WITH GRIT AND GRACE

FOR DAWN EDWARDS, SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS OWNER AND IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT OF EAST MIDLANDS CHAMBER, IT WOULD BE EASY TO ASSUME THAT HER ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY HAS BEEN TYPICAL – A FEW BUMPS IN THE ROAD, A FEW CHALLENGES HERE AND THERE, BUT NO MORE THAN THE NEXT ENTREPRENEUR. HOWEVER, AFTER MY CHAT WITH DAWN I REALISED VERY QUICKLY THERE’S MORE TO HER STORY THAT MEETS THE EYE

At the tender age of 16 Dawn Edwards understood that if she wanted to do anything in life, she’d have to break the mould and direct herself against the tide. It seemed that what she could do and who she could be was limited in the eyes of those around her. Given that she was female, aspiration should be towards being a home maker and a job to fill time until then, seemed to be the message from those around her.

No ill intent was meant by the important figures in her life who delivered these pearls of wisdom, it generally was a sign of the times - but the message was clear: there was little point in continuing studying, and ideas of a career or being self-sufficient weren’t really up for discussion.

She followed the expected path, met a boyfriend with good prospects and married at 18, however it quickly became clear to her that it was not for her. At 21 with two small children, she decided that these limitations were fencing her in and discussions about returning to work to build a career were dismissed by those around her.

She is good friends with her ex-husband today, but at the time of divorcing at 21 she felt there were limits put on her to be a stay-at-home mother. “It was just what my own family and my then husband’s family had always known, and the

Words by Emily Miller

should stay at home and look after them, so going to work for anything other than ‘pin money’ was not an option,” she tells me.

“The world around me was telling me that I couldn’t have financial independence let alone a career of my own and I knew the only way was to get divorced and start to build my own path. If my husband and I had been in a more accepting society, I think things may have been different, however he felt his role was to be the ‘breadwinner’, which meant I couldn’t be.

“I made the decision to stand on my own two feet. Overnight I went from the financial security of having a husband with a career to being by myself with two small children.”

But she now had the freedom to go wherever she wanted to take herself and took work for a major local company, working her way up the ranks. “It wasn’t easy, I was studying to better my skill set and actually because I love to learn, but I also thrived on the prospect of working for myself and standing on my own two feet – I had a large mortgage to pay though and two small children to consider too!”

It was certainly a challenge, which is somewhat of a ‘theme’ for the drive in her life - more on that later. Rising to the challenge and even relishing in it, Dawn began a career in finance and training all whilst continuously studying and working hard for her family. “I had a childminder who I trusted for school pick-ups and often worked through the night studying to achieve more.”

And achieve more she has. After working hard to climb the ladder in financial services with roles at Scottish Life and Scottish & Newcastle, there came a point where she had to trust her instinct and take a leap of faith again. “The MD at Scottish & Newcastle was, I now realise, a form of mentor. He showed faith in my abilities and supported and challenged me in equal measure.

“He agreed, against company policy at the and so when a major merger was announced I was put into a small team of other managers to make recommendations for the strategy of the company going forward.

“It whet my appetite for shaping futures, whilst also meant that the role I was currently working in would no longer exist. It no longer felt like the right fit to stay in employment, and I wanted to be able to help others with their own aspirations, so I took the plunge and decided to go self-employed.”

The challenge word comes up numerous times in our conversation and without challenge, for Dawn at least, unfulfillment isn’t far behind. “I really enjoy pushing myself out of my comfort zone, as soon as I feel comfortable, I feel the need to change things up again – seeking out the challenge and working to rise to it is where I thrive.”

In 1996 with three months’ equivalent salary in the bank, Dawn set up Challenge Consulting. To begin with she worked too one day each week as a college lecturer – honing her craft and learning all she could about businesses.

“What I truly love about what I do is still the discovery stage. Finding the root of the areas that a business needs to address, and the knowledge and skills gaps to give their leaders and managers the confidence to bring about the changes needed in a confident and co-ordinated way.

Delivering training courses, coaching and networking opportunities, as well as small business consultancy, Dawn’s award-winning business taps into the skills and enjoyment she gets from being an entrepreneur. “I’m told my enthusiasm is catching, and I love nothing more than seeing others thrive. My team share that ethos and desire to make a difference, and it’s what makes us good at what we do.”

For Dawn her goals and aspirations in business aren’t about owning or acquiring more, they are about fulfilling the desire for challenge, and helping others with what she and her team can do.

After asking her when slowing down might occur she reflects; “My life so far has shown me what makes me tick, and I can’t see that slowing down would make me happy. I think I will always need to be doing something to contribute as I do now, whether it be in our local community or in the world of work.”

She tells me about her work with the local parish council, for example, and the fulfilment she gets from working on projects within and for the people in her community. “It’s on a smaller scale perhaps, but the feeling is still the same. Working with other local volunteers is great, we’re all different, but complement each other and work to bring about positive changes for our community.

Able to use these skills in other areas of her life too, Dawn is immediate past president of the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce and a Federation of Small Business local representative. Furthermore, she has also designed and delivered a series of sell out webinars entitled ‘Grit & Grace’ aimed at women in business and female entrepreneurs delivered free to attendees via funding from the D2N2 growth hub.

Other networking groups are important to her she tells me, but the female entrepreneurial ones speak directly from the heart. “Self-limiting beliefs shape who we are and what we do, and can squash aspiration irrespective of gender, identity or start point, however for women there is an extra dimension around historical roles. We really do need to support one another to move beyond the accepted norms and to reach our potential.”

Dawn believes that the difficult times in life are often turning points from which we emerge stronger and in the longer term can be beneficial since they help us to recognise our capability and resilience. “Sometimes the biggest hurdles are the ones which teach us the most. At Challenge we have a saying ‘Problems are merely challenges to overcome’ and it’s true, I have learnt that as an entrepreneur you will hit bumps in the road – it’s how you view and take on those challenges that counts.”

The ‘grit’ in the title of her latest project perhaps born from her own level of grit and determination at the start of her career and indeed throughout it, but also ‘grace’ in the way she has progressed in her business over the years. It’s a story full of grit and resilience, pushing against the grain, but balanced with the grace to be thankful for the support she has had along the way and to pay it forward– something that truly reflects her and her entrepreneurial journey so far.