My Path to Now

A lot of people talk about their business journeys; the steps they’ve taken and sacrifices made to become successful founders of thriving businesses. I’m not a great believer in compartmentalising my business and personal worlds. All of my life experiences combined have led me to the point where I am today. Personal circumstances and lessons learned have informed professional choices, my attitude to risk, and my drive to make a lasting impact through my business ventures just as strongly as those that have come through my career path. For me, they cannot and should not be separated - or one half of the whole ignored.

As a female founder…

As one of the first (and still very few!) women to build a successful senior career in construction…

As a survivor of ugly and abusive relationships at the hands of people who continue to attack me…

As a mother, wife, friend and colleague…

I believe my journey has been a little different compared to other founders, and the lessons learned could support and inspire others who can see parallels with their own paths. That’s why I’ve decided to start jotting down my thoughts, updates, lessons learned, successes and struggles here.

I’ve never quite fit into any box throughout my career. When I first started Truerlein, a socio-economic regeneration company that aims to leave a lasting social and environmental impact through sustainable commercial enterprise, the pieces finally started falling into place. One astute advisor who kindly offered his time to listen to my ideas and critique my business plans, looked at me and said “your brain isn’t wired like most people’s and that’s a good thing. Don’t let them put you in a box because you’ll never be comfortable.” Founding my own business alongside trusted co-founders and colleagues has allowed me to truly explore just how differently I think and how it could benefit my business and the wider community.

Why talk about every facet of my story?

It’s as simple as it’s uncomfortable (but important) to admit. If you’d asked me to share my story even a year ago I would have been reticent. As I’ve said, I don’t believe it’s possible to explain the business journey without adding the personal context and until recently I felt gagged and afraid to share my full story. This was due to the echoes of previous abusive relationships. A malicious and unfounded prosecution in the Scottish courts. Thanks to COVID and the court system being under the pressure it is, it took four years and thousands of pounds to clear my name and be fully exonerated.

This experience taught me an important lesson which has also shaped my professional outlook: I am nobody’s victim, I won’t tolerate bullies in any form, and never again will I be afraid of sharing the truth or defending myself and my company.

My experiences have made me braver, bolder and more appreciative and aware of the opportunities to make a difference through my professional life. I’m lucky to be able to rely on a raft of friends, colleagues, investors and mentors who’ve “been there, done that” and who are willing to share their own stories, lessons and advice – which I’ll also share here.

Founding a start-up isn’t easy. It’s even less easy in the context of being conceived at the start of a global pandemic and further complicated by the scale and scope of our ambitions. Nothing worth doing was ever going to be easy and I hope you’ll find the journey I share interesting, entertaining and potentially useful if you’re on a similar path.