SERIES TWO – EDITION FOURTEEN
In edition fourteen of our ‘Faces behind the Business’ series, we caught up with Sophie Princeton, Founder of Girls in Work; an online platform & community for professional career women.
When did you first get into the industry?
My career actually started out in accountancy around 9 years ago, and it was while I was in this job that I realised that I needed more of a creative outlet. I launched my own personal lifestyle blog in 2014, but after a couple of years my passion for what I was writing about started to dwindle. I still loved the process of writing, content creation and managing an online space and it was someone close to me at the time that pointed out that I was passionate about careers – and women’s careers in particular – and simply said ‘why don’t you write about that?’.
So, what initially launched as a career blog, has turned into an entire community and platform, and we now host events, mentor women and have just started to work with universities to deliver guest lectures to students and those eager to succeed in their careers.
How long have you worked at Girls in Work and what is your job role?
I founded Girls in Work in March 2018 before Emma – one of my closest friends – came on board very quickly and we are now both Directors of the business.
As it’s just the two of us, we do everything ourselves, from the day-to-day running of the business, to the web design and content creation, the social media management, the event planning, and we’ve most recently launched The Girls in Work Podcast, so you can add podcast host and producer to that list, too!
We love it though, and wouldn’t have it any other way.
What is Girls in Work ethos?
We are here to empower women to be confident in their careers, to not be afraid of success or ambition, and to fight for equal opportunities for women in the workplace.
We are a safe platform for women of all and any backgrounds and industries to share their experiences and connect with like-minded women. Our content is authentic, genuine and honest, and is centred around our Girls in Work community.
What’s the best bit of advice you could give to anyone looking at working in your line of work?
Be passionate about it and be clear with your vision. We know exactly what we want Girls in Work to be and so we can ensure that everything we do is taking us one step closer to that goal.
Also, never underestimate the power of building a community. It’s your community that will help build your business in a much more meaningful way than any paid-for social media ad.
And finally, utilise your own support network. We don’t know everything and we have never run a business before this, but we have friends that have been kind enough to share the skills and knowledge that they have, and it’s this that has been invaluable (we find offering them free coffee and cake usually helps!).
What do you love most about Liverpool?
The people. The sense of community. The architecture.
I first visited Liverpool in 2012, and instantly fell in love with the city. I was weeks away from moving to Manchester and Liverpool completely changed my plans. I moved here about a year later and have felt a sense of ‘home’ ever since. I briefly lived in London in 2017/18, and used to cry happy tears every time I came back to visit! It was always inevitable that I’d move back and I don’t think anyone was surprised that I moved back so quickly.
The culture in the city is wonderful and you will never find a friendlier, more welcoming bunch of people anywhere.
I like to think of Liverpool as my adopted home… for as long as the city will have me!
If you could describe your business in 3 words what would they be?
Careers. Confidence. Community.
Follow @girlsinwork_ or visit www.girlsinwork.com
Are you a business in the Liverpool City Region and want to feature in our Faces Behind the Business series? Contact us now by emailing hello@explore-liverpool.com or get us on WhatsApp on 07568 532 537.
