Two businesswomen from Clitheroe have been helping women to follow their dreams – including those who have escaped from abusive relationships and marriage.
Gaby Marsden and Ali King are the founders of The Goals Gals, an accountability mentorship group for female millennial service providers that helps women achieve their goals.
The two women, who are both business owners, understand what it takes to create a successful business and are also aware of the challenges self-employed women might face such as isolation, juggling home and work life, procrastination, and imposter syndrome so they wanted to offer support to help some of the 1.62 million self-employed women in the UK reach their business goals.
Gaby said: “We are so excited that our members are having so much success. Since launch, we’ve supported members in many ways from releasing albums to overcoming personal challenges that were holding them back in business.
“Ali and I decided to start The Goals Gals as we found that there were so many women running businesses, with loads of ideas of how to scale up and grow but struggling to make time to work on their business as they are too busy doing either client work or focusing on the wrong areas.
“The Goals Gals help those women carve out time each week to focus on their own goals and have the chance to report back to other members, which helps them stay on track. We also offer virtual co-working, training, and events. We hope that as we grow we’ll see more of our members have success.”
One member who has benefitted from the support provided is Asma Begum, from Rochdale, who is the founder of Soul Sisters, a charity supporting those who have survived domestic abuse.
Having taken her then toddler and escaped an abusive marriage she decided that she wanted to offer help and support to other people in the community who have been through the same thing. She says that the help of The Goals Gals has helped her grow the organisation to one that has helped over 300 people in the past four years.
She said: “Six years ago, I fled from an abusive situation with my 18-month-old son without realising that it was domestic abuse. Despite having a law degree and a well-paying full-time job, I was completely broken down.
“I sought refuge to keep my son safe and it was there that I came to understand the different types of abuse I had endured. I suffered from PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and I had lost trust in people. The refuge then provided me with private and secure accommodation.
She continued: “The Goals Gals membership has been incredibly helpful to me. It has boosted my confidence and self-esteem, allowing me to openly discuss my big goals without feeling embarrassed.
“The group provides great support, lifting me when I'm feeling down and cheering me on. It's helped me with my financial independence and motivated me to work towards becoming an employer so I can officially be a paid CEO and grow the organisation to its full potential with a team of staff, freelancers, and volunteers. The group has also helped me make informed decisions about the organisation and expanded my network, connecting me with professionals who can guide me in growing my charity.”
The Goals Gals have now opened their books for new members but there are only 10 spaces available to find out more or to sign up visit www.thegoalsgals.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here