This International Women’s Day I’m casting my mind back to some of my favourite lessons and advice I’ve had over the years, which has formed the person, and entrepreneur that I am today. These are lessons that have helped my grow my business, and ones that I try to pass onto my own daughter.

Life is full of learning opportunities, and I’ve found ways to navigate different situations and get the most out of them. As Tony Robbins said ‘I am not your guru’, but I’m happy to talk about my experiences and the lessons I’ve learned in the hope that other business women can enjoy their own success.

Play to your strengths – From a young age I’ve been into playing sport, and in even my earliest sporting endeavours, I learned to play to my strengths, and that of my teammates. Having never been the strongest I’d not be quick to volunteer for heavy lifting, but if the task involved speed, my hand would be raised. It’s exactly the same in business, yet something many people, especially Women trying to prove a point seem to forget…we cannot be great at everything. I believe we can put a lot of pressure on young women by telling them they can be anything they want to be…and they can, but they can’t be everything! So, let’s help each other identify our own strengths, and double down on those.

Stay in your lane – Working with my husband can be incredibly rewarding, and challenging, but we’ve found a way to make it work for us, we divide and conquer. Whilst there’s no real job description, we have an understanding of our own individual roles, and it’s something that happened naturally. Whether it’s tasks that we each enjoy more, or are just better at doing, we each understand what we need to do, take responsibility for it, and make sure we deliver. I think we should support young women entering the workplace, to have confidence in their abilities, and in knowing their limits. Let’s teach girls to know when to step forward and take responsibility, and also when to take a step back, and give someone else the time to develop and complete their tasks. Co-operative understanding will make a more collaborative and cohesive workplace, where everyone contributes.

Participate, don’t just spectate – Having worked in typically male-dominated industries, I understand the need to speak up to get your point across, however I think this is an issue faced by many groups, including young people in general, and not just women. I don’t, however, believe in ‘opening your mouth and letting your belly rumble’, as my Mum would say. It’s ok if you don’t have anything to contribute, there is power in sitting back and listening, but if you’ve been invited to a meeting, or an event, then someone wants your input. Get yourself prepared, think about your questions in advance, write them down if you must. I don’t turn up to meetings to spectate, I participate. I always ask my team for their contribution during meetings, but not every workplace is the same, often you’ll need to grab your moment to impact the discussions.