Expert in IT and running a small business
I went to the University of Swansea to study economics and got a job in publishing, but I had a serious road accident that meant I couldn’t walk for two years and had to have numerous operations. It changed my life: I went back to the Wirral and did lots of computing courses, and ended up working in IT.
Among other jobs, I spent seven years with IBM as a member of the European Technical Support Centre. Lot of training, lots of travelling – to the States once a month, in Paris once a week, working on server group software solutions. I also had a hands-on role, primarily in computer networks.
Then I became pregnant and no longer wanted to travel, so my role changed. After my daughter was born, I helped set up the IBM Personal Computer Institute, writing courses and training IBM dealers. When I got pregnant the second time, I decided to set up my own business so I could better manage the parenting.
I do lots of training and consultancy all over the UK. I was running the company with my husband, but we split up last year and that’s led to me focussing more on local work and online and distance learning.
I’ve started to get involved with women’s groups as women are in such a minority in IT. Last year, through Merit (an IT user group and technology forum), I organised a morning seminar on the business case for gender diversity in IT. Gillian Arnold, the Chair of the Intellect Women in IT Forum, spoke and it went really well. I’m offering mentoring to women in IT at no additional cost.
My business is going well despite the recession. My clients are all sizes – often I help business build in-house skills. I think women are more cautious when they set businesses than men – often they don’t rush to take on staff. I work with a lot of consultants and trainers rather than regular staff. I’m able to offer some 5,000 IT and business skills courses this way, and customers can really get the right package for their needs: from a short, one-off course to longer-term training for a qualification. In the recession, people need to be thinking this way, to keep their skills cutting edge.
Jeanne Hatton runs her business through three websites: www.thelearningspace.co.uk; http://www.uniti-online.com/; www.it-career-online.co.uk/. She is a Microsoft Partner and an IBM Advanced Business Partner. She is a Women’s Ambassador for the North West Development Agency and is on the Executive Committee of Wirral ICT. She is also a member of GetSETWomen.
Comments
Ruth Wilson (UKRC moderator):
Hi Jeanne, I am very impressed at the range and scale of what you offer from a business model that enables you to expand and contract to meet demand through using consultants rather than regular staff. I recently read an article in the Telegraph saying that in some ways women business owners may survive the recession better than their male counterparts because they don't over-extend themselves: "Men are likely to have taken on more credit and are now finding access to finance more difficult. Women are very much more cautious about taking on huge amounts of debt." But the article then cites research which finds that while successful male and female run businesses are comparable, a large volume of women-owned businesses fail to make it beyond the two year mark - the bigger a company gets the more likely the women are to drift away. I think some business women find that shift to premises and staff very hard. I'd be very interested to hear what you and other readers think about any of this. Thanks. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/yourbusiness/3472872/Women-better-placed-to-survive-recession-than-men.html
Rachel Tobbell:
Hi Jeanne, I am most interested to see that you seem able to offer consultancy and training services, but keep a cap on the traveling you have to do. Consultancy and training had always seemed to me to commit the consultant/trainer to hours on the train or in the car! This is one of the things that has always put me off self employment as I too have caring commitments and can\'t imagine achieving any work life balance. Is it difficult to \'win\' the business you need to stay afloat if you restrict your travel?
Jeanne Hatton:
Hi Ruth Happily I can say that the recession seems to be passing me by. I must say though that I am a prime example of that article in the Telegraph. When my husband was involved in the business we took on premises and staff and a great deal of credit. Our overheads were so high that we found it difficult to break even let alone make a profit. Our problem was that in taking on staff we had to quadruple our sales and marketing budgets to bring in the business. This led to me running around trying to be sales, marketing, technical support, consultant and trainer. Needless to say my health and stress levels were not good. I sat down and had a good think about what I wanted and to be running the business was not what I wanted. I enjoy addressing clients business needs through training and consultancy. I asked my staff if they were prepared to work with me on a self employed basis and they were a bit unsure but tried it and are now earning a great deal more as a result. They have also dramatically increased their skill levels as they have had to to bring in business themselves. Since my husband and I split up, I have slashed my overheads, increased skill levels and worked with my clients to provide the best service I can as this gives me a great deal of satisfaction. I work with a large number of associates who are hired on an as need basis so I can offer a range of services. Who knows I may take on staff in the future and expand but for now I think I have the right business model to survive the recession. Interestingly enough I have worked with a number of businesses owned by a woman and find they all say they have grown to a comfortable size and are not looking to become multi millionaires or owners of a huge company. Now I wonder why that is?............ What do other readers think the reason is?
