‘Women can’t hack the corporate world – they’re just not made for it.’

Believe it or not, this was something we overheard at the 2022 Evening Standard SME XPO.

Being surrounded by successful, career-driven women in our IRL and digital communities every day, it’s easy to forget that opinions like this still exist. Luckily, we had a secret weapon up our sleeve. Enter stage left: AllBright co-founder, Debbie Wosskow, OBE.

As one of the most prominent serial entrepreneurs in the UK, Debbie was invited to speak with Angelica Malin about the graft, grace, and grit you need as an entrepreneur at the Evening Standard SME XPO.

If you weren't there to hear it for yourself, we’ve got you covered. Here are four key lessons we learned about female entrepreneurship from Debbie’s chat with Angelica (aka, a four-step guide on why that outdated opinion couldn’t be further from the truth).

1. You have to see it to believe it

From talking about work around the kitchen table to always striving for academic excellence, Debbie knows her formative years played a crucial part in paving the path to where she is today.

‘When I look back at my career and why it has taken shape in this way, I think about how I came from a family of entrepreneurs, particularly matriarchs.’

Growing up around self-starters certainly checks out as an origin story for a serial entrepreneur like Debbie. Having close relationships with strong, tenacious women who ran businesses and controlled their own destinies, like her mother and grandmother, it’s no surprise Debbie successfully launched and scaled a business focused on female empowerment.

If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur but this isn’t your experience, don’t panic. Female entrepreneurial role models come in all forms, at all ages and stages. As long as you can see it, you can believe it. And if you can believe it, you can be it.

2. Sisterhood works

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – when women come together, amazing things happen.

‘You can’t do it without your support network and a winning team behind you.’

For Debbie, some of the incredible women in her support network are entrepreneurs and businesswomen Alex Depledge MBE, Tamara Lohan, and Martha Lane Fox.

Of course, women with credits like these are a rare find. But take it from this week’s AllBright Team Talks on the people we turn to for career advice – there’s always someone in your life willing to lend an ear or a hand.

Debbie co-founded AllBright off the back of her own experience, with the knowledge that sisterhood works. Our ready-made community of like-minded women IRL and online is thriving with Alexs, Tamaras, and Marthas who could be your future friend, business partner, or mentor.

3. Money matters

Debbie co-founded AllBright with a mission to put more money in the hands of more women.

‘Women matter and women need to make money, talk about their money, and deploy their money in making more [money] and backing other women.’

But financial control wasn’t always plain sailing for Debbie, who learned the hard way that it’s essential to have a handle on your numbers when you’re running your own business.

Whilst the first business Debbie founded in her mid-twenties grew exponentially in the first year, the costs were out of control. Out of a whopping £3 million in sales, the business only made £60k.

‘There’s nothing like experience to teach you that you need to get a very firm grip on your numbers. Especially when it’s your own money.’

Consider that lesson learned! Now, Debbie and co-founder Anna Jones always talk about how you need to be willing to run after a £5 note as it flutters down the street. The same principle goes for your digital dollars – it’s important to be able to chase it around your bank statements, too.

4. Stick to the three Gs

In the high-octane world of start-ups – where everyone is time-poor and everything needs to be done now – you’d be forgiven for thinking the three Gs are go, go, go! In fact, they stand for graft, grace, and grit. And as an angel investor, these are the three things Debbie looks for in the businesses and people in which she invests.

Graft is simply hard work – nothing happens overnight, and you can bet there’s always a lot of blood, sweat, and tears behind the scenes to make anything a success.

Grace is all about not burning bridges and being the best you can be. When times are tough and tempers are frayed, smiling and being gracious to those around you is easier said than done.

But for Debbie, grit is the number one thing. The idea you start with, the people you work with, and the business you work for can all change – it’s whether you have the staying power through it all. If you can dig deep when things aren’t going well in order to get results, you’ve got grit.

‘It’s about what happens when you feel like you want to give up, but you don’t.’

A world where women share all their skills and experiences with one another is a world where all women win. So, these four takeaways from our fierce co-founder are invaluable insights into not only entrepreneurship but also navigating (and smashing) today’s working world as a woman.

Want to follow in Debbie’s footsteps? Register your interest in becoming a mentor or mentee in our Mentor Matching movement here.