International Women’s Day: Seven inspirational stories from Enterprise Nation’s wonderful female members and advisers

As we celebrate International Women’s Day this week – on 8 March, to be precise – there’s never been a better time to hear first-hand about the amazing achievements of Enterprise Nation’s huge female community.

From expert advisers to micro-business owners, the women of Enterprise Nation have had a rip-roaring year of success and growth, so let’s get stuck into some of their stories!

1. Dionne Mombeyarara, founder of Beanie Bun and winner of Uber Eats Black Business Fund

Dionne’s entrepreneurial journey started in London when she was hit by a car after a shift at Gourmet Burger Kitchen. She retells the story of how this unfortunate accident and a subsequent trip to Ethiopia led her to start the plant-based business in her hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne.

In her interview, she explains how winning the Uber Eats Black Business Fund grant provided a much-needed cash injection after a difficult summer. She said:

"We were reeling from a poor summer of trade due to several factors: unprecedented and erratic weather patterns and the result of socioeconomic turmoil. The North East was one of the worst-affected areas with high levels of unemployment and business closures.

"Our Q3 revenue thus subsequently dropped and the cash injection facilitated by the grant acted like a heavy tog duvet during the peak winter months.

"We invested in upgrading our van so that we could serve at bigger events and launched our house sauce to diversify our revenue streams in an increasingly volatile market. We needed to do an expensive microbial shelf-life test for the sauce to know how long the product would last before we approached potential retailers or buyers to stock it."

Dionne's story exemplifies resilience and innovation, making her a notable figure in the plant-based food industry.

2. Lucy Harper: 'Make a Plan helps keep me accountable.'

Lucy, founder of West Midlands baking business, A Taste of Heaven, shares her experiences of using Enterprise Nation’s ‘One Stop Shop’ for entrepreneurs, otherwise known as Make a Plan, brought to you in partnership with Mastercard and Strive.

After delving into her background, Lucy highlights the importance of being accountable, taking time for yourself and not stressing over the small stuff.

This interview is a great read for female entrepreneurs who are starting their business journey.

3. Emma Goode, founder of 24 fingers and Enterprise Nation Adviser Awards 2024 winner in digital marketing

As one of the platform's most popular digital marketing advisers, Emma has been associated with Enterprise Nation for a very long time, helping countless small business owners along the way with her services and content. She helps founders grow their businesses through online marketing, including social media, SEO, content marketing and lead generation. Emma is also Enterprise Nation’s Local Leader for Essex.

Become an adviser on Enterprise Nation today.

4. How StartUp UK helped Sophie Seddon overcome her self-doubt

StartUp UK is another of Enterprise Nation’s very best programmes for small businesses, and we speak to one significant beneficiary, Sophie Seddon.

As the founder of Sophie Seddon PR, a one-woman venture offering other businesses PR, communications and copywriting expertise, Sophie has taken full advantage of the webinars, networking opportunities and mentorship on offer alongside StartUp UK.

5. Eniye Okah, founder of SPF face mist brand, BEAME

We do what we do because of stories like Eniye's. Her entrepreneurial journey has come full circle.

Eniye attended her first StartUp Show in 2018 because she wanted to start a business. Fast-forward to 2025 and she not only launched her business, BEAME, but also managed to smash her crowdfunding target in 34 hours, as well as feature as one of the speakers on the packed Digital Evolution stage at StartUp Show 2025.

From finding out why aerosols can't be shipped by plane and discovering the scary facts about the impact of poor skin protection to fangirling about Lucy Werner, Eniye recounts her rollercoaster entrepreneurial journey so far.

Sign up to become an Enterprise Nation member here.

6. Samantha Gnimavo: Empowering women, one Happy Body at a time

Enterprise Nation developed a dedicated business support platform, Grow London Local, for the Mayor of London and London & Partners.

Drawing from her family's experiences with women's health issues, Samantha founded Happy Body to help women thrive on their wellness journeys.

In her interview, she talks about her route into nutrition, the business skills she's had to develop along the way and the benefits of getting support from Grow London Local.

7. Meet the adviser - Elyssa Desai

Elyssa is a mindset expert, speaker and coach who guides business owners and others through their what am I doing with my life moments. A huge focus of her work is helping individuals to understand and reprogramme their mindset so they can confidently achieve their dreams.

She talks all things Enterprise Nation advisership, what are the biggest misconceptions about hypnotherapy and how she uses hosting the Lunch and Learn sessions as a testing ground for her message and workshops.

Elyssa was also featured on the latest season of the Small Business Sessions podcast, powered by the business.connected online training programme and our partners Vodafone Business, Constant Contact, JP Morgan and Dropbox.

If you’re a leader in your field in Ireland or the UK, it might be time to become an adviser!

Join the Women in Business Group on Enterprise Nation to keep the conversation going!

Female Founder Toolkit

Download a free, practical guide that pulls together tools, tips, contacts and inspiration to help your female-led business thrive. Get the guide now