it wrong. At the end of the day you’re going to need to make the call on what your business is valued at, but you need to do this with due thought and process, rather than just sticking your finger in the air. Things to think about: ❓ What’s your future value potential and likely return on investment? ❓ What’s the benchmark against other relevant start-ups? ❓ How much do you need to raise? ❓How much equity are you prepared to sell at this stage? ❓ What will the current market tolerate? Not easy to get right! But once you've done the work, got the right advice, and settled on a number - OWN it. Stand by it. Defend it. #investment #valuation #startup #femalefounder
Meet Lucy Hall, the co-founder of @loanhood, a gender inclusive fashion rental marketplace for the next generation. Lucy founded LOANHOOD in late 2019 and started her investment journey with a rewards-based Crowdfunder and grant funding from NatWest. After a failed crowdfund, Lucy didn’t give up, sought advice and support, and went on to successfully raise an equity fundraise from private investors, finding her lead investor on LinkedIn. Our founder and CEO @julia_elliott_brown supported Lucy on her journey with an Accelerator Session to help her work through some of these key challenges. Here’s what she had to say… “It was really amazing speaking with you yesterday. You have so much valuable experience and gave us plenty to think about and action. Thanks so much for your time and advice”. Great to see how Lucy navigated the choppy waters and achieved her fundraising goal! Learn more about Lucy’s journey: https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/lucy-hall-loanhood Discover our Coaching and Advisory services: https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/female-founder-programmes #femalefounders #fundraising #investment
The answer should be - as much as you can afford to. 💰💰💰 Why is this? 1) You keep more of your business - The longer you can go with your own personal funding, the more progress you can make without having to sell equity to raise investment – you can then get a higher valuation and keep more equity if you decide to raise externally. 2) Investors respect it - Investors love it when you have 'skin in the game'. It means you share the risk with them. 3) It drives you to achieve more - If you have your own money on the line, it drives you to achieve more, and be extremely mindful of costs along the way 4) You'll drive greater value - When you make your business a great success, the financial rewards to you will therefore be greater. 5) It shows confidence - If you don’t back yourself, then frankly, how can you expect anyone else to?! Assuming you've backed yourself as far as you can go, you may well then find you need external funding to help rocket fuel the further growth of your company. If you want support and advice on your fundraising campaign, send us a message. #femalefounder #investment #fundraising
Fundraising is hard. It takes resilience. Almost inevitably, there will be times when you get run down and burnt out. Protect yourself from burnout by setting yourself manageable, realistic goals. #femalefounder #fundraising #investment #burnout
Does your Team have what it takes to make your start-up attractive to investors? There are 7 key areas to consider. What else would you add to this list? #femalefounder #fundraising #investment #team
#Femalefounders get scrutinised on traction far more than men. Investors spend 65 % more time looking at the Traction section of a female founder’s pitch deck than on a male founder’s pitch deck. But how much traction is enough to interest investors? This question is the holy grail of the start-up world. #femalefounder #investment #traction
Investmentus Comparisonitus. It's a terrible condition. 🤣 You may be suffering from this if you are constantly comparing yourself to other founders raising money. And, OK, we made this term up! But the point is, there is little value in looking at how much others have raised, at what valuation and at what stage, and thinking 'how the hell did they achieve that'. Every business is different, every investment narrative has it's own appeal, every founder carries a different level of attraction. The key is, finding the investment strategy, raise amount and valuation that is right for YOU. #femalefounder #investment #valuation #fundraising
When you’re in the early stages in building your start up, your founder story is super important to help sell your vision to investors. Watch the video to discover why! #femalefounders #startup #investment #narrative
Finding fundraising challenging? Visualise what your success will look like. This is a powerful technique that boosts your confidence and fills you with positivity. Do it every day. #femalefounder #raise #investment #fundraising #mindset #enterthearena
🎉 Congratulations to @pip_jamieson_ from @the_dots_uk! Pip has recently secured follow on investment from leading angel network Angel Academe that invests in female founders. The Dots is an online network for creatives, that allows them to network and connect to great jobs and projects. Want to learn more about Pip’s journey to build her business and raise investment? We interviewed Pip on our Fundraising Stories with Female Founders podcast back in 2020, check it out here: https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/pip-jamieson-the-dots And more on Pip’s latest raise here: https://blog.angelacademe.com/our-latest-follow-on-investment-the-dots-c5305ff7ba50 #femalefounder #fundraising #success #angelinvestment #podcast
The very awesome @emsayle333 from SexTech brand @killingkittens_ on why she felt crowdfunding was the right way to go for her business. She secured her first investment round of £600,000 back in 2018, much of which came from within the Killing Kittens (KK) community of more than 100,000 members at that time. And she’s gone on to crowdfund again since, growing the business exponentially. Killing Kittens is changing the male-dominated adult industry, making space for women to safely explore their sexuality, and Emma is now at the helm of a global movement for female sexual empowerment. Go Emma – #crowdfunding You can listen to Emma's episode on Fundraising Stories with Female Founders here - it's an oldie but a goodie!: https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/emma-sayle-killing-kittenscrowdfunding - link to the podcast in the bio. #femalefounder #raise #investment #crowdfunding
💰 An injection of money into your business is something you may or may not need. If you can grow your company without taking on external investment, then fantastic! But many high growth businesses do need to fuel their business with additional cash. So, to figure out if you might need investment, ask yourself these 4 questions... #femalefounders #raise #investment #womeninbusiness
Is it really possible to raise investment in just a couple of months❓🗓️ #femalefounder #fundraising #timescales
Today, we want to celebrate a great women in the entrepreneurial industry, Jill Pay, chair of The Gender Index - a ground-breaking initiative to regularly publish gender disaggregated data across the UK SME sector. Currently 19.01% of active UK companies are female-led. The aim of the Gender Index is to significantly increase that number using gender disaggregated data to inspire positive change for women in enterprise. You can explore the data here - https://www.thegenderindex.co.uk/ - let us know what you think! Jill wears many hats and is an inspiration to women across the UK. She was the first female to be appointed Sergeant at Arms in the House of Commons in nearly 600 years. She is the founder member and Ambassador of Savvitas, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Coram Beanstalk children's literacy charity, a Trustee of the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation and Non-Executive Director of mnAi Tech just to name a few of her roles. Jill really makes a difference in everything she does. Thank you! #inspirationalwomen #genderdiversitychampion
Sounds crazy doesn't it, to set yourself a quitting target? But we promise you, the chances of you succeeding before you get to that point are pretty high! And this way, you give yourself a very clear target on when giving up is the right thing to do. Giving up before then, means you haven't really given it your best shot. Having said that, if you keep doing the same thing in every investor meeting, then you're not learning from the experience. Every meeting should help you develop your skills to an even higher level. And... help you understand who yuor perfect investor really is. Want to give yourself the best chance of raising investment WITHOUT having to have 100 investor meetings? We can help you with your strategy, skills development and the very best support throughout your fundraise. You don't have to go this alone. #femalefounder #investormeetings #fundraisingcoach #support
⏰ It’s very common for female founders to feel they don’t have time to fundraise, what with everything they have on their plate. But is it really true that you don’t have time? Our founder and CEO Julia Elliott Brown has a few thoughts on this! Worth a watch... #fundraising #prioritisation #timemanagement #femalefounders #raise #investment #enterthearena
The investor said NO 😱. Now what? #femalefounder #fundraising #dealingwithrejection #investorconversations
Should you go for VC funding? Most businesses aren’t a good fit for Venture Capital or VC. Here’s why 👇🏻 #venturecapital #investment #femalefounders
Talk gets you nowhere. Without commitment to the process, you'll never get out of the starting blocks. Without execution, you'll never make progress on your fundraising dreams. Without taking action every day, you'll never see the investment you're looking for. Like this post if you agree! 👍 #femalefounder #raise #investment #enterthearena #commit
Many women lack the confidence to go out and raise investment. Here is one big fat tip on what you can do this summer to raise your confidence, and get ready to kick start your fundraise #femalefounder #fundraising #confidence #raise #investment #enterthearena
Investors ask female founders prevention questions 2/3 of the time, compared to with male founders where they ask promotion questions 2/3 of the time. So what are prevention questions, how do you spot them, and how should you deal with them? #femalefounders #genderbias #investorquestions #fundraising #investment
Fundraising for toilets! 🚽 Congratulations to Virginia Gardiner from @loowatt for completing her most recent fundraise of £935,000 on @seedrs Loowatt is a waterless toilet addressing the fact that 40% of the world doesn’t have a toilet, and the rest of us are using solutions that aren’t sustainable. Their technology could transforming economies and help change lives. Our Founder and CEO @julia_elliott_brown interviewed Virginia on our Fundraising Stories with Female Founders podcast back in 2021 and its been wonderful to see how much her business has developed in the last few years. Follow the link to the podcast in the bio to listen to the episode. #femalefounder #fundraisingstories #crowdfunding #toilettech
Truth bomb here from Sheila Hogan the founder of #DeathTech #SaaS #startup @biscuittinco. But she did keep going, she rode the rollercoaster, and raised more than £500k in funding. Sheila's on her next fundraising round, and we're proud to be supporting her in the Fundraising Academy. This time, she's got the support of our amazing community of Fundraising Wonderwomen, and we're with her all the way. And check out her story in the latest episode of our Fundraising Stories with Female Founders podcast. http://enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/sheila-hogan-biscuit-tin #femalefounder #fundraisingstories #podcast #raise #investment #enterthearena
How do you stop an investor directing all those questions to the guy sitting next to you?! 😤It’s not good enough is it? So here are 3 ways to get around it… #femalefounder #genderbias #investorquestions #raise #investment #fundraisingcoach #enterthearena #malecofounder
How do you show investors that you’re proving product-to-market fit and achieving momentum? Tracking your key metrics is critical… #investment #kpis #femalefounders #raise #metrics #enterthearena
When you die, how do your family deal with all the admin? That's the problem Sheila Hogan the founder of Biscuit Tin set out to solve, when she experienced this issue firsthand. Sheila's #DeathTech #SaaS business has already raised over half a million pounds in funding, and is set to grow exponentially. But it's been quite a rollercoaster ride, with a large US investor pulling out at the last minute, an appearance on Dragon's Den, the UK economy crash and then, an all-consuming crowdfund with Seedrs for £150K. Tune in to hear all about Sheila's exciting journey so far, and learn how you too can keep moving forward on your investment journey through challenging times...http://enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/sheila-hogan-biscuit-tin #femalefounder #fundraisingstories #podcast #raise #investment #enterthearena
1hr. Every day. Before you do anything else. Prioritise, take consistent action, and you will get there. If you don't... then in our experience, it's unlikely that you'll be successful with your raise. #fundraisingcoach #femalefounders #raise #investment
#femalefounders - it’s time to stop acting like Oliver Twist, going to investors with a begging bowl pleading for money. If you go out to raise investment like a rabbit in the headlights, investors will smell your fear from a mile off. If this is how you feel right now, then STOP what you’re doing. It’s time to refocus and get your head in the right place. More brilliant advice from our Founder and leading fundraising coach @julia_elliott_brown ... #mindset #confidence #femalefounder #fundraising #fundraisingcoach #startup #scaleup #enterthearena #femalefounders #raise #investment #fundraising #investors #venturecapital #angelinvestment #crowdfunding
Check out our top tips for how to keep those all important prospective investors engaged... AND how to close their commitment... using email marketing during your fundraising campaign. #femalefounders #fundraising #investment
💃🏼 How to keep your energy up during a fundraise 💃🏼 Got any more tips on how to keep those batteries charged?! Let us know! #femalefounder #fundraising #fundraisingcoach #startup #scaleup #enterthearena #femalefounders #raise #investment #fundraising #investors #venturecapital #angelinvestment #crowdfunding #energy
Do you feel afraid of raising investment? 😱 It might surprise you to know that investors also have a lot of fear around what they are doing. So, it’s a bit of a leveller right? The last thing you need to be afraid of is investors - they’re just people at the end of the day! #femalefounder #fundraising #fundraisingcoach #startup #scaleup #enterthearena #femalefounders #raise #investment #fundraising #investors #venturecapital #angelinvestment #crowdfunding #fear #mindset
Meet @mollyhooperaldridge , founder and CEO of @thejjclub! Molly, who was previously Global CEO of M&C Saatchi PR is launching the most luxurious truly family centric, holistic members club supporting families with the juggle of work & home life – enabling both to flourish. The first flagship site is set for the heart of Balham, with 500 families already signed up. Molly’s been working closely with our founder @julia_elliott_brown on her investment raise, and is one of the amazing members of our Fundraising Academy. She’s already secured over £400k EIS from HNWs and prospective members, and is offering further investors and experienced advisors the opportunity to join the round. www.thejj.club. We caught up with her to find out more… ETA - What inspired you to start your business? Molly - My boys Jake & Joshua inspired me to set up The JJ Club - a holistic, truly family centric members club, solving the problem that many busy working families have in the juggle of work & life balance - enabling both to flourish. ETA - What advice would you give to other female founders around fundraising? Molly - Surround yourself with people who have successfully raised before, use your network and trust your gut. ETA - How has the Fundraising Academy supported you on your journey to raise investment? Molly - Breaking down fundraising into easy to understand steps, connections in to other female founders on their own raising journeys and demystifying a lot of the jargon used in this space. #femalefounder #fundraising #startup #investment #angelinvestors #HNWI #Balham #privatemembersclub #family #enterthearena #raise
