It’s International Women’s Day, and Frazer and Ben have invited some very inspirational women from the local business community to join them for this special 50th edition of All Things Business – The Podcast.
Emily Cooper and Nicola Tilley are the founders of More Recruitment Group, which began life as More Driver Solutions 16 years ago. This company still comprises a significant amount of their business, but they’ve recently diversified their offering to include more permanent roles throughout the logistics and transport sector.
International Women’s Day
As two women who have succeeded in a male-dominated industry, Ben asks for their perspective on International Women’s Day. Emily says that they think it’s something that should be celebrated, as they have seen first-hand the prejudice that women can face and have succeeded in spite of that. The opposition they faced early in their careers may have made them more driven, and Nikki adds that it’s only in retrospect they realise the amount of opposition they faced. Nowadays, they are happy to report that there are a lot more women in the sector at all levels.
While the two knew their trade going in, they had to learn a lot of things the hard way. Frazer points out a similar sentiment from the previous podcast episode with Greedy Gordons owner Richard Gordon, that they would still take the risk of going into business for themselves even with the knowledge they have now of how hard it would be, and that they’re stronger for having learned the hard way.
Women in Business
Ben asks what advice would they give to a young woman looking to get into business. They say it boils down to having a good support network, doing your research, and having a good partner/people around you to do business with.
While the MRG duo are very outgoing, sales-oriented people, their industry is very process and detail-oriented. Ben asks how they reconcile those two, perhaps competing aspects of the business. Both say they’re just passionate about being on top of things and providing the best service, as well as seeing the opportunities that arise from being ahead of the curve. Another aspect is being young women in a male-dominated industry, and having to be absolutely on top of everything to be taken seriously.
Mrs & Mrs
It’s time for Mrs & Mrs! And it’s a round that will be hard to beat. Who makes most of the decisions? In a nice display of humility, they pick each other. Who is the most likely to get lost on their way to a client meeting? Emily. Who is the better driver? Emily. Best networker? Nikki. Whose desk is the cleanest? Emily. There’s finally some descension when they’re asked whose dog is cuter? Of course, they both pick their own. Who’s the biggest party animal? Nikki, as Emily likes to go to bed early. Who is the fittest? Emily, but it depends on the activity.
That’s six matching answers for this round, which will be hard to beat for any future players. Finally, the dinner party question: who will they have at their table? It’s an easy answer for both: their friends and family, no famous faces for these two.
Watch and listen to the full podcast episode here:
