TV Apprentice and PLC businesswoman Ruth
Badger took centre stage at the annual Bedfordshire Businesswomen’s
Club lunch on Thursday February 16th.
She told nearly 200 (including just three men)
at the event that the TV show was only part of her career in
business. She gave up a £125,000 year directorship of a £22
Million company, which she helped to create, to take up the TV
challenge - and then found herself selling cars against the
clock.
“I learned that business is about more
than money, it is about relationships and ever since I have been
applying that knowledge to helping small companies succeed,”
said Ruth.
Now 33, Ruth joined the show aged 27, but
although she did not win, she did go to work for Alan, now Lord,
Sugar. Since then she has been giving advice to 100s of
entrepreneurs who want to expand their businesses
Her parting line of wisdom to the many women
there was this: “Failure is actually a lesson the first time.
Only if you make the same mistakes again does it become
failure.”
The event was sponsored by Bedford College and
staged at its Shuttleworth campus in Old Warden Park. Russell
Hall was decorated marquee style by The Mansion House team who run
commercial and corporate events on the site.
Director of Bedford College Sharon Chinneck
welcomed guests and explained that the college led by example by
having a high proportion of women on the management team. And that
CEO Ian Pryce had questioned why Bedford appeared to still be run
by white men.
Ahead of the
rest
Bedford College is ahead of the world when it
comes to encouraging women in education, careers and business.
For that reason International Women’s Day was
marked a month early with the lunch arranged by the Bedfordshire
Businesswomen’s Club.
Cashing in on success of
businesswomen
The February event demonstrates the success of
a business partnership between an award-winning marketeer and
successful entrepreneur.
Sarah Baxter is charged with ensuring 18,000
people a year choose to study at Bedford College Her team forges
close links with employers ranging from global giants Vauxhall to
local retailers.
Kerry Cash is well known as the leading light
behind 5th Avenue hair and beauty studio - and is
now President of the Bedfordshire Businesswomen’s Club which
has hundreds of members.
The two have decided to join forces to
help female entrepreneurs and employers to make the most of their
businesses, and themselves.
Sarah said: “I went along
to a BBW lunch and was really impressed by the calibre of women and
the businesses they own or represent. At Bedford College one of our
keys aims is supporting entrepreneurs and employers - so I decided
Kerry and I should work together on a number of projects during her
year as President .”
Kerry added: “I want this
to be the best year ever for BBW and for its members - there is so
much more we can do to help ourselves and others.”
To find out more about
Bedfordshire Business Women click here