Interview
e male species By Kelly Dolan, Editor M any people claim to know the recipe for
entrepreneurial success, with countless business books written on ‘How your company can thrive’ or ‘What it takes to recruit the best.’ However, it seems in this instance a winning team comes in the form of two women - one an Investment Banker and Executive Coach, the other the youngest ever UK HR Director within Hewlett-Packard at 32. Meet Rachael Robertson and Kate Rider, two mothers who went from a chance meeting at the school gates to founding Man Buys Present, the revolutionary internet shopping experience that takes the pain out of gift buying for men.
In preparation for the interview, I begin with a touch of research on both women, finding that Rachael, 41, and Kate, 44, could boast phenomenal corporate backgrounds before their recent venture (Rachael had launched a headhunting firm with a market cap of over £110m; Kate was the Director of a Property Development Firm). When the interview begins, I am equally shocked at how refreshingly normal the business owners are. Hailing from working class backgrounds (Rachael: ‘I had a Saturday job at M&S as soon as I was legally allowed to work;’ Kate: ‘I was a waitress and completed a graduate scheme at Safeway’) both women appeared to perfectly compliment each other. Rachael is excitable and a self proclaimed ideas engine, whilst Kate is calm, organised and a natural leader, meeting at their local school due to Kate volunteering as the class representative.
Rachael tells me; “I had the initial concept for Man Buys Present but needed someone to do it with. I noticed how well Kate took to the school project and although it’s a cliché, I knew I’d found my perfect partner. We got talking, I sold the idea and persuaded her to give up a lucrative, well respected job and give it a go with a stranger. The biggest revelation of it all is that we have become such great friends.”
39 entrepreneurcountry
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