✅ How to make your business super attractive to UK investors... If you're a UK based female founder led business looking to raise investment, the SEIS and EIS tax schemes can make a massive difference to whether or not you raise. It's a top priority for angel investors and many early stage venture capital firms with EIS funds. Check out all the details on the HMRC website https://www.gov.uk/guidance/venture-capital-schemes-apply-to-use-the-seed-enterprise-investment-scheme#apply-with-a-compliance-statement #tax #venturecapital #investment #femalefounder #fundraising #raise #angelinvestment #crowdfunding #seis #eis #fundraisingcoach #enterthearena
If you're not regularly meeting with investors, you'll struggle to build out your network of people who might back you. Without a network, you'll struggle to get your investment raise done. Whether you're looking to secure investment now, or in the future, meeting with investors is key! But you don't want to be meeting with any old investor. No, no, no! That can be a real waste of your time and energy. Take a focused approach and make sure you put quality leads into the top of your fundraising sales funnel. Let us know what your experience is of meeting investors.... #femalefounders #raise #investment #fundraising #investors #venturecapital #angelinvestment #crowdfunding #fundraisingcoach #enterthearena #startup #scaleup
Meet @sophiesals and her co-founder Celia who are raising £250k SEIS for their start-up @reia_store - refillable hand and body care for the style conscious consumer. Sophie’s one of the amazing members of our Fundraising Academy. Reia solves the growing customer need for a brand that is both sustainable and stylish with a beautiful, convenient and innovative refill solution. Here's what Sophie has to say about her experience of starting Reia and fundraising: Hi Julia! This is exciting - thank you for including me. ETA: What inspired you to start your business? Sophie: I couldn’t find a plastic free option for my hand and body care that looked beautiful and made me feel great. Everything on the market felt like a compromise of my experience. It felt like such a huge gap, I had to do something about it. ETA: What advice would you give to other female founders around fundraising? Have as many initial conversations as you can and don’t underestimate what they can turn into. Never assume someone isn’t interested in investing, sometimes you just need to bite the bullet and ask. ETA: How has the Fundraising Academy supported you on your journey to raise investment? The biggest change has been to my mindset. The tools the Academy has given me in terms of how to communicate my investment proposition to investors means that I enter those conversations with total confidence. https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-academy #femalefounders #beauty #sustainability #fundraising #equityinvestment #enterthearena #fundraising #fundraisingcoach
💰If you need investment, then the sooner you get on with your raise the better! Do not leave it too late. But there ARE some sweet spots to consider... #femalefounder #fundraising #fundraisingcoach #startup #scaleup #enterthearena #raise #investment #timing #enterthearena #femalefounders #fundraisingcoaching #equityinvestment #investmentready #womensupportingwomen #startups #startupfounder #venturecapital #angelinvestment
🎺 As female founders, we’re often not very good at blowing our own trumpet, or putting our ambitions on the table. 🎺 But if you want to be taken seriously by investors, this is something you’ve GOT to get your head around. You have to be bold, you have to be confident! So here are 3 things you should tell investors about you that will make them sit up and take notice. Great advice as always from our founder, CEO and super brilliant fundraising coach @julia_elliott_brown #femalefounders #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #equityinvestment #workingwithinvestors #investmentready #womensupportingwomen #startups #startupfounder #raise #investment #enterthearena #investors #venturecapital #angelinvestment
@cindygallop from @makelovenotporn has hit the nail on the head here. If you want to attract investors to you, then you have to let them know all about you and what you stand for. And there is no better way to do this that on social media. Incredible words of wisdom from Cindy when she was a guest on our Fundraising Stories podcast, talking about her experience raising investment. Check out the whole podcast episode with Cindy - see the link in the bio. #fundraising #femalefounder #raisinginvestment #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #equityinvestment #securingfinancing #raiseinvestment #fundraisingformybusiness #socialmedia #womensupportingwomen #investors #enterthearena
Ever felt something seemed off about a potential investment deal? If it smells fishy.... it probably IS fishy! So... it’s time to check them out properly, and really listen to your gut. NEVER get into bed with an investor unless you’re absolutely sure. #femalefounders #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #equityinvestment #workingwithinvestors #investmentready #womensupportingwomen #startups #startupfounder #duedilliegnce
🤑 Financial forecasts making your brain hurt?! Here's why it's important to use formulas in your spreadsheet when you're putting together your financial model to raise investment.🤑 #femalefounders #raise #investment #financials #spreadsheets #formulas #femaleentrepreneur #femalefounder #enterthearena #fundraisingcoach #excel #budgets #numbers #formulas #raiseamount #scenarioplanning
Our fabulous client Carol Savage is currently smashing it with her crowdfund on Seedrs for her amazing travel business @notintheguidebooks. Having generated over £3m in revenue in a short space of time, and a strong B2B foothold in the travel agent space, Not In The Guidebooks is set to scale to a £50m+ exit ready business. It's a pleasure to have Carol as a member of the Fundraising Academy and so exciting to see what she has achieved! £400k raised already, and her campaign has only just opened... You can follow her campaign here: https://www.seedrs.com/not-in-the-guidebooks1?invest_in=not-in-the-guidebooks1 #femalefounder #crowdfunding #success #investment #scaleup #travel #sustainability
There's a common misconception in the #startup industry that the brightest and the best founders are 20 somethings... but it's not the case! Age is not a barrier... and here's why... #startup #fundraising #femalefounder #investment #enterthearena #fundraisingcoach #businesscoach #nevertooold
@cindygallop founded @makelovenotporn, the world’s first user-generated, human-curated ‘social sex’ video-sharing platform. Over 1 million people have signed up from 200+ countries, generating around £60K revenue per month despite many business growth challenges involved in marketing a SexTech business. No investors wanted to “touch the business with a barge pole” fourteen years ago, when the company was started by Cindy, due to fear of being associated with SexTech. However, Cindy saw an opportunity in the market. She feels sex is essentially a recession-proof industry and the niche of “socially acceptable” sex, which normalises it and allows people to publicly share sex and advocate for this is needed in society. Cindy managed to get one private angel investor to invest $3 million. Things are slightly better now than 14 years ago thankfully, but there have still been many challenges due to restrictions around marketing and other elements. The longer-term goal for the business is to create “sex education” content in collaboration with experts through the platform. She’s currently raising investment to achieve this ambition. In this episode, you’ll discover: ✅ How to be resilient when raising investment ✅ Why you need to market yourself and your brand constantly to raise successfully ✅ Why the investors who get it, will champion you in every way! You can catch the full episode here. https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/cindy-gallop-makelovenotporn #sextech #angelinvestment #marketing #education #resilience #sexualwellbeing #femalefounders #equityinvestment #startups #womeninstartups #podast #fundraising
On average, it takes at least 30 investor meetings to close a round Don't despair! Every 'no' you get is one step closer to a yes. You will learn something from every investor meeting you take. Keep going. And remember, it's about finding the right FIT. #femalefounders #womenentrepreneurs #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #equityinvestment #investors #investmentready #startups #startupfounder #enterthearena
5 things investors need to know before they will invest in your company… and they aren’t necessarily what you think! #femalefounder #fundraisingcoach #fundraisingcoaching #womeninstartups #startups #investorready #fundraising #equityinvestment #investorconversations
Turns out you can learn quite a lot in 7 years of coaching female founders! #femalefounder #fundraising #femalefounders #raisinginvestment #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #equityinvestment #investorconversations #duediligence #resilience #womensupportingwomen
***Drumroll please!*** You can now join the Fundraising Academy and pay in monthly installments. The doors to the Fundraising Academy are open and our beautiful community of female founders can't wait to meet you. Don't suffer in silence and wonder if you're strong enough to do this. We know you are, and we have all the tools you could possibly need to succeed in this challenging arena that is fundraising. Head over to our link in bio to enrol now. We can't wait to welcome you in. #fundraisingacademy #femalefounders #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #equityinvestment #womeninbusiness #raisinginvestment
@lucyhall18 is absolutely right. Let's not underestimate how much time fundraising takes. Such a valuable #truthbomb from Lucy when she was a guest on our Fundraising Stories podcast, talking about her experience raising investment for her business, @loanhood (a fashion rental community btw - go check it out!). You can check out the whole podcast episode with Lucy at our link in bio. #fundraising #femalefounder #raisinginvestment #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #equityinvestment #securingfinancing #raiseinvestment #fundraisingformybusiness #fundraisingishard #fundraisingtakestime #womensupportingwomen
What’s that one thing that sets apart the female founders who successfully fundraise for their business from those who don’t manage to raise? #fundraising #femalefounders #fundraisingcoach #fundraisingcoaching #uncomfortable #getcomfortablebeinguncomfortable
A great question and some SMALL STEPS to help break down the overwhelm. #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #femalefounders #raisinginvestment #buildingconfidence #buildingresilience #equityinvestment #womensupportingwomen
Meet Alyssa Garnham! She's one of the amazing members of our Fundraising Academy. No prizes for guessing her business from the picture: her company is @peachblossomuk, which delivers party balloons all over the UK! We caught up with her recently and asked her to share her experience of starting Peach Blossom and fundraising. Here's what she had to say: ETA: What inspired you to start your business? Alyssa: When lockdown forced me to close my party shop, we started delivering balloons to customers in the local area. Then we started getting enquiries from people all over the country and I realised there was no option to have balloons delivered nationwide so our balloon delivery service was born. ETA: What advice would you give to other female founders around fundraising? Alyssa: Don’t be afraid to shout about how amazing your business is. I think it’s easy to downplay your idea or successes you’ve had in your business journey but if you don’t showcase what makes your business different then no one else will do it for you. ETA: What have you enjoyed most about being part of the Fundraising Academy? Alyssa: Meeting other business owners with such varied ideas and backgrounds has been really inspiring. Knowing that they’re going through the same things you are is really motivating and keeps me on track. #femalefounders #balloonshop #balloons #fundraising #equityinvestment #partyballoons
Anyone can tell you the technical steps you need to do to prepare for a meeting with investors. Of course you have to do those: it's a given. But to really nail a meeting with investors, you have to go a step (or three) further. Here are our top 3 tips for prepping for an investor pitch that will take your business up a notch in the eyes of investors. #fundraising #pitching #pitchdeck #meetingwithinvestors #equityfundraising #equityfinancing #angelinvestment #vcinvestment #interviewwithinvestors #toptips #3toptips #femalefounders #femalebusinessowner #womeninstartups
If I had a penny for every time someone told me this… It can be super frustrating but the intent is often good. Here’s how to be sure you’re raising enough money for your business. #fundraising #femalefounders #raisinginvestment #raisinginvestorfinance #womeninbusiness #womeninstartups #startupgrind #startupfinancing #businessrunway #startuprunway
It can be so easy to fall into the trap of adjusting your vision for your business to fit what you think investors are looking for, but you should avoid doing that at all costs! Scroll right to learn why it's so important to stick to your vision. #femalefounder #fundraisingcoach #fundraisingcoaching #buildingabusiness #businessmindset #fundraisingmindset #resiliencetraining #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurlife #startups #womeninstartups #womensupportingwomen
This is such a lovely way to describe the process of recording an audiobook. Who wouldn’t want to have a bedtime story read to them these days?! Head over to the link in our bio to get yourself a copy of the audiobook of ‘Raise: the Female Founder’s Guide to Securing Investment’ by our very own @julia_elliott_brown.
It's easy to fall into the trap of not wanting to ask for more investment for your business, but that can be a really fast way to ensure your business fails. Women tend to ask for less investment than their male counterparts. Here's how to avoid doing that. #femalefounders #raisinginvestment #equityinvestment #startups #womeninstartups #fundraisingcoach #fundraisingcoaching #startuptips #investmentready #womensupportingwomen
Who can relate? 😅😭🤩
What's the #1 thing female founders do after raising investment? Sleep. Because they’re exhausted. The process is hard. The last thing you feel like doing is going out and drinking champagne. A lot of the time, all we want to do is curl up and not work for a little while. But you have to just. Keep. Going. There are new products to be launched, you have to show investors that you’re responsibly setting their money to work. You have to start generating more revenue, and showing results pretty darn quickly. The cycle starts all over again. But imagine there was ANOTHER WAY… 'What could it be?' We hear you say. If your fundraising round closed with your dream investors, and you felt energised and excited for the future, rather than beaten down, taken advantage of, and defeated by the process. 'Surely not!' There’s no getting away from the fact that fundraising is hard, but imagine you had a band of other female founders cheering you on through the process. You had expert mentors and coaches guiding you through every step of the fundraising process, right down to closing the deal with well-suited and sophisticated investors, who believe in you and your business. 'This sounds amazing!' This is the reality of the members of the Fundraising Academy. Every single member of our group is becoming an expert at fundraising, and is building their confidence talking to investors and raising investment. If you want to avoid the burnout and exhaustion that normally comes with fundraising, joining the Fundraising Academy might be the best thing you do for your business, but more importantly, for yourself. 'I'd love to be a part of that.' We’re accepting new members all the time, all you have to do to join us is sign up at the link in our bio. We’d love for you to join us! #femalefounders #fundraising #raisinginvestment #ihatefundraising #entrepreneurlife #empathy #fundraisingcoaching