Jeanne Hatton:
Hi Rachel 18 months ago when I decided not to travel too much I was terrified. Most of my most lucrative business was not in the North West. I worked a great deal with major corporates which would have branches all over the UK and indeed all over the world. 18 months later I am travelling selectively, maybe the odd week in London during half term when the children are with their father but not very much at all. I began networking locally, very often through Facebook or LinkedIn. I joined local associations and got involved in womens groups. Business came in, some months were good and some were bad. It wasn\'t an easy time, yet when I came to do the accounts I was surprised that the year had gone quite well. This was due in no small way to the 5,000 courses I offer through distance learning which is a cost effective way of gaining qualifications. I worked a great deal on my websites and optimised them to the search engines and invested in Google Adwords to offer the online training. I also offered them to other training organisations to sell. The business model changed and the fear that the business would dry up did not materialise. I don\'t think I would have made these changes if circumstances had not forced my hand. Which brings me back to Ruth\'s comments, is it fear and worry that stops women taking huge risks and now may ultimately help them survive the recession. As a result of restricting the travel my work / life balance has improved dramatically. Rachel it looks as though you have considered self employment as an option. I would be interested to hear more.
Amanda Shaw - WiFi Solutions UK Ltd:
Hello Jeanne I run my own IT company and it is true to say that I have been cautious financially. However, that caution has allowed me to survive the recession and the company is growing slowly and steadily. Being my own boss and mother to three boys also allows me to have flexibility so that the family do not miss out as they are my top priority at the end of the day. I absolutely love the challenge of running a business despite the stress it can sometimes bring. It is a continual learning curve and extremely satisying. I have really enjoyed reading about you, your business and the success you have achieved - very inspiring - I am determined to keep running my business and one day I may achieve the success you are enjoying too. Very best wishes, Amanda - http://www.letsgowifi.co.uk (ps: I am based fairly near to you as I am in Ormskirk)!!
Ruth Wilson (UKRC moderator):
Hi Jeanne and Amanda, I agree with you about the pleasures and rewards of running your own business (I had a happy decade doing just that). Jo Cocker at the North West Development Agency has just sent me the link to a fascinating piece of research sponsored by HSBC (Nov 2008) which breaks down its findings according to men and women. There is much in common between the two: growth, investment and return on investment is similar. But there are some interesting trends. They tend to operate in different sectors. Women take the wider environment and its challenges more in their stride, partly because sectors they are in, partly because they approach problems differently. There is more along these lines, all very interesting! The exec summary: http://www.deltaeconomics.com/media/COGSexecsummaryfinal.pdf The full report: http://www.deltaeconomics.com/media/COGS2008web.pdf
Amanda:
Thanks Ruth - I will take a look at that link.
Jeanne Hatton:
Hi Amanda I couldn't agree more that running your own business can mean a lot of stess and very hard work but does give the flexibility to fit your working life around your family. This is precisely what made me start the business and leave IBM. I realised that staying with IBM would mean good career success but long hours in the office. I have had a look at your website Amanda and am really impressed with your offerings. I wish you every success and hope to meet up one day. Do you do any networking in the area. I belong to a number of networking groups including Women in Business. If you would like to meet up at one of the many networking events around, please let me know. Best wishes Jeanne
Jeanne Hatton:
I shall look at this link with great interest. Funny the differences between men and women.
Gillian Arnold:
I note your autonomy ladies with a small glow of jealousy. However, I am now managing lots of people in IBM who get the flexibility that you wanted with your families working for the big organisations. Many companies, (including IBM) are offering compressed hours (working Monday to Thursday only) or other flexible solutions. Lots of people use the \'working at home\' option, and many will leave work early to pickup the kids, completing their working day after the bathtime/bedtime routines are over. There seems to be much less stigma attached to the \'part time\' option than there was. I think this must be because there are some pretty high profile folks who are opting to work flexibly. I am really pleased about this because the folks at the Equal Ops Commision (now the Equality and Human Rights Commission) always said that when we get the flexible working options right, we start to get more women into the workforce, and start to treat those we have more equably.
