Meet the first of our brilliant The Prince’s Trust mentees, the lovely Serena Francis of Melitarose.

On 8th March 2019, to coincide with International Women’s Day, we announced a three year partnership with leading youth charity, The Prince’s Trust. As part of this, we’ll be championing their ‘Women Supporting Women’ initiative, empowering young creative women with an entrepreneurial flair to unlock their full potential. Over the course of our three year partnership, we’ll be mentoring up to 60 young females from The Prince’s Trust’s network. This will support, nurture and inspire them to be the best small creative business owners they can be. Find out more about Serena’s story and what she hopes to get out of the mentorship below…

Why did you decide to reach out to The Prince’s Trust for support?

I had a dream to run my own business but I was unsure what the first move would be, how to turn a business idea into a real concept. The Prince’s Trust offered me the support and skills and boosted my confidence.

What were you doing before you came to The Prince’s Trust?

My experience was in fashion sales & I had just become a mum which was wonderful and daunting at the same time.

How has The Prince’s Trust helped you to date?

There are no words to describe how lucky I feel to be supported by The Prince’s Trust. From having a business mentor to launching my scented candles in the Tomorrow store, amazing sales opportunities such as showcasing Melitarose at the Spirit of Christmas Fair to having Pixie Lott pictured with my product, appearing on the Gaby Roslin radio show… the list goes on. It has been a very exciting journey and one that I will be forever grateful for.

Do you think it’s difficult for women to succeed in business?

I still face many barriers but mainly in my mindset, thinking my ideas will not work, that I am not clever enough to be an entrepreneur and questioning whether the market needs what I am offering. To overcome these negative internal thoughts I journal, visualise, read and continue to push myself outside my comfort zone. It’s a continuous journey of internal growth.

What advice would you give to other young women trying to succeed in business?

One of the main reasons I believe there is such a difference between men and women succeeding in business does not have to do with education but more mind-set and self-belief.

Research shows men are 86% more likely than women to secure venture capital funding, and only 9% of UK start-up funding goes to women- run businesses.

I feel that men find it easier to “fake it till you make it” whilst us women are more self-deprecating. More often than not we do not like to push ourselves out there for fear of being judged or ridiculed & many women are juggling relationships, full time work and motherhood therefore our own personal dreams are often at the bottom of the priority list.

I would say now is the best time for us women to stand up and try to jump out of our comfort zone, we have so many amazing women who we can look up to, be inspired by such as notonthehighstreet co-founders, Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish, Karen Brady, Arianna Huffington, Sherly Sandberg, Oprah and so the list goes on.

Tell us about what you’re hoping to get out of the notonthehighstreet mentor programme?

By working with notonthehighstreet, I hope to create more brand awareness and gain business and product knowledge from the experts in order to take my business to the next level.

What are your dreams for the future?

To be a notonthehighstreet success story, to grow my business to the point where I can hire a team that will specialise in developing certain aspects of the business, and for Melitarose to be stocked far and wide.