We spoke to Isobel, who shared her journey as an entrepreneur and the importance of balancing work and personal life and still finding inspiration in nature.
Can you Share a bit about your journey as a modern-day woman and entrepreneur?
My journey as a modern-day woman and entrepreneur comes from a background in marketing and design. Wizz and Wild was started towards the end of 2019 before the world changed and our lives were turned upside down due to the pandemic. I had just started the business and was so pleased to have my first weddings and events booked as an up -and-coming florist and all of a sudden these exciting opportunities were postponed or cancelled. I look back on that time now in reflection and believe that it truly was an incredibly productive and important time for my business. I spent my days creating content, practising arrangements, and forging relationships with brands, event planners and fellow florists. Once the weddings were back up and running, I had a solid foundation to work from having spent so much time building my brand from the ground up.
I think it takes great strength and resilience to keep going, being productive and getting through something so tragic, as we all did.
How do you navigate the balance between your professional endeavours and personal life as a woman in today’s world?
I am very conscious of my work hours. I stick to a very strict regime and make sure that any weekends that I am not flowering a wedding, are spent doing the things I love most. Long walks with my partner and our golden retriever, riding a horse across the farm and hosting friends for a weekend in the countryside. During my work hours, I set myself timers to complete tasks. Once the task is complete, I browse Instagram, catch up on messages, make a cup of tea, and then start the timer again! I find that sometimes, the two (professional endeavours and personal life) can blend beautifully when something sparks my creativity and leads to an afternoon of bouquet making, or flowers for our home. Often, the time I take away from my desk allows me to recharge my creative batteries and all of a sudden I’m filled with ideas and inspiration for a big project or wedding.
In your opinion, what are some of the biggest challenges women face in the modern workplace, and how can we work towards overcoming them?
We have seen a huge conversation happening in recent weeks surrounding the cost of childcare here in the UK. As someone who one day would love and hope to have children, and also the founder of a small business, with many female friends and family whom this also affects, I feel so deeply that I want to be able to continue to work, doing what I love and continuing to build my business, whilst knowing that my children are being looked after, and cared for when needed, without it costing the equivalent of a second mortgage. It’ s little surprise that almost two-thirds of women who return to work after becoming mothers are forced to work fewer hours, change jobs or leave the work altogether due to the overwhelming costs. I’ll be very interested to see how things progress and hopefully change over the coming years.
How do you think reconnecting with nature can empower women in their personal and professional lives?
I believe wholeheartedly that nature and the outdoors work wonders for our souls. If ever I am feeling overwhelmed, anxious or down, the first thing I do is put on my wellies and head out onto the farm, whatever the weather. Come rain or shine, fresh air and springtime blooms make a world of difference to my mood and headspace. One of my favourite sayings is, ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes!’. Immersing yourself in the outdoors, in nature, allows you to slow down, and some of my best ideas come to me on a muddy, rainy walk around the fields.
I also believe that bringing flowers into your home is another brilliant way of reconnecting with nature and I always make sure I have a vase of flowers on the kitchen table. At the moment, we have a beautiful bunch of dried hydrangeas, left over from a project last summer that were too beautiful to compost. They make me smile even now, every time I walk into the kitchen.
Can you share any advice or words of wisdom for aspiring female entrepreneurs who are navigating their paths in the business world?
In our family, one saying I am forever inspired by is ‘Make it Happen’. It’ s what my mother said to me when I was starting this business, and it’s what I say to myself and my team if ever we come across tricky installations or tough mechanics. There is always a solution and we will always make it happen with enough imagination and determination! I also believe that there will always be someone better than you, no matter what level you are and what industry you are in, and that’ s what makes building your own business so much fun, you always have something to strive towards and inspiration to better yourself.
Celebrating Easter with Wizz and Wild
We spoke to Isobel, who shared her journey as an entrepreneur and the importance of balancing work and personal life and still finding inspiration in nature.
Can you Share a bit about your journey as a modern-day woman and entrepreneur?
My journey as a modern-day woman and entrepreneur comes from a background in marketing and design. Wizz and Wild was started towards the end of 2019 before the world changed and our lives were turned upside down due to the pandemic. I had just started the business and was so pleased to have my first weddings and events booked as an up -and-coming florist and all of a sudden these exciting opportunities were postponed or cancelled. I look back on that time now in reflection and believe that it truly was an incredibly productive and important time for my business. I spent my days creating content, practising arrangements, and forging relationships with brands, event planners and fellow florists. Once the weddings were back up and running, I had a solid foundation to work from having spent so much time building my brand from the ground up.
I think it takes great strength and resilience to keep going, being productive and getting through something so tragic, as we all did.
How do you navigate the balance between your professional endeavours and personal life as a woman in today’s world?
I am very conscious of my work hours. I stick to a very strict regime and make sure that any weekends that I am not flowering a wedding, are spent doing the things I love most. Long walks with my partner and our golden retriever, riding a horse across the farm and hosting friends for a weekend in the countryside. During my work hours, I set myself timers to complete tasks. Once the task is complete, I browse Instagram, catch up on messages, make a cup of tea, and then start the timer again! I find that sometimes, the two (professional endeavours and personal life) can blend beautifully when something sparks my creativity and leads to an afternoon of bouquet making, or flowers for our home. Often, the time I take away from my desk allows me to recharge my creative batteries and all of a sudden I’m filled with ideas and inspiration for a big project or wedding.
In your opinion, what are some of the biggest challenges women face in the modern workplace, and how can we work towards overcoming them?
We have seen a huge conversation happening in recent weeks surrounding the cost of childcare here in the UK. As someone who one day would love and hope to have children, and also the founder of a small business, with many female friends and family whom this also affects, I feel so deeply that I want to be able to continue to work, doing what I love and continuing to build my business, whilst knowing that my children are being looked after, and cared for when needed, without it costing the equivalent of a second mortgage. It’ s little surprise that almost two-thirds of women who return to work after becoming mothers are forced to work fewer hours, change jobs or leave the work altogether due to the overwhelming costs. I’ll be very interested to see how things progress and hopefully change over the coming years.
How do you think reconnecting with nature can empower women in their personal and professional lives?
I believe wholeheartedly that nature and the outdoors work wonders for our souls. If ever I am feeling overwhelmed, anxious or down, the first thing I do is put on my wellies and head out onto the farm, whatever the weather. Come rain or shine, fresh air and springtime blooms make a world of difference to my mood and headspace. One of my favourite sayings is, ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes!’. Immersing yourself in the outdoors, in nature, allows you to slow down, and some of my best ideas come to me on a muddy, rainy walk around the fields.
I also believe that bringing flowers into your home is another brilliant way of reconnecting with nature and I always make sure I have a vase of flowers on the kitchen table. At the moment, we have a beautiful bunch of dried hydrangeas, left over from a project last summer that were too beautiful to compost. They make me smile even now, every time I walk into the kitchen.
Can you share any advice or words of wisdom for aspiring female entrepreneurs who are navigating their paths in the business world?
In our family, one saying I am forever inspired by is ‘Make it Happen’. It’ s what my mother said to me when I was starting this business, and it’s what I say to myself and my team if ever we come across tricky installations or tough mechanics. There is always a solution and we will always make it happen with enough imagination and determination! I also believe that there will always be someone better than you, no matter what level you are and what industry you are in, and that’ s what makes building your own business so much fun, you always have something to strive towards and inspiration to better yourself.