Huge congratulations to all the finalists and winners of the British Book Awards 2023! Julia Elliott Brown's book 'Raise: The female founder's guide to securing investment' beat competition from nearly 300 other business publications to be nominated as a finalist for 2023. It's so important to be a champion up for female founders at a time when less than 1% of VC investments go to female founders. Here's what Julia had to say: 'I am absolutely blown away by being shortlisted for these awards! It means so much to know that my book is valued so highly, and I hope that being recognized in this way enables even more female founders to discover the guide, and I can make a difference to each woman who reads it.' The fact that a book like this even exists in the first place is a win for female founders everywhere. This is how you make meaningful change. To get a copy of Julia's bestselling book 'Raise: the female founder's guide to securing investment', including the newly-released audiobook, head over to Amazon via the link in our profile. #BBA2023 #businessbookawards #author #raisinginvestment #femalefounder #femaleentrepreneur
Fundraising sucks. We hate: 😓The time it takes to fundraise 😓The number of meetings where you have to hear the word ‘no’. 😓The worry that you'll never find an investor that's a good fit 😓 How it takes you away from working on growing your business Yes. These things do suck. But so do: Going to the gym ➡️ and you get super fit Going to the dentist ➡️ but it stops us getting tooth decay Smear tests ➡️ but we know they can save our lives Eating healthy when all you want is cake ➡️ but you know it’s better for you in the long run And the outcomes of these decisions and behaviours are all SUPER positive. 🌟🌟🌟 In a similar vein, we also DON’T hate: 💃The incredible skillset we’re building 💃The resilient mindset we’re cultivating 💃The first-class network of talented and interesting people we’re building 💃The experience we’re gathering balancing a thousand different things at once. 💃The subject-specific knowledge we’re gaining and sharing 💃The sales expertise we’re developing while pitching to investors and selling my product to customers. 💃The innovative and forward-thinking business we’re building Nobody said it would be easy. Everyone knows 💎diamonds💎 are forged under pressure. So even if you hate fundraising at times, look at the bigger picture. Know you aren’t alone and that it’s all going to be worth it. If you need a bit of moral support from time to time, it can help to share and vent. We know what you’re going through because we (the Enter The Arena team) have been there ourselves. It hurts when you're going through it. If ever you need some moral support, drop us a line, or send us a DM. We’ll be on standby with a mini motivating pep-talk to get you through it. #femalefounders #fundraising #raisinginvestment #ihatefundraising #entrepreneurlife #empathy #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingtraining #womeninbusiness #womensupportingwomen #glassceiling #seis #eis #raisingcapital
Hands up if you're scared to post on LinkedIn, but know you really should be doing more... If this is you, you need to meet Jen Corcoran. Jen is a long-time friend and advisor to Enter The Arena, working both directly with @julia_elliott_brown (who's also nailing it on LinkedIn, thanks to her advice, btw) and she's run a masterclass for members of The Arena. Her advice to us so far has been invaluable. It's totally normal to be scared to raise your head above the parapet and put yourself out there for all the world to see, but it's one of the most valuable skills you can have as an entrepreneur, especially when raising investment. And it's become even more important in this post-pandemic world of ours - so much so, that it's a key lesson in our flagship training course, the Fundraising Academy. Well the great news is, you have the chance on Wednesday 24 May (that's next week) to hear Jen in action, as our Founder @JuliaElliottBrown will be hosting a LinkedIn live with Jen Corcorran and they'll be sharing loads information on how best to show up on LinkedIn and to make it really work for you when fundraising, without spending half your life on the platform. Here's what they'll be covering: 1) How to make sure your profile page works for you when raising investment. 2) How to think about what you should be posting on LinkedIn and build your profile for raising investment. 3) How to make connections with the right people on LinkedIn. So head to our link in bio to save your spot for Wednesday 24 May at 10am BST and be sure to join us live then. We're looking forward to seeing you then! #linkedinlive #linkedinexpert #mysuperconnector #linkedin #fundraisingadvice #linkedinprofile #femalefounders
What would you tell your younger self? Yep, this is none other than our Founder and CEO, Julia Elliott Brown. Check out our stories today, where Julia is answering this question: What would you tell your younger self? Head over to hear her answer. How about you? We'd love to know. #femalefounder #adviceforlife #inspiration #enterthearena
What would you tell your younger self? Yep, this is none other than our Founder and CEO, @julia_elliott_brown. Check out our Reel today, where Julia is answering this question: What would you tell your younger self? How about you? We'd love to know. #femalefounder #adviceforlife #inspiration #enterthearena
Heads, vulva, knees and toes... Yes, you read that right. We're talking about fundraising for for intimate body care products on the Fundraising Stories podcast. Hot on the heels of her spectacular fundraising success @katycottam from @luna_daily_official sat down with our founder & CEO @julia_elliott_brown for a chat about all things fundraising for our latest episode of Fundraising Stories podcast. Find out how Katy and her team overcame the - breaking taboos around language for female body parts - rejecting investors who didn't seem a good fit - knowing when you've found the perfect investors for your brand - getting accepted by @sephora You can catch the full episode now, just head to the ***link in bio***. #headsvulvakneesandtoes #femalebodycare #femalefounders #equityinvestment #startups #womeninstartups
The Gender Index was launched last Friday. Our Founder & CEO Julia Elliott Brown was invited to join a handpicked group of individuals and experts in female entrepreneurship for this event. The ambition of The Gender Index is to inspire positive change for women in enterprise. The report listed key findings on progress, challenges, and opportunities facing female entrepreneurs in the UK, as well as new findings on generational-led and ethnic minority-led companies. Big thanks to Jill Pay, Chairman of The Gender Index, for enabling this important conversation. And thanks to NatWest for hosting the event. #thegenderindex #genderequality #femalefounders #femaleentrepreneur #glassceiling #femaleentrepreneurs #femaleentrepreneurship #equityinvestment #womeninstartups #womensupportingwomen #womeninbusiness #womeninbusinessuk #womeninstartups #womencandoanything
Our Founder and CEO, @julia_elliott_brown shared some insights with us this week on what it's like to run Enter The Arena. It got a lot of attention! So we thought you might enjoy hearing what she had to say. There is work out there that is beautiful and fulfilling. Sometimes you have to create your own path. #femalefounder #femaleentrepreneur #loveyourwork #workthatcounts #womensupportingwomen
Are you looking for angel investors for your business? This is our guide on how to identify angel investors who might be suitable for your high-growth startup. We are EnterTheArena and we share expert tips, stories, and provide resources for female founders who are fundraising. Follow us for more like this! See our ***link in bio*** to do the following: - Join our mailing list - Get the book 'RAISE: The female founder's guide to securing investment' - Join us in the Fundraising Academy #fundraising #angelinvestors #raisinginvestment #femalefounders
The success stories just keep coming! We're delighted to share with you that @sophiesecretsaviours, one of our long-time clients, secured some incredible PR last week for her business @secretsaviorsco from none other than @thesun . **See the link in our bio to read the story.** 80% of women who use her stretchmark prevention system have no stretchmarks. Sophie has such a brilliant product that genuinely changes the lives of the women who use it. This is true innovation. This is why funding female founders is important. #femalefounders #fundraising #raisinginvestment #stretchmarks #femaleentrepreneur #womeninbusiness
The Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2023 are open for entries! We would love to see as many women possible applying and putting yourselves forward! The Great British Entrepreneur Awards @entrepreneursgb were founded by Francesca James over a decade ago and are now recognized as one of the UK's leading marks of recognition for entrepreneurs. It's free to enter the awards, and there are 17 categories to choose from. Previous winners include the founders of @tangleteezer, @ladbible, @myenergi and many, many brilliant women. To name just a few: @nottinghillmummy, @claire_ransom, @thejoyfuldrinker, @priyadownes, @jordeebrompton, @connienam, @alexdepledge, @saradaviescc, @pippa.murray, @spectrumhannah @spectrumsophie, @julie_deane, @grenadefounder @Steven recently called these awards “The Grammys of Entrepreneurship” and previous winner Johnny Patterson of @dr.pawpaw described his award win as “a life changing experience!” Head over to the website to apply. Our Founder & CEO @julia_elliott_brown is a judge for these awards, and she tells us every year how much of a privilege it is to recognize exceptional entrepreneurial talent. Regardless of your industry, region or indeed where on your entrepreneurial journey you are, the GBEAs would love to hear from you if you’ve got a great entrepreneurial story to tell! #greatbritishentrepreneurawards #gbea #femalefounders #innovationinbusiness #entrepreneurship
As women, we often don't take enough time to appreciate our own achievements. Sometimes our clients' words speak louder than our own. It's good for us all to take a moment to recognize our own achievements, even when it feels a bit uncomfortable. Thank you Sharon for being a champion for women, and for being such an exemplary member of The Arena. #femalefounder #testimonials #raisinginvestment #recognition #fundraising #femaleentrepreneur
We know lots of you female founders out there are constantly looking for help on perfecting your pitch. So here's something to help you! We've put together three checklists that you can use when putting together your pitch deck for investors. Catch all of these points and you'll have a strong starting position for speaking with investors. If you need more help with perfecting your pitch, we're Enter The Arena and we help female founders fundraise. Here's how we can help you: 1) Join the Fundraising Academy and get all the tools and support you need to successfully close a funding round. 2) Schedule a call with our team. 3) Get a copy of our Founder Julia Elliott Brown's book, 'RAISE: The Female Founder's Guide to Securing Investment'. All links are in our bio. #femalefounders #fundraising #pitchdeck #startupsuccess
On Tuesday of this week, our founder @julia_elliott_brown participated in a panel discussion at #SMEExpo in London. Alongside her on the panel for this finance and investment masterclass were Megan Hale, CEO of @teamrepair and 2022 AXA Startup Angel winner, @daina_spedding, Investor with @bgfinvestments, and Lauren Crowley-Moore, Senior Business Development Manager with London Stock Exchange Group. The panel was artfully led by Irene Graham, the CEO of the Scale-Up Institute. The focus of the panel was on empowering founders to fly through pre-raise and investment and onto the exponential growth of their business. The wide-ranging conversation included topics such as common mistakes that entrepreneurs make when pitching to investors, as well as due diligence and how startups can showcase their commitment to diversity and inclusion. During the course of the event, Julia also ran into @michaelhayman MBE of @sevenhillsviews, who was a trusted advisor she turned to when she was thinking of writing her book ‘Raise: The female founder’s guide to securing investment’. It was great that she was able to give him his signed copy in person. SME Expo is run by the @evening.standard and supported by #chromeos It's the leading event dedicated entirely to ambitious SME founders and decision-makers who are looking to scale. If you didn't make it to the expo this time, but hoping to be there next year, head over to the website to register for your free place. #femalefounders #smeexpo #buildingbusiness #greatbritishbusiness
If you succumb to this one mistake, your fundraising hopes will be dead in the water. Yes, it's fear: everyone's best friend and worst enemy. It tells us what we should be doing, and simultaneously stops us from doing it. But you can overcome it, and we all know what lies on the other side of fear: Your wildest hopes and dreams. Here's how to go do battle with your fear and WIN. #femalefounders #fundraising #startups #venturecapital #womeninbusiness
We love a bit of good news! So we were over the moon (get it?) to hear about @katycottam 's fundraising success for @luna_daily_official. Luna Daily is an intimate care body brand. They make a microbiome balancing body care for all skin, even your most intimate. In fact, they're the first intimate care body brand to be stocked in @harrods . Katy raised £3.6m for Luna Daily - but not only that, she's only gone and got Luna Daily stocked in huge US brand @sephora along the way! Katy is not just shattering, she's bulldozing that glass ceiling. Huge congratulations to you, Katy, and the whole Luna Daily team. Image is reposted courtesy of @luna_daily_official . #femalefounders #fundraising #investment #headvulvakneesandtoes
One of our favourite things is discovering and getting to know other brands who are championing female founders. @buywomenbuilt is doing great things for female founders. @saharhashemiobe and co-founder @barnymac have created a platform to champion and support women-led brands, and to provide an option for buyers who are looking to purchase with intention. If you're the female owner of a D2C brand, listing your business on their platform is a massive opportunity to get your brand out to Buy Women Built's audience. To apply, head over to their website and fill out an application today. #femalefounders #buywomenbuilt #womensupportingwomen #womenownedbrands #championforwomen
What would you tell your younger self? This was our Founder & CEO @julia_elliott_brown's answer. What would YOU tell your younger self? We'd love to know. #femalefounder #adviceforlife #inspiration #enterthearena
When it comes to fundraising, many people assume that the keys to success lie in having the perfect pitch deck, stellar financial projections, or an extensive network of influential contacts. While these are undeniably important factors, there's a secret weapon that every female founder should leverage for the best chances of success. Click through our handy guide and the secret will be revealed. 👩‍💼💡 If you're a female founder and you're fundraising for your business, we offer all the tools you could possibly need (including your secret weapon!) in our Fundraising Academy. See the link in bio for more info! #femalefounders #fundraising #supportsystem #sisterhood #womensupportingwomen
🌟 Calling all Female Founders embarking on your fundraising journey for the first time! 🌟 We've put together a step-by-step guide on how to successfully raise 6 and 7-figure financing and overcome the unique challenges we face as women entrepreneurs. Let's shatter those glass ceilings together! 💪💼 #femaleentrepreneurs #fundraising #businesstips #empowerment #genderequality
Yes, fundraising can feel like an uphill battle, but you don't have to let it defeat you. Here's how to avoid feeling swamped when raising investment.⬇️ ✅ Break fundraising down into smaller chunks. This will help you stay focused and make progress towards your goals. ✅ Seek support. Surrounding yourself with mentors and fellow entrepreneurs who have been through or who are going on the same journey as you can be hugely encouraging. Don't be afraid to ask for help. ✅ Focus on your goals. Remember why you started this business in the first place and dig your heels in when times get tough. ✅ Take breaks when you need them. We all need breaks. When those feelings of overwhelm strike, you really have to pay attention to ensure you are not burning out. What tips do you have for beating the overwhelm? Let us know in the comments. #fundraising #femalefounders #enterthearena #equityfundraising #selfcare
How to negotiate like a pro and get the best deal for your startup 💸 Negotiation is an art and a science. Here are the 5 things female founders need to know to close an investment deal. #fundraising #femalefounders #investment #vc #equityfinance
