I rang the doorbell at 11 Downing Street. Someone had to, and I was glad it was me.
I’d been invited following a closed roundtable with Rachel Reeves and her team, where I spoke openly about the challenges facing founders like me in this country.
I was one of around 50 guests standing outside the famous gates alongside tourists and armed security, sharing a collective sense of nervous excitement.
On my way into Downing Street, I stopped briefly at No. 10 and looked at that famous door, with the crooked zero that has been there for years and will probably never be straightened. I thought about every Prime Minister who had walked through it before me.
I felt honoured to be there, but I also felt like I belonged.
The choice I shouldn’t have had to make
It was an honour to meet the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, not least because she is the UK’s first female Chancellor.
Less than 2 per cent of national funding goes to female founders.
That wholly unacceptable figure has not shifted in 10 years, and I believe it deserves far more scrutiny than it typically receives.
Female founders make history in landmark trip to 11 Downing Street
For instance, I had my first child in 2004 and launched my first business in 2006 with a small loan.
My second son arrived in 2008, the same year I was appointed regional director for a London-based UK trade body.
Both businesses were profitable from year one and scaled organically.
The reality is that I built around my children. I was hugely ambitious and wanted to go flat out, but instead I had to go steadily.
I don’t think I’m alone as a woman in deliberately keeping my business smaller than I would ideally like because it fits around family life.
I’ll turn 50 this year, and my youngest son turned seven in October.
Only now, with the support of my husband, can I fully commit to my new venture, KLIK SaaS. The kind of raise I’ve secured simply would not have been possible in the previous decade.
I didn’t build lifestyle businesses by choice or by accident. I put my boys first and have never regretted that decision for a moment. But I don’t think it is entirely fair that I had to make it.
I’d like to see us dig deeper to understand why that 2 per cent statistic exists. Do women have the support they need to scale? Are we intentionally holding back so we can put our families first? I’m someone who believes women can have it all. I’ve done it all, and with very little support.
But we need to understand what brilliant female founders and innovators truly need, and why only 2 per cent are securing funding.
Only then can we create the solutions and support systems female founders need to level the playing field.
The postcode lottery
Aside from being women, the other thing the 50 of us had in common was that we were all from the North East.
Rachel Reeves also represents a northern constituency, albeit in West Yorkshire.
I was pleased she shared our view on the opportunities available to North East businesses.
The reality is that there are more funds, more investors and a greater appetite for risk in London than in Teesside. But I would challenge the assumption that London is always the better option.
There are far more founders there, and the competition is fierce. A strong founder with a brilliant business can stand out in the North East and potentially secure a better deal because of it.
When I travelled to a pitch event in London not long ago, there were more entrepreneurs in the room than investors. In fact, several of those investors had North East roots themselves.
We have an opportunity to stand out in a less crowded market in the North East, but I believe we are often too humble. We don’t speak loudly enough about what we are building.
I raised successfully as a solo female founder in tech from Teesside, achieving a pre-revenue valuation of more than £6 million before the full product had even been built.
I won’t pretend it was straightforward, but if you are exceptional and can demonstrate it, someone will back you regardless of where you are based.
Where I’ve come from and where I’m going
While our meeting focused heavily on the future for North East female founders, it also made me reflect on my own past.
KLIK SaaS emerged from the most difficult period of my professional life. Reaching a point where I felt I belonged in Downing Street took time.
I do not entertain distractions, negativity or people who drain rather than energise me. My circle is small by design, but if you are in it, I will fight the world for you. I genuinely want all of us to succeed.
When things get hard and the odds feel stacked against you, be the mouse that churns milk into butter and climbs out while everyone else is drowning. That is where you will find your breakthrough, and much more besides.
In short, step forward and ring that doorbell. Someone has to, and it is far better if it is you.
- Kelly M. Whitfield is founder and CEO of KLIK SaaS, a Hartlepool-based licensed digital platform transforming the way organisations build structured, engaged communities. KLIK is pre-revenue with a valuation of more than £6 million and is backed by SEIS and EIS investors.