Jeanne Hatton:
Hi Gillian I think you're absolutely right and I know some of those high profile ladies have said that only now is it possible to watch your son playing football while replying to an email on your phone or PDA. I go to a lot of companies including IBM where I see flexible working a reality (I think 95% of the workforce) is able to hot desk at any IBM location and many work at home. I now do not feel any stigma when I receive a call and say I am going to a school related event or to pick up the kids. Indeed many men then tell me they are doing the same thing.
Ruth Wilson:
I read the article from HSBC http://www.deltaeconomics.com/media/COGSexecsummaryfinal.pdf The full report: http://www.deltaeconomics.com/media/COGS2008web.pdf I noted that the return on investment in women run businesses was extremely good. I have also just read an article written by Glenda Stone who co-chairs UK Women's Enterprise Taskforce established by Gordon Brown. She states: "Most venture capital and angel investment tend to go to a specific breed of entrepreneur - innovative, well networked, intelligent, confident … male. Is this the result of deep-rooted discrimination or is this simply an issue of supply and demand? Women-owned businesses are largely under-capitalised and this leads to inhibited growth. Globally women-led businesses receive less than 5 percent of venture capital. Women business owners also seek less bank loans and overdraft facilities. Regardless of country, women are more frugal - they do more with less, for less. Is this a flattering positive or is this a naive flaw that perpetuates women's relegation to micro enterprise?" Since women entrepreneurs tend to give a better return on investment than their male counterparts this does not make sound business sense.
Kate Craig-Wood:
Hi Jeanne, It is great to hear such a positive story from a woman who has managed to return to IT after a career break. It is also lovely to hear about another woman who is running her own IT business - we appear to be an extremely rare breed! I would certainly encourage any returning-to-work Mum who has a bit of financial support to consider taking the opportunity to go into business for themselves; it seems an ideal time to do it - you can often start out with a light workload for the first few years, and the extreme-task-juggling & time-management skills that Mum\'s seem to acquire (yes, I'm jealous! ;) are ideal for a business start-up! As you and some others have mentioned, the recession does not appear to be biting too hard just yet, in fact for us it has created opportunities since we can offer good cost savings to larger customers who might previously not have considered using us - especially in the field of outsourced IT infrastructure. Also, the Telegraph comment about women being less aggressive in business and therefore being less likely to over-extend is something that rings true for me; Memset is debt-free and has grown organically so we are in a very sound financial position. That said, I do sometimes miss the additional courage that testosterone brought me and can see that it could be a benefit in other economic climates!! (in case you're wondering what I'm talking about, see my Web site )
Ruth Wilson (UKRC moderator):
Great to hear from several women in IT. The point about flexible working (raised by Gillian) is an important one. Kate, I am very struck by the stats on your website - "Only 16% of tech workers are female, falling from a high of about 21% five years ago. On top of that, at 23% the gender pay gap in the IT sector is much worse the UK's 17% average." By the way - the last comment labelled 'Ruth Wilson' isn't from me! Perhaps someone sending me a message about the HSBC report?... or someone with the same name?.... I'm interested in what my name sake has highlighted - that on the one hand frugality means low risk and therefore perhaps endurance through a recession, but on the other hand can mean a business is undercapitalised and therefore limited in potential. These are great generalisations, but the data does seem to suggest differing attitudes to risk between male and female entrepreneurs, as well as differing perceptions of male and female entrepreneurs by investors.
Jeanne Hatton:
Hi Gillian I agree completely. Things have moved on and for the better. Some of the high profile folks have commented that it is only now that you can be watching your child play football while still receiving emails, calls and instant messaging. I know that flexible working conditions at IBM now mean that 95% of the workforce do not need to be office based and can work at any IBM location or at home. The stigma of part time does seem to have reduced and I don\'t hesitate to say on a call that I am working from home. Let\'s hope things continue in this manner so that women can work flexibly and combine work and family life.