What's the story behind your brand logo? Our Founder & CEO Julia Elliott Brown has volunteered to go first. Here she is sharing with you what inspired the Enter The Arena logo. Tell us about your brand - consider this a promo opportunity! (We do business coaching, can you tell?) #fundraising #femalefounders #investment #vc #branding #logo
This founder had 294 investors in the pipeline, spoke with 54 firms, and guess how much she raised for her Series A? $9.5m! That's a seriously impressive deal! Meet @vivi.cahyadi. She's the impressive CEO of @altovita. She recently took some time out of her busy schedule to speak with our Founder and CEO @julia_elliott_brown about her fundraising journey for our Fundraising Stories podcast. You can catch the latest episode if you go to the link in our bio and head to 'Fundraising Stories podcast'. #fundraisingstories #podcast #fundraising #femalefounders #femaleentrepreneur #vc
In a world where dreams ignite the sky, Female founders enter the arena, daring to fly, Fundraising with passion, a noble quest, To fuel their dreams and manifest. Their eyes ablaze, they take the stage, Investors listen, as their truths engage, A symphony of dreams they compose, As resilience blends with passion's throes. As capital flows, their dreams take root, The world transformed by their resolute, Shattering ceilings, dispelling gloom, Their ventures flourish, in brilliance they bloom. So raise a toast to these valiant souls, Who reshape the world as progress unfolds, In the arena, their spirits soar, A testament to strength, forevermore. Today's post is brought to you courtesy of @chatgptopenai. #femalefounder #enterthearena #artificialintelligence #ai #fundraisingstories #fundraising
When NOT to raise investment for your business as a female founder:⬇️ ❌When your business isn't growing quickly. ❌When you aren't sure whether you're committed to your idea. ❌When you aren't prepared to share ownership of your business with others (i.e. investors). ❌When you don't want to scale and grow a company towards exit. ❌When you're more interested in the comfort and security, and potentially limited scale, of a lifestyle business. When you SHOULD consider raising investment for your business as a female founder: 🚀When you're acquiring vast numbers of customers and are growing at an impressive month-on-month rate. 🚀When you could scale even faster if you had an extra injection of cash. 🚀When you have competitors how on your heels and you'll fall behind if you don't grow fast. 🚀When you need a volume of scale to get to profitability. 🚀When you're thinking strategically about how to drive your business towards an exit that is exciting for you personally, as well as investors. Follow us for more fundraising tips for female founders. #raisinginvestment #femalefounders #femaleentrepreneur #vc #enterthearena
The fundraising overwhelm is real! Yes, fundraising can feel like an uphill battle, but you don't have to let it defeat you. Here's how to avoid feeling swamped when raising investment.⬇️ ✅ Break fundraising down into smaller chunks. This will help you stay focused and make progress towards your goals. ✅ Seek support. Surrounding yourself with mentors and fellow entrepreneurs who have been through or who are going on the same journey as you can be hugely encouraging. Don't be afraid to ask for help. ✅ Focus on your goals. Remember why you started this business in the first place and dig your heels in when times get tough. ✅ Take breaks when you need them. We all need breaks. When those feelings of overwhelm strike, you really have to pay attention to ensure you are not burning out. What tips do you have for beating the overwhelm? Let us know in the comments. #fundraising #femalefounders #enterthearena #equityfundraising #self-care
FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM
Get inspired  @companyname on Instagram
During her fundraise, @nicnacpiercy , the Founder of @stripeandstare , experienced a devastating personal loss—her husband’s unexpected passing. Despite the immense grief, Nicola persevered, meeting investors and navigating the complexities of running a business. Her journey shows the strength, dedication, and resilience required to overcome adversity in both personal and professional realms. Tune in to the latest episode of Fundraising Stories with Female Founders as Julia Elliott Brown, Founder & CEO of Enter the Arena sits down with Nicola Piercy, the co-Founder of Stripe and Stare, the world’s most comfortable knickers sustainably sourced from trees to talk through her journey. Stripe and Stare went on to gain their first major venture capital round of £1.8m from the Business Growth Fund as well as a further shareholder and customer “crowdfund”. Nicola and her co-founder @katielopes24 have now raised a total of £3.6million in investment. In this episode you’ll discover the unique journey of Stripe and Stare, the brand’s commitment to sustainability, and the remarkable story of Nicola Piercy’s triumph over personal tragedy while building a globally recognised and eco-conscious business. * How to navigate VC term sheets * Why you need to do due diligence on investors * How to not take investor rejection personally #femalefounder #underwear #sustainability #crowdfunding #angelinvestment #fundraising #podcast
How do you raise #investment for a business that isn't, on the surface of it, in a remotely 'sexy' or 'hot' sector? For example... a dry cleaning business. Not something you'd think investors would take a second glance at! But Vicky Whiter rose to that challenge, and recently raised £450k for her business @PetersCleaners, proving that it is very possible. Vicky acquired and transformed a struggling heritage dry cleaning business after she saw potential where others saw challenges. The business had a stellar reputation but suffered from poor marketing and a lack of awareness. She initially self-funded and had friends and family invest while she replaced physical locations with lockers. She wanted to solve the challenge she had faced in her busy corporate career: the dry cleaner never being open at the right time or place. Vicky brought on Clare Gill, to take charge of all aspects of marketing, and help take the businesses to the next level. One of her objectives was to “make dry cleaning sexy” and inject life into the brand ahead of their crowdfund which she did with attention-grabbing tag lines such as, “drop your trousers”. In our latest Fundraising Stories with Female Founders podcast episode, our founder and CEO Julia Elliott Brown spoke with Vicky and Clare to learn more about their journey, where they explore topics including the power of strategic planning and storytelling to secure the right investment partners and control the destiny of your business. Tune in to unravel the journey of making dry cleaning sexy and investable! In this episode, you'll discover: ✅ Why you should consider your exit strategy at the start ✅ The art of warming up investors before a crowdfunding campaign ✅ The importance of investing in marketing #femalefounders #equityfundraising #podcast Link to the podcast in the bio. https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/vicky-whiter-claire-gill-peters-cleaners
Figuring out your business valuation isn't easy! Here are 5 key factors to take into consideration... #femalefounder #fundraising #raise #investment #valuation
Messy cap tables can cause you problems with investors. Here are 5 gotcha’s to look out for. The overriding message here is, be careful what you do with your shares! Need any help with this stuff, please reach out. #femalefounders #investment #captable
As a high growth potential business, something that can really make or break your business is taking your Board of Advisors more seriously, whether you’re about to raise investment, or whether you’ve already raised and are on the journey to scale. Having the right board structure, members and governance can be critical.   Our founder and CEO @julia_elliott_brown has spent 16 years at board level, both in an executive and non-executive capacity, and here are 3 things she knows about WHY you should put a proper Board in place, and think strategically about it…   #startup #scaleup #investment #board #advisoryboard #boardofdirectors #femalefounders
Founder salaries. What do investors expect and how much should you pay yourself? #femalefounders #investment #salary
How hard is it to find #investors ready to fund a #menopause business? Rebekah Brown , the Founder and CEO of innovative menopause supplement brand MPowder , reveals all about her experiences as she talks through her #fundraising journey with our founder and CEO, Julia Elliott Brown in the latest episode of our podcast Fundraising Stories with Female Founders. http://enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/rebekah-brown-mpowder In this episode, you’ll discover: ✅ How #accelerators can help you begin conversations with investors ✅ How do deal with feeling confused about the world of #VC and #angel investment when you’re brand new to it. ✅ Why storytelling during pitches is the key to getting investment #femalefounders
There are 5 things investors need to know before they will invest in your company. This is not about whether or not they think there's technically an opportunity in your field. Because that's just the beginning. Once you've convinced an investor that there is an opportunity, and that your business provides a great vehicle for them to get a return on their investment, there are some crucial things any investor has to believe about you and your business before they've ever going to stump up any cash. 1) They need to know that your judgement is sound. 2) They need to know that you are the right person to run this business. 3) They need to know that you operate with absolute integrity. 4) They need to know that they can work with you. 5) They need to know that you have the capacity to build and lead your team. This is why investors ask so many questions before they invest. They aren't just testing your theory about product: market fit, or future trajectory of the company. They're testing your judgement skills, your communication skills, your ability to receive feedback and be coachable. They're looking for weaknesses. That's their job. Many founders don't realise this, and think they simply have to have a good financial plan in place, and communicate that effectively. Don't forget this part of the equation. An investor has to believe in YOU as much as they believe in your idea. #femalefounders #investment
Raising investment? Thinking about working with an ‘introducer’? Proceed with caution. Here’s why… #investment #introducers #brokers #fundraising #femalefounders
#Crowdfunding! One of the most popular ways to raise #investment, and especially favoured and favourable for #femalefounders. But what are the key things you need to know about this route to #funding your high-growth #startup? Check out our guide for the top 10 things to be aware of... Check out the two biggest crowdfunding platforms in the UK, @seedrs and @crowdcube to learn more!
💰 Are you raising enough money? 💰 This was just one of the many topics covered in the latest episode of Fundraising Stories with Female Founders podcast, where our CEO and Founder Julia Elliott Brown interviewed Polly McMaster, the founder and CEO of successful modern luxury workwear brand The Fold London https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/polly-mcmaster-the-fold. Hers is a turbulent but ultimately inspiring story that's well worth a listen. Polly has raised a total of £11m in several rounds over the years, and is an extremely impressive entrepreneur, navigating many challenges along the way including her business falling off a cliff during the pandemic. Underfunding was an issue Polly experienced in the early days, saying "I think the age old thing that people say of you're going to need much more money than you think was obviously true". In this episode, you’ll also discover: ✅ Why a simple approach to raising investment is key ✅ How to deal with the immense stress of fundraising ✅ Understanding when you just need to get the deal over the line #femalefounders #enterthearena #raise #investment #fundraising
It can feel challenging to raise #investment in the current market. Here are 3 things you can do: #fundraise #femalefounder
A start-up with has an outstanding board in place will be significantly more attractive to potential investors, lowering the cost of your capital. I’ve spent 16 years at board level, both in an executive and non-executive capacity, and here are 5 things I know about WHY investors love it when you have a strong board… #startup #scaleup #investment #board #femalefounders
💰 Putting a price on your business is one of the most challenging issues to figure out when you’re a start-up, because there is no simple way of calculating it at the early stage. It’s an art and a science, and that makes most of us nervous about getting it wrong. At the end of the day you’re going to need to make the call on what your business is valued at, but you need to do this with due thought and process, rather than just sticking your finger in the air. Things to think about: ❓ What’s your future value potential and likely return on investment? ❓ What’s the benchmark against other relevant start-ups? ❓ How much do you need to raise? ❓How much equity are you prepared to sell at this stage? ❓ What will the current market tolerate? Not easy to get right! But once you've done the work, got the right advice, and settled on a number - OWN it. Stand by it. Defend it. #investment #valuation #startup #femalefounder
Meet Lucy Hall, the co-founder of @loanhood, a gender inclusive fashion rental marketplace for the next generation. Lucy founded LOANHOOD in late 2019 and started her investment journey with a rewards-based Crowdfunder and grant funding from NatWest. After a failed crowdfund, Lucy didn’t give up, sought advice and support, and went on to successfully raise an equity fundraise from private investors, finding her lead investor on LinkedIn. Our founder and CEO @julia_elliott_brown supported Lucy on her journey with an Accelerator Session to help her work through some of these key challenges. Here’s what she had to say… “It was really amazing speaking with you yesterday. You have so much valuable experience and gave us plenty to think about and action. Thanks so much for your time and advice”. Great to see how Lucy navigated the choppy waters and achieved her fundraising goal! Learn more about Lucy’s journey: https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/lucy-hall-loanhood Discover our Coaching and Advisory services: https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/female-founder-programmes #femalefounders #fundraising #investment
The answer should be - as much as you can afford to. 💰💰💰 Why is this? 1) You keep more of your business - The longer you can go with your own personal funding, the more progress you can make without having to sell equity to raise investment – you can then get a higher valuation and keep more equity if you decide to raise externally. 2) Investors respect it - Investors love it when you have 'skin in the game'. It means you share the risk with them. 3) It drives you to achieve more - If you have your own money on the line, it drives you to achieve more, and be extremely mindful of costs along the way 4) You'll drive greater value - When you make your business a great success, the financial rewards to you will therefore be greater. 5) It shows confidence - If you don’t back yourself, then frankly, how can you expect anyone else to?! Assuming you've backed yourself as far as you can go, you may well then find you need external funding to help rocket fuel the further growth of your company. If you want support and advice on your fundraising campaign, send us a message. #femalefounder #investment #fundraising
Fundraising is hard. It takes resilience. Almost inevitably, there will be times when you get run down and burnt out. Protect yourself from burnout by setting yourself manageable, realistic goals. #femalefounder #fundraising #investment #burnout
Does your Team have what it takes to make your start-up attractive to investors? There are 7 key areas to consider. What else would you add to this list? #femalefounder #fundraising #investment #team
#Femalefounders get scrutinised on traction far more than men. Investors spend 65 % more time looking at the Traction section of a female founder’s pitch deck than on a male founder’s pitch deck. But how much traction is enough to interest investors? This question is the holy grail of the start-up world. #femalefounder #investment #traction
