International Friendship Day – the perfect day to celebrate your friends, and make new ones.
What would a girl do without her friends?
I am so grateful to have the support of my friends. Over the past few years, I’ve come to learn who my real friends are and although we’re all at different stages in our lives – with some becoming first time mums or returning to work after having children, while others are launching new businesses or running established business – the relationship I have with each of them brings something different to my life and I’m proud of each and every one of them and their accomplishments.
To me, friendship is all about communication and realising who is there for you through the hard times as well as the good. It hasn’t always been plain sailing, but I am blessed to have the people in my life that I do right now. Without them, I would not be the woman I am today and I am excited for what the future holds with them – old friends and new.
Creating Menagerie has allowed for so many wonderful opportunities to come into my life. One of the best is being able to meet and connect with so many other like minded business women. And many of those women, I am now lucky to call friends.
Looking forward to next year, I hope to meet new people who can help me develop and grow more as a friend, as a person and as a business woman. I’m very lucky to never be short of a friend to keep me company, but a girl can never be too short on friends. So feel free to join me at Menagerie and bring those whose friendships you cherish and enjoy the day with me with a prosecco or two!
They say being an entrepreneur is often a lonely path to take. But not when you surround yourself with like-minded, ambitious people who are also chasing a dream and carrying ambition in abundance. I’m so proud of all my friends, their journeys so far and where they’re heading. We’re always there to help each other through the struggles of business, but also celebrate the highs – because you can’t have those without the lows. We all find that the support your friends give you just makes you thrive more, so always remember to be your friends’ biggest cheerleaders.
To celebrate today, I want to give a special shout out to some of girl boss inspirations, who are are also amazing friends of mine.
The beautiful Helen Stelling Holt was recently featured in the North West’s ‘Top 30 Under 30’ for her achievements as ‘Global Relations Manager’ at both Nadine Merabi and Boda Skins where she travelled internationally, while balancing life as a DJ and model. Turning her talent in another direction, Helen is now making a name for herself in marketing and PR through connecting with international lifestyle influencers and celebrities to help put brands on the map. She has started working with Menagerie, and its always so much fun when you get to work with your friends on creative projects like this.
The extremely talented Nadine Merabi, much like me has built her business from the ground up and is a true startup success story. She’s totally pro women and is all about making people feel comfortable in their own skin, which I absolutely love. Her timeless, elegant gowns make women look and feel amazing. To take a look at her creations, visit www.nadinemerabi.com.
My friend Dominique Morton is the brains behind Man-cub, a clothing brand that received national press and recognition, that creates matching outfits for men and the children in their life, Man & Cub. One thing that Dominique always reminds me is “if you want to take the island, you have to burn the boat.” You might be wondering what this means, so here it is… don’t do a job half hearted. If you’re going to do something, commit to it, the journey and the process completely.
The positive and supportive Rebecca McCann is the owner of Pro Blo Group, which launched in 2014 and the brains behind the innovative hair brand CurlME – the DIY kit that creates a salon blow dry at home. Becs always give me some of the most sound advice and she is always quick to give her girls and guys and round of applause and celebrate their successes. Becs’ latest project has seen her launch a new wet range of hair care products, “Triple Threat”. These can be bought on the Pro Blo website or at Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, ASOS and many more.
My final shout-out for today is to the inspirational Erika Swinn. As a mummy to three gorgeous children and an established, highly sought after celebrity makeup artist she is always spinning a lot of plates and does an amazing job at it. As one of my oldest friends, it’s been a pleasure working with her as she hosts masterclasses at Menagerie. If you’re looking for some makeup inspiration for your next girls night out or date night, take a look at some of her work.
