Maxine Benson left school at 17 with five O-levels. Her early work experience took her from Barclays Bank in Poole, Dorset, to the travel industry in Australia, then to a film casting company in New York. Maxine returned to the UK in 1999 and, with her business partner Karen Gill, started Everywoman to support women in business. It is now a 40,000-strong member's organisation that works closely with the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. She was awarded an MBE in 2009.
How did you start Everywoman?
I decided to set up a membership support network for women in business, with my business partner Karen Gill, to address the difficulties women had in starting and running their own companies. We consulted with government, because they needed policy changes, had drawings of the website we wanted and started knocking on the doors of any organisation that would 'get' our business.
In our research, the name IBM kept coming up as supporting women in business, so we approached them as founding sponsors. As it was the early days of the internet, most women we were dealing with didn't even have email, so we decided to have an offline event and approached offline sponsors such as NatWest and Orange. 150 women showed up.
What has tested you most and what would you have done differently?
With hindsight, we were under-resourced. Your means and vision have a disconnect – and that is a battle. I would have hooked funding earlier: more founding sponsors to raise money.
What helped you through the difficulties?
Working with a business partner was a lifesaver. We picked each other up. It would have been a different journey on my own.
What is your advice to others building businesses?
Keep it simple. Be realistic about the business needs and time to do it; you think it will only take a tenth of the time it does. Entrepreneurship runs away with you.
What senior businesswomen have been inspirational to you?
We meet hundreds of women at Everywoman. Mary Perkins, the founder of Specsavers is great, as is Judith McKenna, the chief operating officer of ASDA, and Karren Brady – she was the only woman in her business and made it her job to get other women involved because of the benefits of a diverse view at management level.
What does a mid-level female manager need to do to get on the radar of the bosses?
Try to get a mentor or a sponsor – in-house or external to the business – who will advise, promote and guide you. If there is no in-house training, take courses online or at night school. Invest money in yourself – let your ambition be known. Don't be subtle. Many quality women get into a role they excel at and are then overlooked for promotion. Be viable for promotion and think strategically.
In what way do senior women role models make a difference in the workplace?
I am passionate about role models: they don't realise the long shadow they cast. They're an inspiration to others and it's not to do with a title, it's how you operate: being authentic, keeping that door open. We encourage women to recognise that being a female boss brings with it a responsibility to help other women.
What is the future for women in business?
I'm optimistic. Technology has played its part in connecting us all and women are aware of the challenges; there is a concerted effort to change things to benefit society and business. The more we see the journeys of successful women, the more we can be inspired. At Everywoman, we have a shared mindset to progress their success: that is our function. We want women to take responsibility for their own development.
What are your further ambitions?
My ambition for Everywoman is that it will realise its business strategy to go global and raise its status – not just by what we do, but by what our members do. I want us to keep supporting our members with online initiatives, such as the everywomanNetwork for women who are serious about growing their businesses or developing their careers, and the everywomanClub for senior-level women and successful entrepreneurs.
Maxine Benson is a speaker at the Opportunities for Women Conference being held at the Congress Centre in Central London on Wednesday 24 October. For more information, click here.
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