Investmentus Comparisonitus. It's a terrible condition. 🤣 You may be suffering from this if you are constantly comparing yourself to other founders raising money. And, OK, we made this term up! But the point is, there is little value in looking at how much others have raised, at what valuation and at what stage, and thinking 'how the hell did they achieve that'. Every business is different, every investment narrative has it's own appeal, every founder carries a different level of attraction. The key is, finding the investment strategy, raise amount and valuation that is right for YOU. #femalefounder #investment #valuation #fundraising
When you’re in the early stages in building your start up, your founder story is super important to help sell your vision to investors. Watch the video to discover why! #femalefounders #startup #investment #narrative
Finding fundraising challenging? Visualise what your success will look like. This is a powerful technique that boosts your confidence and fills you with positivity. Do it every day. #femalefounder #raise #investment #fundraising #mindset #enterthearena
🎉 Congratulations to @pip_jamieson_ from @the_dots_uk! Pip has recently secured follow on investment from leading angel network Angel Academe that invests in female founders. The Dots is an online network for creatives, that allows them to network and connect to great jobs and projects. Want to learn more about Pip’s journey to build her business and raise investment? We interviewed Pip on our Fundraising Stories with Female Founders podcast back in 2020, check it out here: https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/pip-jamieson-the-dots And more on Pip’s latest raise here: https://blog.angelacademe.com/our-latest-follow-on-investment-the-dots-c5305ff7ba50 #femalefounder #fundraising #success #angelinvestment #podcast
The very awesome @emsayle333 from SexTech brand @killingkittens_ on why she felt crowdfunding was the right way to go for her business. She secured her first investment round of £600,000 back in 2018, much of which came from within the Killing Kittens (KK) community of more than 100,000 members at that time. And she’s gone on to crowdfund again since, growing the business exponentially. Killing Kittens is changing the male-dominated adult industry, making space for women to safely explore their sexuality, and Emma is now at the helm of a global movement for female sexual empowerment. Go Emma – #crowdfunding You can listen to Emma's episode on Fundraising Stories with Female Founders here - it's an oldie but a goodie!: https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/emma-sayle-killing-kittenscrowdfunding - link to the podcast in the bio. #femalefounder #raise #investment #crowdfunding
💰 An injection of money into your business is something you may or may not need. If you can grow your company without taking on external investment, then fantastic! But many high growth businesses do need to fuel their business with additional cash. So, to figure out if you might need investment, ask yourself these 4 questions... #femalefounders #raise #investment #womeninbusiness
Is it really possible to raise investment in just a couple of months❓🗓️ #femalefounder #fundraising #timescales
Today, we want to celebrate a great women in the entrepreneurial industry, Jill Pay, chair of The Gender Index - a ground-breaking initiative to regularly publish gender disaggregated data across the UK SME sector. Currently 19.01% of active UK companies are female-led. The aim of the Gender Index is to significantly increase that number using gender disaggregated data to inspire positive change for women in enterprise. You can explore the data here - https://www.thegenderindex.co.uk/ - let us know what you think! Jill wears many hats and is an inspiration to women across the UK. She was the first female to be appointed Sergeant at Arms in the House of Commons in nearly 600 years. She is the founder member and Ambassador of Savvitas, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Coram Beanstalk children's literacy charity, a Trustee of the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation and Non-Executive Director of mnAi Tech just to name a few of her roles. Jill really makes a difference in everything she does. Thank you! #inspirationalwomen #genderdiversitychampion
Sounds crazy doesn't it, to set yourself a quitting target? But we promise you, the chances of you succeeding before you get to that point are pretty high! And this way, you give yourself a very clear target on when giving up is the right thing to do. Giving up before then, means you haven't really given it your best shot. Having said that, if you keep doing the same thing in every investor meeting, then you're not learning from the experience. Every meeting should help you develop your skills to an even higher level. And... help you understand who yuor perfect investor really is. Want to give yourself the best chance of raising investment WITHOUT having to have 100 investor meetings? We can help you with your strategy, skills development and the very best support throughout your fundraise. You don't have to go this alone. #femalefounder #investormeetings #fundraisingcoach #support
⏰ It’s very common for female founders to feel they don’t have time to fundraise, what with everything they have on their plate. But is it really true that you don’t have time? Our founder and CEO Julia Elliott Brown has a few thoughts on this! Worth a watch... #fundraising #prioritisation #timemanagement #femalefounders #raise #investment #enterthearena
The investor said NO 😱. Now what? #femalefounder #fundraising #dealingwithrejection #investorconversations
Should you go for VC funding? Most businesses aren’t a good fit for Venture Capital or VC. Here’s why 👇🏻 #venturecapital #investment #femalefounders
Talk gets you nowhere. Without commitment to the process, you'll never get out of the starting blocks. Without execution, you'll never make progress on your fundraising dreams. Without taking action every day, you'll never see the investment you're looking for. Like this post if you agree! 👍 #femalefounder #raise #investment #enterthearena #commit
Many women lack the confidence to go out and raise investment. Here is one big fat tip on what you can do this summer to raise your confidence, and get ready to kick start your fundraise #femalefounder #fundraising #confidence #raise #investment #enterthearena
Investors ask female founders prevention questions 2/3 of the time, compared to with male founders where they ask promotion questions 2/3 of the time. So what are prevention questions, how do you spot them, and how should you deal with them? #femalefounders #genderbias #investorquestions #fundraising #investment
Fundraising for toilets! 🚽 Congratulations to Virginia Gardiner from @loowatt for completing her most recent fundraise of £935,000 on @seedrs Loowatt is a waterless toilet addressing the fact that 40% of the world doesn’t have a toilet, and the rest of us are using solutions that aren’t sustainable. Their technology could transforming economies and help change lives. Our Founder and CEO @julia_elliott_brown interviewed Virginia on our Fundraising Stories with Female Founders podcast back in 2021 and its been wonderful to see how much her business has developed in the last few years. Follow the link to the podcast in the bio to listen to the episode. #femalefounder #fundraisingstories #crowdfunding #toilettech
Truth bomb here from Sheila Hogan the founder of #DeathTech #SaaS #startup @biscuittinco. But she did keep going, she rode the rollercoaster, and raised more than £500k in funding. Sheila's on her next fundraising round, and we're proud to be supporting her in the Fundraising Academy. This time, she's got the support of our amazing community of Fundraising Wonderwomen, and we're with her all the way. And check out her story in the latest episode of our Fundraising Stories with Female Founders podcast. http://enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/sheila-hogan-biscuit-tin #femalefounder #fundraisingstories #podcast #raise #investment #enterthearena
How do you stop an investor directing all those questions to the guy sitting next to you?! 😤It’s not good enough is it? So here are 3 ways to get around it… #femalefounder #genderbias #investorquestions #raise #investment #fundraisingcoach #enterthearena #malecofounder
How do you show investors that you’re proving product-to-market fit and achieving momentum? Tracking your key metrics is critical… #investment #kpis #femalefounders #raise #metrics #enterthearena
When you die, how do your family deal with all the admin? That's the problem Sheila Hogan the founder of Biscuit Tin set out to solve, when she experienced this issue firsthand. Sheila's #DeathTech #SaaS business has already raised over half a million pounds in funding, and is set to grow exponentially. But it's been quite a rollercoaster ride, with a large US investor pulling out at the last minute, an appearance on Dragon's Den, the UK economy crash and then, an all-consuming crowdfund with Seedrs for £150K. Tune in to hear all about Sheila's exciting journey so far, and learn how you too can keep moving forward on your investment journey through challenging times...http://enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/sheila-hogan-biscuit-tin #femalefounder #fundraisingstories #podcast #raise #investment #enterthearena
1hr. Every day. Before you do anything else. Prioritise, take consistent action, and you will get there. If you don't... then in our experience, it's unlikely that you'll be successful with your raise. #fundraisingcoach #femalefounders #raise #investment
#femalefounders - it’s time to stop acting like Oliver Twist, going to investors with a begging bowl pleading for money. If you go out to raise investment like a rabbit in the headlights, investors will smell your fear from a mile off. If this is how you feel right now, then STOP what you’re doing. It’s time to refocus and get your head in the right place. More brilliant advice from our Founder and leading fundraising coach @julia_elliott_brown ... #mindset #confidence #femalefounder #fundraising #fundraisingcoach #startup #scaleup #enterthearena #femalefounders #raise #investment #fundraising #investors #venturecapital #angelinvestment #crowdfunding
Check out our top tips for how to keep those all important prospective investors engaged... AND how to close their commitment... using email marketing during your fundraising campaign. #femalefounders #fundraising #investment
💃🏼 How to keep your energy up during a fundraise 💃🏼 Got any more tips on how to keep those batteries charged?! Let us know! #femalefounder #fundraising #fundraisingcoach #startup #scaleup #enterthearena #femalefounders #raise #investment #fundraising #investors #venturecapital #angelinvestment #crowdfunding #energy
Do you feel afraid of raising investment? 😱 It might surprise you to know that investors also have a lot of fear around what they are doing. So, it’s a bit of a leveller right? The last thing you need to be afraid of is investors - they’re just people at the end of the day! #femalefounder #fundraising #fundraisingcoach #startup #scaleup #enterthearena #femalefounders #raise #investment #fundraising #investors #venturecapital #angelinvestment #crowdfunding #fear #mindset
Meet @mollyhooperaldridge , founder and CEO of @thejjclub! Molly, who was previously Global CEO of M&C Saatchi PR is launching the most luxurious truly family centric, holistic members club supporting families with the juggle of work & home life – enabling both to flourish. The first flagship site is set for the heart of Balham, with 500 families already signed up. Molly’s been working closely with our founder @julia_elliott_brown on her investment raise, and is one of the amazing members of our Fundraising Academy. She’s already secured over £400k EIS from HNWs and prospective members, and is offering further investors and experienced advisors the opportunity to join the round. www.thejj.club. We caught up with her to find out more… ETA - What inspired you to start your business? Molly - My boys Jake & Joshua inspired me to set up The JJ Club - a holistic, truly family centric members club, solving the problem that many busy working families have in the juggle of work & life balance - enabling both to flourish. ETA - What advice would you give to other female founders around fundraising? Molly - Surround yourself with people who have successfully raised before, use your network and trust your gut. ETA - How has the Fundraising Academy supported you on your journey to raise investment? Molly - Breaking down fundraising into easy to understand steps, connections in to other female founders on their own raising journeys and demystifying a lot of the jargon used in this space. #femalefounder #fundraising #startup #investment #angelinvestors #HNWI #Balham #privatemembersclub #family #enterthearena #raise
✅ How to make your business super attractive to UK investors... If you're a UK based female founder led business looking to raise investment, the SEIS and EIS tax schemes can make a massive difference to whether or not you raise. It's a top priority for angel investors and many early stage venture capital firms with EIS funds. Check out all the details on the HMRC website https://www.gov.uk/guidance/venture-capital-schemes-apply-to-use-the-seed-enterprise-investment-scheme#apply-with-a-compliance-statement #tax #venturecapital #investment #femalefounder #fundraising #raise #angelinvestment #crowdfunding #seis #eis #fundraisingcoach #enterthearena
If you're not regularly meeting with investors, you'll struggle to build out your network of people who might back you. Without a network, you'll struggle to get your investment raise done. Whether you're looking to secure investment now, or in the future, meeting with investors is key! But you don't want to be meeting with any old investor. No, no, no! That can be a real waste of your time and energy. Take a focused approach and make sure you put quality leads into the top of your fundraising sales funnel. Let us know what your experience is of meeting investors.... #femalefounders #raise #investment #fundraising #investors #venturecapital #angelinvestment #crowdfunding #fundraisingcoach #enterthearena #startup #scaleup
Meet @sophiesals and her co-founder Celia who are raising £250k SEIS for their start-up @reia_store - refillable hand and body care for the style conscious consumer. Sophie’s one of the amazing members of our Fundraising Academy. Reia solves the growing customer need for a brand that is both sustainable and stylish with a beautiful, convenient and innovative refill solution. Here's what Sophie has to say about her experience of starting Reia and fundraising: Hi Julia! This is exciting - thank you for including me. ETA: What inspired you to start your business? Sophie: I couldn’t find a plastic free option for my hand and body care that looked beautiful and made me feel great. Everything on the market felt like a compromise of my experience. It felt like such a huge gap, I had to do something about it. ETA: What advice would you give to other female founders around fundraising? Have as many initial conversations as you can and don’t underestimate what they can turn into. Never assume someone isn’t interested in investing, sometimes you just need to bite the bullet and ask. ETA: How has the Fundraising Academy supported you on your journey to raise investment? The biggest change has been to my mindset. The tools the Academy has given me in terms of how to communicate my investment proposition to investors means that I enter those conversations with total confidence. https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-academy #femalefounders #beauty #sustainability #fundraising #equityinvestment #enterthearena #fundraising #fundraisingcoach
💰If you need investment, then the sooner you get on with your raise the better! Do not leave it too late. But there ARE some sweet spots to consider... #femalefounder #fundraising #fundraisingcoach #startup #scaleup #enterthearena #raise #investment #timing #enterthearena #femalefounders #fundraisingcoaching #equityinvestment #investmentready #womensupportingwomen #startups #startupfounder #venturecapital #angelinvestment
🎺 As female founders, we’re often not very good at blowing our own trumpet, or putting our ambitions on the table. 🎺 But if you want to be taken seriously by investors, this is something you’ve GOT to get your head around. You have to be bold, you have to be confident! So here are 3 things you should tell investors about you that will make them sit up and take notice. Great advice as always from our founder, CEO and super brilliant fundraising coach @julia_elliott_brown #femalefounders #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #equityinvestment #workingwithinvestors #investmentready #womensupportingwomen #startups #startupfounder #raise #investment #enterthearena #investors #venturecapital #angelinvestment