Jeanne Hatton:
Hi Ruth Thanks for the link to the HSBC article. It is interesting to note the return on investment figures for women. There is an excellent article written by Glenda Stone from The Women's Task Force set up by Gordon Brown. The article claims that very little funding and Venture Capital goes to businesses led by women even though the return on investment is greater. Perhaps this is also a reason why women entrepreneurs tend to expand less than their male counterparts.
Jeanne Hatton:
Hi Ruth The post about Glenda Stone was from me - not sure what happened there. Apologies if I put your name in by mistake. The Glenda Stone one is on the reuters web site.
Jeanne Hatton:
Hi Katie Great to hear from another lady IT business owner. I think I'll be in touch soon as I am looking for a new hosting solution. Thank you for your kind comments. I looked with interest at your web site noting the appalling statistics of women in IT. I see all too often when I am training IT departments that women always seem to have the supporting roles, answering the telephone or on the help desk - no wonder they leave unchallenging roles. See below: Ofstead have just released some information about girls and IT qualifications in schools. It seems that as a whole pupils and not signing up for IT but it appears that many more girls are not choosing IT. \"The popularity of information and communication technology is declining rapidly in school despite its importance in adult life
Ruth Wilson (UKRC moderator):
Hi Jeanne - there are some other Ruth Wilsons, including a famous actress. Good to know it you was you :-)
Gill Hunt:
Great story and nice to hear from so many other women owned technical businesses. I agree with Jeanne that women take fewer risks when setting up in business and are therefore much better prepared for any problems that come their way. I run a website www.skillfair.co.uk that caters for self-employed consultants and at our annual conference it's always clear that the women have done their homework, worked out what they should do and then gone and done it. Some of the men have too ;-) I can relate to the problems of growth though, after several years of being a very small team (2-3 all part-time and self-employed) we are starting to grow quite fast and its quite tough to get all the relationships and structures sorted out and working when you've got used to a very flexible, informal atmosphere. But worth it as there's definitely a size that you need to grow to for the business to become self-sustaining. Good luck with everything!
Ruth Wilson (UKRC moderator):
I'd be interested to know why people think girls avoid or are put off IT at school - and boys as well it seems, according to those Ofsted stats from Jeanne. I once saw a wonderful photo of three stereotypical male computer geeks. It was done as a joke - the men were clearly exaggerating the 'nerdy' look. But this stereotype is very powerful and probably helps deter both men and women. There must be other reasons as well. So its lovely to see the photos of Gill and her team - all very real and un-nerdy looking! Gill, can you tell me what 'self-sustaining' means? Is this a threshold that fewer entrepreneurial women reach?
Kath Littlejohn:
I'm an experienced IT trainer, having worked in Training for Work, Lecturing and customised training. I intended to return to employment or self-employment this spring but I have made the decision to put my career on hold until my younger son is settled into secondary school. Primary schools are predominantly female, and by secondary school, the pattern is already set. I started out as a nurse, but my degree is in Computing, mainly programming, and I have a good degree and gained a lot of confidence from it. There were 5 female students in my class of 45 first years, boosted in the second year by 12 female and 5 male overseas students. Why were there so few females from Britain, and so many from Malaysia? I can only blame the nerd label in Britain. Incidentally, all the British females were mature students, and only two completed the course, neither of whom went on to work as computer programmers because the hours were so family-hostile. I have not been able to find a job with hours that fit the school run. Tomorrow, I start the City & Guilds preparation course for people who want to teach adults. The recession means a lot more people are applying for training courses so there are some employers who will accept applications from prospective tutors who are on preparation courses rather than insisting on them being fully qualified. This is good for trainers with experience but no qualifications, who want to work in Public Sector organisations and colleges. There are a lot of adults without jobs, who can study during the school day, and there are a lot of parents who need to increase their skills and qualifications so this is a good sector to be in. As an ICT Tutor/Lecturer/Trainer, it will be my job to make sure I help to level the playing field for women and girl students.
