The proportion of women who get investment funding is still pitifully small and the percentage of successful exits by female-led businesses is even lower – and that’s not going to change unless woman have positive role models on their radar.

So, with a deep breath and my brave girl pants on, I am delighted to say that I have been shortlisted for the Barclays Serial Entrepreneur Award sponsored by Barclays Private Banking.

Being shortlisted for an award is such an honour, it doesn’t happen every day and especially when it’s in a category that is looking for elements that reflect your values so closely.

Barclays Business Banking awards were looking for entrepreneurs who have launched, managed at least one seven figure exit amongst other exits and embody innovation, resilience and leadership excellence.

So, I am delighted to be listed alongside all the other finalists, and especially delighted to see Emmie Faust of Female Founders Rise on there as well, as she does so much to make entrepreneurial success more accessible for women.

I did quietly pop a post up on LinkedIn when I was notified back in September, but I haven’t shouted it from rooftops and I’ve come to see that refraining from doing that does me and my fellow female entrepreneurs a disservice.

Maybe a bit of background is called for here…

So many of the women I speak to feel that enjoying their business and their career is a bit of a taboo when you become a Mum – and I don’t see why that has to be so.

I started Portfolio Directors Ltd many moons ago. At the time, having completed 20 years in corporate manufacturing, I was seeking a way to be more fully present as a Mum than I could in my corporate Finance & Operations Director role.

Our company strapline was, and still is, ‘we grow businesses’ and my concept was inspired by leading management thinker, Charles Handy, and his 1989 book ‘The Age of Unreason’ and ‘The Empty Raincoat’ in 2004 – yes I am that old!

His concept was that individuals would need to develop portable skills for a changing workplace and that life could be a changing set of passions and interests.

As someone who valued her career, but also wanted to value her home life, I saw a way through to having a portfolio of entrepreneur clients that I could help with knowledge when they needed it.

In turn, I could arrange my life around the things I wanted to do at home as well as work, and not miss out on everything my family did.

I didn’t end up growing the big consultancy that I initially dreamed of, I tried it and for me, it led to the route of losing flexibility – so I chose to lead my own investments, like Hiho Silver Jewellery, Dimpsey Retreats Somerset and recently exited UK Precision alongside mentoring and coaching Blackdown Shepherd Huts and other amazing individuals.

I have a small, but fabulous team, working with me and I get to concentrate on boundary scouting, as I call it, always looking to the future and how we, as leaders, might need to prepare for it.

Along the way, I learnt that you can have it all, just not all at once and I learnt what living a portfolio life means to me – not just having a portfolio of business interests, but having a career that has enabled me to embrace my family and my life at the same time.

Now, I show other people that this life is possible – that entrepreneurship may not be an easy ride, but it most certainly can be a fulfilling one and it can be done in a way that doesn’t cancel you entirely.

I share rural business stories and portfolio life tips on Countrywoman’s Guide – a community I am building with a group of fabulous people, so we can show the real path that entrepreneurs travel, which, like life, has its ups and downs – and that’s OK.

But most importantly, I encourage people to trust the path, to enjoy the journey and to stay curious.

So that’s why I’m putting this out there and I’d strongly encourage to share your positive messages too.

For me, if just one woman reads this and is inspired that she too can build a portfolio life, then the fact that I will be practically cringing behind a cushion when this goes out will be more than worth it.

Thank you so much for reading this post.

Emma