@cindygallop from @makelovenotporn has hit the nail on the head here. If you want to attract investors to you, then you have to let them know all about you and what you stand for. And there is no better way to do this that on social media. Incredible words of wisdom from Cindy when she was a guest on our Fundraising Stories podcast, talking about her experience raising investment. Check out the whole podcast episode with Cindy - see the link in the bio. #fundraising #femalefounder #raisinginvestment #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #equityinvestment #securingfinancing #raiseinvestment #fundraisingformybusiness #socialmedia #womensupportingwomen #investors #enterthearena
Ever felt something seemed off about a potential investment deal? If it smells fishy.... it probably IS fishy! So... it’s time to check them out properly, and really listen to your gut. NEVER get into bed with an investor unless you’re absolutely sure. #femalefounders #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #equityinvestment #workingwithinvestors #investmentready #womensupportingwomen #startups #startupfounder #duedilliegnce
🤑 Financial forecasts making your brain hurt?! Here's why it's important to use formulas in your spreadsheet when you're putting together your financial model to raise investment.🤑 #femalefounders #raise #investment #financials #spreadsheets #formulas #femaleentrepreneur #femalefounder #enterthearena #fundraisingcoach #excel #budgets #numbers #formulas #raiseamount #scenarioplanning
Our fabulous client Carol Savage is currently smashing it with her crowdfund on Seedrs for her amazing travel business @notintheguidebooks. Having generated over £3m in revenue in a short space of time, and a strong B2B foothold in the travel agent space, Not In The Guidebooks is set to scale to a £50m+ exit ready business. It's a pleasure to have Carol as a member of the Fundraising Academy and so exciting to see what she has achieved! £400k raised already, and her campaign has only just opened... You can follow her campaign here: https://www.seedrs.com/not-in-the-guidebooks1?invest_in=not-in-the-guidebooks1 #femalefounder #crowdfunding #success #investment #scaleup #travel #sustainability
There's a common misconception in the #startup industry that the brightest and the best founders are 20 somethings... but it's not the case! Age is not a barrier... and here's why... #startup #fundraising #femalefounder #investment #enterthearena #fundraisingcoach #businesscoach #nevertooold
@cindygallop founded @makelovenotporn, the world’s first user-generated, human-curated ‘social sex’ video-sharing platform. Over 1 million people have signed up from 200+ countries, generating around £60K revenue per month despite many business growth challenges involved in marketing a SexTech business. No investors wanted to “touch the business with a barge pole” fourteen years ago, when the company was started by Cindy, due to fear of being associated with SexTech. However, Cindy saw an opportunity in the market. She feels sex is essentially a recession-proof industry and the niche of “socially acceptable” sex, which normalises it and allows people to publicly share sex and advocate for this is needed in society. Cindy managed to get one private angel investor to invest $3 million. Things are slightly better now than 14 years ago thankfully, but there have still been many challenges due to restrictions around marketing and other elements. The longer-term goal for the business is to create “sex education” content in collaboration with experts through the platform. She’s currently raising investment to achieve this ambition. In this episode, you’ll discover: ✅ How to be resilient when raising investment ✅ Why you need to market yourself and your brand constantly to raise successfully ✅ Why the investors who get it, will champion you in every way! You can catch the full episode here. https://www.enterthearena.co.uk/fundraising-stories/cindy-gallop-makelovenotporn #sextech #angelinvestment #marketing #education #resilience #sexualwellbeing #femalefounders #equityinvestment #startups #womeninstartups #podast #fundraising
On average, it takes at least 30 investor meetings to close a round Don't despair! Every 'no' you get is one step closer to a yes. You will learn something from every investor meeting you take. Keep going. And remember, it's about finding the right FIT. #femalefounders #womenentrepreneurs #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #equityinvestment #investors #investmentready #startups #startupfounder #enterthearena
5 things investors need to know before they will invest in your company… and they aren’t necessarily what you think! #femalefounder #fundraisingcoach #fundraisingcoaching #womeninstartups #startups #investorready #fundraising #equityinvestment #investorconversations
Turns out you can learn quite a lot in 7 years of coaching female founders! #femalefounder #fundraising #femalefounders #raisinginvestment #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #equityinvestment #investorconversations #duediligence #resilience #womensupportingwomen
***Drumroll please!*** You can now join the Fundraising Academy and pay in monthly installments. The doors to the Fundraising Academy are open and our beautiful community of female founders can't wait to meet you. Don't suffer in silence and wonder if you're strong enough to do this. We know you are, and we have all the tools you could possibly need to succeed in this challenging arena that is fundraising. Head over to our link in bio to enrol now. We can't wait to welcome you in. #fundraisingacademy #femalefounders #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #equityinvestment #womeninbusiness #raisinginvestment
@lucyhall18 is absolutely right. Let's not underestimate how much time fundraising takes. Such a valuable #truthbomb from Lucy when she was a guest on our Fundraising Stories podcast, talking about her experience raising investment for her business, @loanhood (a fashion rental community btw - go check it out!). You can check out the whole podcast episode with Lucy at our link in bio. #fundraising #femalefounder #raisinginvestment #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #equityinvestment #securingfinancing #raiseinvestment #fundraisingformybusiness #fundraisingishard #fundraisingtakestime #womensupportingwomen
What’s that one thing that sets apart the female founders who successfully fundraise for their business from those who don’t manage to raise? #fundraising #femalefounders #fundraisingcoach #fundraisingcoaching #uncomfortable #getcomfortablebeinguncomfortable
A great question and some SMALL STEPS to help break down the overwhelm. #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingcoach #femalefounders #raisinginvestment #buildingconfidence #buildingresilience #equityinvestment #womensupportingwomen
Meet Alyssa Garnham! She's one of the amazing members of our Fundraising Academy. No prizes for guessing her business from the picture: her company is @peachblossomuk, which delivers party balloons all over the UK! We caught up with her recently and asked her to share her experience of starting Peach Blossom and fundraising. Here's what she had to say: ETA: What inspired you to start your business? Alyssa: When lockdown forced me to close my party shop, we started delivering balloons to customers in the local area. Then we started getting enquiries from people all over the country and I realised there was no option to have balloons delivered nationwide so our balloon delivery service was born. ETA: What advice would you give to other female founders around fundraising? Alyssa: Don’t be afraid to shout about how amazing your business is. I think it’s easy to downplay your idea or successes you’ve had in your business journey but if you don’t showcase what makes your business different then no one else will do it for you. ETA: What have you enjoyed most about being part of the Fundraising Academy? Alyssa: Meeting other business owners with such varied ideas and backgrounds has been really inspiring. Knowing that they’re going through the same things you are is really motivating and keeps me on track. #femalefounders #balloonshop #balloons #fundraising #equityinvestment #partyballoons
Anyone can tell you the technical steps you need to do to prepare for a meeting with investors. Of course you have to do those: it's a given. But to really nail a meeting with investors, you have to go a step (or three) further. Here are our top 3 tips for prepping for an investor pitch that will take your business up a notch in the eyes of investors. #fundraising #pitching #pitchdeck #meetingwithinvestors #equityfundraising #equityfinancing #angelinvestment #vcinvestment #interviewwithinvestors #toptips #3toptips #femalefounders #femalebusinessowner #womeninstartups
If I had a penny for every time someone told me this… It can be super frustrating but the intent is often good. Here’s how to be sure you’re raising enough money for your business. #fundraising #femalefounders #raisinginvestment #raisinginvestorfinance #womeninbusiness #womeninstartups #startupgrind #startupfinancing #businessrunway #startuprunway
It can be so easy to fall into the trap of adjusting your vision for your business to fit what you think investors are looking for, but you should avoid doing that at all costs! Scroll right to learn why it's so important to stick to your vision. #femalefounder #fundraisingcoach #fundraisingcoaching #buildingabusiness #businessmindset #fundraisingmindset #resiliencetraining #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurlife #startups #womeninstartups #womensupportingwomen
This is such a lovely way to describe the process of recording an audiobook. Who wouldn’t want to have a bedtime story read to them these days?! Head over to the link in our bio to get yourself a copy of the audiobook of ‘Raise: the Female Founder’s Guide to Securing Investment’ by our very own @julia_elliott_brown.
It's easy to fall into the trap of not wanting to ask for more investment for your business, but that can be a really fast way to ensure your business fails. Women tend to ask for less investment than their male counterparts. Here's how to avoid doing that. #femalefounders #raisinginvestment #equityinvestment #startups #womeninstartups #fundraisingcoach #fundraisingcoaching #startuptips #investmentready #womensupportingwomen
Who can relate? 😅😭🤩
What's the #1 thing female founders do after raising investment? Sleep. Because they’re exhausted. The process is hard. The last thing you feel like doing is going out and drinking champagne. A lot of the time, all we want to do is curl up and not work for a little while. But you have to just. Keep. Going. There are new products to be launched, you have to show investors that you’re responsibly setting their money to work. You have to start generating more revenue, and showing results pretty darn quickly. The cycle starts all over again. But imagine there was ANOTHER WAY… 'What could it be?' We hear you say. If your fundraising round closed with your dream investors, and you felt energised and excited for the future, rather than beaten down, taken advantage of, and defeated by the process. 'Surely not!' There’s no getting away from the fact that fundraising is hard, but imagine you had a band of other female founders cheering you on through the process. You had expert mentors and coaches guiding you through every step of the fundraising process, right down to closing the deal with well-suited and sophisticated investors, who believe in you and your business. 'This sounds amazing!' This is the reality of the members of the Fundraising Academy. Every single member of our group is becoming an expert at fundraising, and is building their confidence talking to investors and raising investment. If you want to avoid the burnout and exhaustion that normally comes with fundraising, joining the Fundraising Academy might be the best thing you do for your business, but more importantly, for yourself. 'I'd love to be a part of that.' We’re accepting new members all the time, all you have to do to join us is sign up at the link in our bio. We’d love for you to join us! #femalefounders #fundraising #raisinginvestment #ihatefundraising #entrepreneurlife #empathy #fundraisingcoaching
Huge congratulations to all the finalists and winners of the British Book Awards 2023! Julia Elliott Brown's book 'Raise: The female founder's guide to securing investment' beat competition from nearly 300 other business publications to be nominated as a finalist for 2023. It's so important to be a champion up for female founders at a time when less than 1% of VC investments go to female founders. Here's what Julia had to say: 'I am absolutely blown away by being shortlisted for these awards! It means so much to know that my book is valued so highly, and I hope that being recognized in this way enables even more female founders to discover the guide, and I can make a difference to each woman who reads it.' The fact that a book like this even exists in the first place is a win for female founders everywhere. This is how you make meaningful change. To get a copy of Julia's bestselling book 'Raise: the female founder's guide to securing investment', including the newly-released audiobook, head over to Amazon via the link in our profile. #BBA2023 #businessbookawards #author #raisinginvestment #femalefounder #femaleentrepreneur
Fundraising sucks. We hate: 😓The time it takes to fundraise 😓The number of meetings where you have to hear the word ‘no’. 😓The worry that you'll never find an investor that's a good fit 😓 How it takes you away from working on growing your business Yes. These things do suck. But so do: Going to the gym ➡️ and you get super fit Going to the dentist ➡️ but it stops us getting tooth decay Smear tests ➡️ but we know they can save our lives Eating healthy when all you want is cake ➡️ but you know it’s better for you in the long run And the outcomes of these decisions and behaviours are all SUPER positive. 🌟🌟🌟 In a similar vein, we also DON’T hate: 💃The incredible skillset we’re building 💃The resilient mindset we’re cultivating 💃The first-class network of talented and interesting people we’re building 💃The experience we’re gathering balancing a thousand different things at once. 💃The subject-specific knowledge we’re gaining and sharing 💃The sales expertise we’re developing while pitching to investors and selling my product to customers. 💃The innovative and forward-thinking business we’re building Nobody said it would be easy. Everyone knows 💎diamonds💎 are forged under pressure. So even if you hate fundraising at times, look at the bigger picture. Know you aren’t alone and that it’s all going to be worth it. If you need a bit of moral support from time to time, it can help to share and vent. We know what you’re going through because we (the Enter The Arena team) have been there ourselves. It hurts when you're going through it. If ever you need some moral support, drop us a line, or send us a DM. We’ll be on standby with a mini motivating pep-talk to get you through it. #femalefounders #fundraising #raisinginvestment #ihatefundraising #entrepreneurlife #empathy #fundraisingcoaching #fundraisingtraining #womeninbusiness #womensupportingwomen #glassceiling #seis #eis #raisingcapital
Hands up if you're scared to post on LinkedIn, but know you really should be doing more... If this is you, you need to meet Jen Corcoran. Jen is a long-time friend and advisor to Enter The Arena, working both directly with @julia_elliott_brown (who's also nailing it on LinkedIn, thanks to her advice, btw) and she's run a masterclass for members of The Arena. Her advice to us so far has been invaluable. It's totally normal to be scared to raise your head above the parapet and put yourself out there for all the world to see, but it's one of the most valuable skills you can have as an entrepreneur, especially when raising investment. And it's become even more important in this post-pandemic world of ours - so much so, that it's a key lesson in our flagship training course, the Fundraising Academy. Well the great news is, you have the chance on Wednesday 24 May (that's next week) to hear Jen in action, as our Founder @JuliaElliottBrown will be hosting a LinkedIn live with Jen Corcorran and they'll be sharing loads information on how best to show up on LinkedIn and to make it really work for you when fundraising, without spending half your life on the platform. Here's what they'll be covering: 1) How to make sure your profile page works for you when raising investment. 2) How to think about what you should be posting on LinkedIn and build your profile for raising investment. 3) How to make connections with the right people on LinkedIn. So head to our link in bio to save your spot for Wednesday 24 May at 10am BST and be sure to join us live then. We're looking forward to seeing you then! #linkedinlive #linkedinexpert #mysuperconnector #linkedin #fundraisingadvice #linkedinprofile #femalefounders
