Mum’s the word
Remarkable Young Mums leading the way for Female Entrepreneurs
Women are encouraged to have it all - juggling marriage, children and a high-powered career without dropping any of the balls.
But is it possible?
Rachel Bryan and Sharon Stephens are two mums who combined their studies with motherhood and came out on top. The pair met on a Translation course at Swansea University and, both being mothers of young children, they quickly became firm friends. Immediately after graduating they decided to set up their own translation and interpreting agency, Veritas Language Solutions, and have been astounded at the extent to which their business has taken off. However, this has been thanks to the remarkable determination both Rachel and Sharon have shown in the face of adversity - proving that women can have it all.
Rachel had fallen pregnant at the age of 18, just as she was starting her A-Level course. She was determined to continue with her studies and decided to pack all her A Levels into one year and study 'fast track'. She was a week off her due date in her final exams and even had contractions in one of them!
Noah was born in July 2005, just after Rachel's 19th Birthday. She says "Nothing could have prepared me for that moment - the immense feelings of love, protection and fear all rolled into one! He became my entire world and from that point I promised myself that I would make him proud of me and be a fantastic mum and a successful woman."
When Noah was one, Rachel and he moved from Cardiff to Swansea and she started the BA Translation. "Moving to a new city on my own with a small baby was a massive step; it was the first time I had lived alone and there was a lot to learn. During the first six months at uni I almost gave up several times, especially when Noah was ill and I couldn't get to lectures, or when I was ill and didn't have any help. But I persevered and eventually got used to the pace of my new life. I learned how to balance being a parent, running a home and studying full time. I am not the type of person to slack off and so full time for me (whether studying or working) means about an 80 hour week."
On top of all this, Rachel suffers from anaphylaxis - a life threatening allergy to eggs, nuts, dairy products, latex, citrus and bee stings. However, she hasn't let her illness put her off achieving her goals, and her determination has paid off. She was recently named as one of the country's 100 most inspirational women, and has been featured in "Modern Muses", a book launched last year which aims to inspire young women to enter the world of business and entrepreneurship.
Sharon's journey has been similarly challenging. She had started her degree with an 18 month old daughter and had given birth to another baby girl in her second year of university, suffering from symphasis pubis disorder and pre-eclampsia during the pregnancy. Yet despite these trials, through hard work and determination she managed to be one of only four people in her year (along with Rachel) who graduated with a first degree.
Not stopping to rest, Rachel and Sharon set up Veritas Language Solutions the day after completing their degree, from Sharon's dining room table. In the year and a half since the company was formed, it has grown at a remarkable rate, now employing over 3000 translators worldwide and covering over 150 languages. At the heart of Veritas is an insistence on good practice - treating translators fairly and acting with a cognitive and intelligent approach, ensuring the highest possible quality of service.
The pair's extraordinary efforts have not gone unnoticed and they recently won the prestigious HSBC Start Up Stars International Business Award, receiving praise from the likes of Vince Cable and Lord Digby Jones. They are now focussing on making Veritas the UK's most prominent language support service, and will be launching a range of new services in the coming year.
Rachel and Sharon recognise that the success of their company is down to their own hard work and determination, and they are keen to pass on this knowledge to young females in their community. They have given talks at comprehensive schools in their area and at Swansea University, discussing the ways in which they overcame the obstacles that face all women in the workplace and promoting female-owned businesses. They believe that giving young females access to business knowledge whilst they are still at school will increase their opportunities in later life. They also believe that making both young females and males aware of the male-female discrepancies in the workplace will allow them to lead the way in overcoming these imbalances in the future.