My Blueprint for Success: From £6,000 to £100 million

I started Global Loan Agency Services Limited in 2011 with just £6,000 and scaled it into a business that turned over £100 million last year. But my journey wasn’t just about building a successful company, it was also about reshaping an industry resistant to change.

True innovation doesn’t come from just sticking to the status quo, but rather from stepping outside of it. Looking back, I’ve learned a lot about resilience, taking risks, and what it really takes to shake things up.

Globally, women-owned businesses are booming, with 41% of women entrepreneurs seeing year-on-year growth from 2023 to 2024, outpacing their male counterparts by 25%¹. Yet, women still occupy only 21.7% of CEO roles globally² and hold just 19.4% of the top 1% of finance and professional services roles in the UK³. Clearly, more needs to be done.

Bootstrapping and Resilience - From £6,000 to a Global Powerhouse

When I founded GLAS, I had no external funding, just £6,000 and a clear vision to transform financial services. After years in the industry, I saw a gap in loan administration services, which had traditionally been dominated by banks.

I believed there was room for a more responsive, conflict-free solution, and I was determined to build it.

The journey was anything but easy; it took me over 400 business meetings before I finally landed our first deal. It was a relentless process that demanded constant resilience, perseverance, and unwavering self-belief.

Eventually, though, that first deal opened the doors to what is now a global business, with over £385 billion in assets under administration.

When you’re bootstrapping, every pound counts and has to contribute to your business’ growth. I couldn’t afford to hire a huge team or throw money at marketing. That forced me to prioritise effectively, and always consider what would really move the business forward. It taught me the power of lean, strategic decision-making, and staying laser focused on what the client needs - and how we can deliver this without compromising on GLAS’s growth ambitions.

Disrupting the Financial Services Industry and Thriving in a Male-Dominated Industry

Disrupting an industry and making it as a woman in a male-dominated field isn’t easy, particularly in financial services, which is full of established players, complex regulations and resistance to change. It takes more than a great idea - you need determination, the ability to adapt, and a strong belief in what you're trying to achieve.

I’ve spent my career in boardrooms where I was the only woman. You learn quickly that confidence matters as much as competence. I had to back myself, not just with ideas, but with outcomes.

Over time, our results spoke for themselves, and GLAS’s needs-based approach for business commanded respect. Through my own success, I’ve made sure to support other women coming up in the industry, and create a community of role models and mentors that I would have wanted earlier on in my career.

The Challenges Female Entrepreneurs Face in Finance and How to Overcome Them

While progress has been made, there’s still a lot of work to be done in breaking down barriers and creating a more inclusive finance industry. Empowering women isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s essential to ensure the growth of more inclusive, dynamic businesses.

I recently had the honour of receiving the Women’s Brand Leadership Award at the UN’s World Women Organisation’s official conference (CSW69), and was given the opportunity to speak about what I’d learned about thriving as a female entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry.

I shared the reality that many female entrepreneurs still face an uphill battle when it comes to accessing capital, building networks, and being taken seriously in male-dominated industries. I spoke about the importance of resilience, and how I learned to separate rejection from my self-worth.

My early pitch meetings often ended in polite dismissals, but I refused to internalise that as failure. I kept going. I also emphasised the importance of building your own table, and creating opportunities for other women, rather than just waiting for a seat at someone else’s.

I urge other entrepreneurs, particularly women, to back their vision and disrupt industries that have long resisted change. The future of finance will be shaped by those who are bold enough to challenge its past. If my story can offer one lesson, it’s this - you don’t need to fit the mould to succeed, you need to be willing to break it.

1 Women Business Collaborative (WBC) 2024 Women CEOs in America Report

2 Grant Thornton Women in Business 2025

3 WOMEN Vs MEN AFTER COVID