What would you tell your younger self? Yep, this is none other than our Founder and CEO, Julia Elliott Brown. Check out our stories today, where Julia is answering this question: What would you tell your younger self? Head over to hear her answer. How about you? We'd love to know. #femalefounder #adviceforlife #inspiration #enterthearena
What would you tell your younger self? Yep, this is none other than our Founder and CEO, @julia_elliott_brown. Check out our Reel today, where Julia is answering this question: What would you tell your younger self? How about you? We'd love to know. #femalefounder #adviceforlife #inspiration #enterthearena
Heads, vulva, knees and toes... Yes, you read that right. We're talking about fundraising for for intimate body care products on the Fundraising Stories podcast. Hot on the heels of her spectacular fundraising success @katycottam from @luna_daily_official sat down with our founder & CEO @julia_elliott_brown for a chat about all things fundraising for our latest episode of Fundraising Stories podcast. Find out how Katy and her team overcame the - breaking taboos around language for female body parts - rejecting investors who didn't seem a good fit - knowing when you've found the perfect investors for your brand - getting accepted by @sephora You can catch the full episode now, just head to the ***link in bio***. #headsvulvakneesandtoes #femalebodycare #femalefounders #equityinvestment #startups #womeninstartups
The Gender Index was launched last Friday. Our Founder & CEO Julia Elliott Brown was invited to join a handpicked group of individuals and experts in female entrepreneurship for this event. The ambition of The Gender Index is to inspire positive change for women in enterprise. The report listed key findings on progress, challenges, and opportunities facing female entrepreneurs in the UK, as well as new findings on generational-led and ethnic minority-led companies. Big thanks to Jill Pay, Chairman of The Gender Index, for enabling this important conversation. And thanks to NatWest for hosting the event. #thegenderindex #genderequality #femalefounders #femaleentrepreneur #glassceiling #femaleentrepreneurs #femaleentrepreneurship #equityinvestment #womeninstartups #womensupportingwomen #womeninbusiness #womeninbusinessuk #womeninstartups #womencandoanything
Our Founder and CEO, @julia_elliott_brown shared some insights with us this week on what it's like to run Enter The Arena. It got a lot of attention! So we thought you might enjoy hearing what she had to say. There is work out there that is beautiful and fulfilling. Sometimes you have to create your own path. #femalefounder #femaleentrepreneur #loveyourwork #workthatcounts #womensupportingwomen
Are you looking for angel investors for your business? This is our guide on how to identify angel investors who might be suitable for your high-growth startup. We are EnterTheArena and we share expert tips, stories, and provide resources for female founders who are fundraising. Follow us for more like this! See our ***link in bio*** to do the following: - Join our mailing list - Get the book 'RAISE: The female founder's guide to securing investment' - Join us in the Fundraising Academy #fundraising #angelinvestors #raisinginvestment #femalefounders
The success stories just keep coming! We're delighted to share with you that @sophiesecretsaviours, one of our long-time clients, secured some incredible PR last week for her business @secretsaviorsco from none other than @thesun . **See the link in our bio to read the story.** 80% of women who use her stretchmark prevention system have no stretchmarks. Sophie has such a brilliant product that genuinely changes the lives of the women who use it. This is true innovation. This is why funding female founders is important. #femalefounders #fundraising #raisinginvestment #stretchmarks #femaleentrepreneur #womeninbusiness
The Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2023 are open for entries! We would love to see as many women possible applying and putting yourselves forward! The Great British Entrepreneur Awards @entrepreneursgb were founded by Francesca James over a decade ago and are now recognized as one of the UK's leading marks of recognition for entrepreneurs. It's free to enter the awards, and there are 17 categories to choose from. Previous winners include the founders of @tangleteezer, @ladbible, @myenergi and many, many brilliant women. To name just a few: @nottinghillmummy, @claire_ransom, @thejoyfuldrinker, @priyadownes, @jordeebrompton, @connienam, @alexdepledge, @saradaviescc, @pippa.murray, @spectrumhannah @spectrumsophie, @julie_deane, @grenadefounder @Steven recently called these awards “The Grammys of Entrepreneurship” and previous winner Johnny Patterson of @dr.pawpaw described his award win as “a life changing experience!” Head over to the website to apply. Our Founder & CEO @julia_elliott_brown is a judge for these awards, and she tells us every year how much of a privilege it is to recognize exceptional entrepreneurial talent. Regardless of your industry, region or indeed where on your entrepreneurial journey you are, the GBEAs would love to hear from you if you’ve got a great entrepreneurial story to tell! #greatbritishentrepreneurawards #gbea #femalefounders #innovationinbusiness #entrepreneurship
As women, we often don't take enough time to appreciate our own achievements. Sometimes our clients' words speak louder than our own. It's good for us all to take a moment to recognize our own achievements, even when it feels a bit uncomfortable. Thank you Sharon for being a champion for women, and for being such an exemplary member of The Arena. #femalefounder #testimonials #raisinginvestment #recognition #fundraising #femaleentrepreneur
We know lots of you female founders out there are constantly looking for help on perfecting your pitch. So here's something to help you! We've put together three checklists that you can use when putting together your pitch deck for investors. Catch all of these points and you'll have a strong starting position for speaking with investors. If you need more help with perfecting your pitch, we're Enter The Arena and we help female founders fundraise. Here's how we can help you: 1) Join the Fundraising Academy and get all the tools and support you need to successfully close a funding round. 2) Schedule a call with our team. 3) Get a copy of our Founder Julia Elliott Brown's book, 'RAISE: The Female Founder's Guide to Securing Investment'. All links are in our bio. #femalefounders #fundraising #pitchdeck #startupsuccess
On Tuesday of this week, our founder @julia_elliott_brown participated in a panel discussion at #SMEExpo in London. Alongside her on the panel for this finance and investment masterclass were Megan Hale, CEO of @teamrepair and 2022 AXA Startup Angel winner, @daina_spedding, Investor with @bgfinvestments, and Lauren Crowley-Moore, Senior Business Development Manager with London Stock Exchange Group. The panel was artfully led by Irene Graham, the CEO of the Scale-Up Institute. The focus of the panel was on empowering founders to fly through pre-raise and investment and onto the exponential growth of their business. The wide-ranging conversation included topics such as common mistakes that entrepreneurs make when pitching to investors, as well as due diligence and how startups can showcase their commitment to diversity and inclusion. During the course of the event, Julia also ran into @michaelhayman MBE of @sevenhillsviews, who was a trusted advisor she turned to when she was thinking of writing her book ‘Raise: The female founder’s guide to securing investment’. It was great that she was able to give him his signed copy in person. SME Expo is run by the @evening.standard and supported by #chromeos It's the leading event dedicated entirely to ambitious SME founders and decision-makers who are looking to scale. If you didn't make it to the expo this time, but hoping to be there next year, head over to the website to register for your free place. #femalefounders #smeexpo #buildingbusiness #greatbritishbusiness
If you succumb to this one mistake, your fundraising hopes will be dead in the water. Yes, it's fear: everyone's best friend and worst enemy. It tells us what we should be doing, and simultaneously stops us from doing it. But you can overcome it, and we all know what lies on the other side of fear: Your wildest hopes and dreams. Here's how to go do battle with your fear and WIN. #femalefounders #fundraising #startups #venturecapital #womeninbusiness
We love a bit of good news! So we were over the moon (get it?) to hear about @katycottam 's fundraising success for @luna_daily_official. Luna Daily is an intimate care body brand. They make a microbiome balancing body care for all skin, even your most intimate. In fact, they're the first intimate care body brand to be stocked in @harrods . Katy raised £3.6m for Luna Daily - but not only that, she's only gone and got Luna Daily stocked in huge US brand @sephora along the way! Katy is not just shattering, she's bulldozing that glass ceiling. Huge congratulations to you, Katy, and the whole Luna Daily team. Image is reposted courtesy of @luna_daily_official . #femalefounders #fundraising #investment #headvulvakneesandtoes
One of our favourite things is discovering and getting to know other brands who are championing female founders. @buywomenbuilt is doing great things for female founders. @saharhashemiobe and co-founder @barnymac have created a platform to champion and support women-led brands, and to provide an option for buyers who are looking to purchase with intention. If you're the female owner of a D2C brand, listing your business on their platform is a massive opportunity to get your brand out to Buy Women Built's audience. To apply, head over to their website and fill out an application today. #femalefounders #buywomenbuilt #womensupportingwomen #womenownedbrands #championforwomen
What would you tell your younger self? This was our Founder & CEO @julia_elliott_brown's answer. What would YOU tell your younger self? We'd love to know. #femalefounder #adviceforlife #inspiration #enterthearena
When it comes to fundraising, many people assume that the keys to success lie in having the perfect pitch deck, stellar financial projections, or an extensive network of influential contacts. While these are undeniably important factors, there's a secret weapon that every female founder should leverage for the best chances of success. Click through our handy guide and the secret will be revealed. 👩‍💼💡 If you're a female founder and you're fundraising for your business, we offer all the tools you could possibly need (including your secret weapon!) in our Fundraising Academy. See the link in bio for more info! #femalefounders #fundraising #supportsystem #sisterhood #womensupportingwomen
🌟 Calling all Female Founders embarking on your fundraising journey for the first time! 🌟 We've put together a step-by-step guide on how to successfully raise 6 and 7-figure financing and overcome the unique challenges we face as women entrepreneurs. Let's shatter those glass ceilings together! 💪💼 #femaleentrepreneurs #fundraising #businesstips #empowerment #genderequality
Yes, fundraising can feel like an uphill battle, but you don't have to let it defeat you. Here's how to avoid feeling swamped when raising investment.⬇️ ✅ Break fundraising down into smaller chunks. This will help you stay focused and make progress towards your goals. ✅ Seek support. Surrounding yourself with mentors and fellow entrepreneurs who have been through or who are going on the same journey as you can be hugely encouraging. Don't be afraid to ask for help. ✅ Focus on your goals. Remember why you started this business in the first place and dig your heels in when times get tough. ✅ Take breaks when you need them. We all need breaks. When those feelings of overwhelm strike, you really have to pay attention to ensure you are not burning out. What tips do you have for beating the overwhelm? Let us know in the comments. #fundraising #femalefounders #enterthearena #equityfundraising #selfcare
How to negotiate like a pro and get the best deal for your startup 💸 Negotiation is an art and a science. Here are the 5 things female founders need to know to close an investment deal. #fundraising #femalefounders #investment #vc #equityfinance
What's the story behind your brand logo? Our Founder & CEO Julia Elliott Brown has volunteered to go first. Here she is sharing with you what inspired the Enter The Arena logo. Tell us about your brand - consider this a promo opportunity! (We do business coaching, can you tell?) #fundraising #femalefounders #investment #vc #branding #logo
This founder had 294 investors in the pipeline, spoke with 54 firms, and guess how much she raised for her Series A? $9.5m! That's a seriously impressive deal! Meet @vivi.cahyadi. She's the impressive CEO of @altovita. She recently took some time out of her busy schedule to speak with our Founder and CEO @julia_elliott_brown about her fundraising journey for our Fundraising Stories podcast. You can catch the latest episode if you go to the link in our bio and head to 'Fundraising Stories podcast'. #fundraisingstories #podcast #fundraising #femalefounders #femaleentrepreneur #vc
In a world where dreams ignite the sky, Female founders enter the arena, daring to fly, Fundraising with passion, a noble quest, To fuel their dreams and manifest. Their eyes ablaze, they take the stage, Investors listen, as their truths engage, A symphony of dreams they compose, As resilience blends with passion's throes. As capital flows, their dreams take root, The world transformed by their resolute, Shattering ceilings, dispelling gloom, Their ventures flourish, in brilliance they bloom. So raise a toast to these valiant souls, Who reshape the world as progress unfolds, In the arena, their spirits soar, A testament to strength, forevermore. Today's post is brought to you courtesy of @chatgptopenai. #femalefounder #enterthearena #artificialintelligence #ai #fundraisingstories #fundraising
When NOT to raise investment for your business as a female founder:⬇️ ❌When your business isn't growing quickly. ❌When you aren't sure whether you're committed to your idea. ❌When you aren't prepared to share ownership of your business with others (i.e. investors). ❌When you don't want to scale and grow a company towards exit. ❌When you're more interested in the comfort and security, and potentially limited scale, of a lifestyle business. When you SHOULD consider raising investment for your business as a female founder: 🚀When you're acquiring vast numbers of customers and are growing at an impressive month-on-month rate. 🚀When you could scale even faster if you had an extra injection of cash. 🚀When you have competitors how on your heels and you'll fall behind if you don't grow fast. 🚀When you need a volume of scale to get to profitability. 🚀When you're thinking strategically about how to drive your business towards an exit that is exciting for you personally, as well as investors. Follow us for more fundraising tips for female founders. #raisinginvestment #femalefounders #femaleentrepreneur #vc #enterthearena
The fundraising overwhelm is real! Yes, fundraising can feel like an uphill battle, but you don't have to let it defeat you. Here's how to avoid feeling swamped when raising investment.⬇️ ✅ Break fundraising down into smaller chunks. This will help you stay focused and make progress towards your goals. ✅ Seek support. Surrounding yourself with mentors and fellow entrepreneurs who have been through or who are going on the same journey as you can be hugely encouraging. Don't be afraid to ask for help. ✅ Focus on your goals. Remember why you started this business in the first place and dig your heels in when times get tough. ✅ Take breaks when you need them. We all need breaks. When those feelings of overwhelm strike, you really have to pay attention to ensure you are not burning out. What tips do you have for beating the overwhelm? Let us know in the comments. #fundraising #femalefounders #enterthearena #equityfundraising #self-care
Join the community