Jeanne Hatton:
Hi Kaye Thanks for your kind comments. I\'m still not sure how much networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Ecademy have done for me. I have certainly met a lot of people from them and quite a lot of people I have lost touch with. I think LinkedIn is about the best as I can see other peoples networks and contacts quite easily and often it is fascinating to see how linked up we all really are. I\'m not sure it has got me too much business but sometimes these things take time. By far the most enquiries I get from the web is from my websites. I paid quite a lot to have them optimised and had pay per click campaigns done for me. None of these brought in much business so I used the time I had from reducing the amount of travelling and taught myself how to promote my websites, mostly through back links to my web site. It was very time consuming but extremely rewarding as enquiries from my web site account for nearly all new business. Great really as I\'m lousy at sales and marketing. As for whether I think women network differently than men, I think they get more from the social side of networking and this can lead to business and personal relationships. I have certainly found that the support that business groups and especially women in business networking groups have been invaluable on those days where you are about to give up. It is encouraging to know that other people are facing the same issues as you.
Jeanne Hatton:
Hi Gill What a fantastic business you have. I'm really glad you posted as I definately will sign up to your website. I'm glad that you are growing and wish you every success. Someone said to me once that if you grow from 3-5 people to 20 people you need to put good processes into place and once those processes are in place you have no problem growing to 100. Best wishes
Ruth Wilson (UKRC moderator):
Hi Kath, thank you for all the points you've raised about why girls fall by the wayside when it comes to IT. Your post was too long - the blog works best when entries are fairly short. Reading a very long post becomes hard work. So I have shortened your comment, and we are going to see about putting the rest of your post on a separate page for a few days, linking to it from here. Best of luck with the course. http://www.ukrc4setwomen.org/html/women-and-girls/getsetwomen-blog/kath-littlejohn/
Rachel Tobbell:
Dear All, I have just returned from the Prowess conference in Blackpool, and so have been surrounded by female entrepreneurs and those who support women to start up their own businesses. I was amazed to learn how many start up support services exist and how much good practice there is out there. For information and inspiration see the Prowess website on www.prowess.org.uk The site also maps all the support services available around the UK.
Linda Broughton:
Hi Jeanne, congratulations on your success and thanks for sharing your experiences with us. Its interesting how the debate has moved to women entrepreneurs and women in IT. I run a coworking space in Leeds which is home to a number of freelancers and startups in the digital space, and we aim to provide a very open and supportive experience. But we would love to have more women members! I've worked in IT since 1982 and I've always worked in an environment dominated by men. I have recently become more conscious of situations that deter women, as in the early days I would always have argued that things were fair. I tend to question things much more now, and am keen to do something positive to encourage more women to enter the sector. More recently I have been involved with Leeds Girl Geek Dinners www.leedsgirlgeekdinners.com which I would highly recommend to anyone - if there isn't one in your area, start one!. What I have found interesting that whilst most men are very supportive, some positively object, and I think that's a good thing, as it leads to a more open debate about the issues.
Kath Littlejohn:
Thank you Ruth, I've noted your 'length' comment, so this should be better. One more comment about females and computers: When I was at Leeds Metropolitan University in 1990, I attended an off-course lecture about girls and games, where the lecturer had developed a computer game and tested it in some local schools. The upshot was that the schoolchildren thought the (gender-neutral) character was male if it was doing anything dangerous or brave, and female if it was cautious or safe. Few girls played computer games because, if they didn't have a brother, there wasn't a computer in the house. When their teachers sent them to use the classroom computer, the boys rushed to the front while the girls stood back so that, if there wasn't much time, the girls didn't get a turn. Hopefully, with more computers in schools nowadays, educational games being more acceptable, and non-violent games being more numerous, the next generation of women should be much more computer-literate than their parents.
Veronica Broomes:
Hi Jeanne, Thank you for sharing your experience as a business owner and the model you use for growing your business. I was struck by the fact that you were using three different websites to reach your target market. Very instructive, indeed! I can see how this allowed you to optimise and use Adwords more cost effectively. I agree with you about the approach many women take in running their businesses, especially service oriented businesses such as training companies. As an owner and manager of Executive Solutions (Training) Ltd, www.executive-solutions.co.uk, I have found that operating with a pool of trusted and tested Associates is the best way of keeping overheads to a manageable level, while at the same time being flexible enough to offer clients customised training options. Yours is a very inspirational journey and a great example of 'converting challenges into opportunities, stumbling blocks into stepping stones'. Best wishes. Veronica
Karen Fenner:
Hi Jeanne, It's great to see you here and read your blog! Can I say it's great to read how you started up your business and to hear how well you're doing. I hope to see you soon. Kind regards, Karen
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