 

Further resources

Julia's goal is to meet you where you are hands-on, helping you work through your challenges with a disciplined approach to maximise your success. Support is tailored for you, and is a blend of advisory, coaching and mentoring with options for online support, group coaching and one-to-one sessions.

Fundraising Insights

Industry secrets that founders commonly tell us they wished they’d known when starting out.

Button

Podcast

Inspirational interviews with female founders who share their honest experiences of fundraising – the highs, the lows, the challenges… and top tips for how to be successful.

Button

Advice to your InBox

Free 6-week Fundraising Pathway email series - get ready to raise investment


Button

Book

This pioneering book by Julia helps you smash through funding obstacles and fly through your fundraise. 

Button

Investability Scorecard (TM)

Benchmark your current potential to raise investment and identify how to increase your chances of securing funding.

Button

Discover your Investability Score™

Benchmark your current potential to raise investment and identify how to increase your chances of securing funding

Take the 10 min test

RAI$E: The female founder's guide to securing investment

 

This pioneering book helps you smash through funding obstacles and fly through your fundraise. Through a tried-and tested five-step process, it shows you how to create a winning mindset and unlock your authentic power, prepare your financial information and pitch, build a network of high-calibre investors, speak their language, meet them confidently and handle gender bias, and negotiate a deal that delivers genuine value for you and your business.


Packed with real-world case studies of female entrepreneurs who have raised and taken their businesses to new heights, it gives you all the essential knowledge and support you need for yours.


Order your copy

Free 6-week Fundraising Pathway email series - get ready to raise investment

Sign me up

Book an Accelerator Session

Want some fast advice? Select your one-to-one Accelerator Session with Julia Elliott Brown then pick a time that suits you best. You'll then be invited to complete a short pre-session form to help us to prepare. You'll get a video recording of the session and email follow up.


30m - Jump start

£150+VAT

  • ask one or two questions
  • fast feedback on your Investability
  • initial advice on your fundraising approach


Book now

60m - Tank up

£300+VAT

  • ask three or more questions
  • review your pitch deck or financials
  • step-by-step strategy and action plan


Book now

90m - Rocket fuel

£450+VAT

  • ask as many questions as you can!
  • review all your pitch assets
  • full guidance on how to find your ideal investors


Book now

Female Founder Programmes

Enter The Arena provides you, the female founder, with the skills and confidence to scale your business. 

Our programmes help you juggle the practical and emotional demands of building a thriving business at speed with efficient operations that scale.

Whether it’s getting started with raising capital or scaling to exit, we meet you where you are, give you the tools and skills you need to get to the next level, and cheer you on every step of the way.

Your step-by-step guide to raising investment

Enter The Arena provides you, the female founder, with the skills and confidence to scale your business. 


Get instant access to all our ready-made fundraising tools and expertise, including our exclusive investor database.


Join monthly group mastermind coaching calls with our Founder and CEO Julia Elliott Brown.


Share your fundraising journey with a supportive community of female founders, who are just as ambitious as you are.

Learn more

Dedicated, personal support to fast-track initial raises or master larger seed rounds

Join us to fast-track your first investment raise, or gain full support on your more complex, advanced or later stage fundraise. This programme combines tailored coaching, strategic and tactical advice and professional and institutional 

investor connections where appropriate.


Ideal for those who having achieved significant success to date, wish to gain support for the next stage of growth, raising upto £3m in the next 3-6 months.


Qualification criteria applies.

Learn more

1:1 coaching to unearth your growth potential

A personal consultation to work with you on your goals and aspirations, uncover your fundraising and growth challenges, and support you with your strategy and step-by-step action plan.


Ideal for those who would like some initial feedback and advice, and to learn more about their growth and investment potential before taking the next step.

Learn more

1:1 coaching that helps you grow the right way in the early years.

The support you need as you build traction with your start-up and fine tune the strategic and operational requirements for fast and sustainable growth. We guide you beyond launch and stay beside you as you make the tough decisions and brave leaps that will achieve your ambition.


Ideal for founders in the early stages of building their high growth potential business and establishing an appetite for their product in the market.

Learn more

High growth cohort to develop your entrepreneurial business and leadership skills

A trusted inner circle of peers who, like you, are well into their growth, may have previously secured investment (and may need further investment), and are transitioning from Founder to CEO. This programme includes a rolling programme of masterclasses to help you navigate new challenges and continue to ‘own the cape’.


An invitation to this leadership development programme is an incredible opportunity to navigate your demanding new role with the support of a tribe who will inspire, challenge and recharge your thinking.

Learn more

Join the Fundraising Academy

Membership of The Fundraising Academy gives you everything you need to professionally manage your fundraise.


Included:


  • Comprehensive fundraising training at your own pace
  • Membership of our female founder community
  • On tap Q&A on any challenges you face
  • Access to our exclusive investor database
  • Optional group mastermind coaching and one-to-one coaching with course leader Julia


Enrol and get instant access

>1,500

Female founders supported

72%

Fundraising client success rate

96%

Founder recommendation rate

>£20m

Raised by our female founders

Read our case studies

Schedule an intro call

Want to get clarity and confidence on how to accelerate your business growth, and find out more about how we can support you as a female founder?
 
Book a 15 minute no obligation call to get some guidance on the next steps to take.
 
Or if you prefer, drop us an email at fly@enterthearena.co.uk 

Championing female founders

I believe passionately in levelling the playing field for female founders and empowering you to fly.  I regularly champion female founders and raise awareness of the gender funding gap in start-up industry and through the media.


Read press coverage

Investment expertise and fundraising coaching

We empower female founders to fly through your fundraise, and on to the exponential growth of your business. Unleash your inner wonder women, with the support of our firsthand experience and expert guidance

Our partners

City skyline

Photo By: John Doe

Birthday Sparks

Photo By: John Doe

“The credit belongs to the (wo)man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly...” 

- Theodore Roosevelt

Share by: