And What I’d Do Differently Next Time.
So, this has been a funny old week.
As some of you may (or may not) know, the long-term plan has always been for DiversityWorks to evolve from a blog championing women’s rights and equality in the workplace to a jobs board and recruitment agency designed to help women re-enter (or progress) at work on terms that work for them.
What’s in a name?
I have been pondering the name DiversityWorks for some time now. Diversity is a broad umbrella term that describes many different individual characteristics. I was concerned the word ‘Diversity’ didn’t accurately convey precisely the type of people I wanted to help—professional women like me who wanted to work flexibly after children in a fulfilling career, but struggled due to the lack of part-time jobs available.
So, before the job board launch (in June 2021), I decided to rebrand. As part of the rebranding, and after receiving feedback from friends, I decided that now would be the best time to change my company name to better reflect the women I want to serve.
After brainstorming with my mum, I came upon the name ‘Banking on Women’. We thought this was a good play on words and fairly clear about the type of women I wanted to serve – ambitious female professionals.
Putting the wheels in motion
The domain was available. I called GoDaddy (my website host provider). They were accommodating. In one click, they changed my website domain from diversityworks.uk to bankingonwomen.co.uk. I requested a name change with Companies House and started updating my social media accounts. Happy days, I thought! Or not…
The next afternoon, I received an email from Companies House. It turns out you can’t use (or trade under) the name Banking without permission from the Secretary of State and the FCA. This could take weeks to be granted. I was in limbo, feeling stuck. I had got into the rhythm of releasing weekly blog posts and had a cracker of one to put out this week (if I do say so myself). But couldn’t release it when I didn’t know what to call myself or where to send people. I was having a full-blown identity crisis!
As someone who likes to take action, the situation drove me mad.
After waiting a few days for an FCA decision, I changed my company name (again!). A friend then rightly wondered if the name Banking on Women may pigeonhole me too much. Something a bit broader would enable me to serve more women and give me more areas to pivot into should the need arise.
More brainstorming ensued. The name I have finally settled on for my new job board is (drumroll please…) Investing in Women. I hope this name accurately describes what I want the job board to achieve AND who I want to serve.
Investing in Women – why it matters
I want firms to invest in more flexible working opportunities, which have repeatedly been proven to be the number one way to attract and retain female talent. By investing in these roles, they retain more women at the career crossroads, so many find themselves after children. Although this investment benefits young mothers now, it is also an investment in their futures. They are more likely to stay employed and become tomorrow’s female leaders.
Ultimately, by creating more ‘female-friendly’ employment, businesses are also investing in their own futures.
Firms with diverse leadership teams outperform their rivals. Research from McKinsey in 2019 found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25 percent more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile.
It’s early days in my own story as a business owner, but I thought I would share this week’s ‘behind the scenes’ chapter.
Key rebranding learnings
If you are choosing a name for your own business, before purchasing a domain, make sure you do two things:
- Check the Companies House Register to ensure your chosen name is not already registered with another business.
- Visit Gov.uk to check that the word is not considered sensitive. Otherwise, you will need to jump through more hoops and get extra permissions to use it.
We are a jobs board designed with women in mind
Investing in Women is a brand-new job board launching in June 2021. It aims to connect forward-thinking businesses with exceptional female talent—just like you!
We want to partner with organisations that invest in female talent by creating progressive and professional jobs that enable women (and men) to achieve their full potential while working flexibly. Companies that put inclusive hiring strategies at the heart of their recruitment practices. Organisations that are transparent about pay, maternity benefits, hours and everything else are important to women.
If you are a female (or male) professional looking for a flexible yet rewarding career, we want to help YOU! We don’t believe that in 2021, parents should have to choose between career progression and time with their children.
Please visit our jobs board to apply for the latest part-time and flexible jobs. Follow us on our social media accounts and sign up for our newsletter (you’ll also receive a free professional CV template – what could be better!!!).
Our careers advice section is also for you. We offer practical step-by-step guides on writing a CV, preparing for a job interview, or negotiating a job offer. Other guides on returning to work, balancing your career and family and thriving in the workplace will be coming soon. Watch this space.
Finally, if you work for a forward-thinking business that would love to attract more amazing and talented women to your organisation (or know someone who does), please use our Contact Us form to discuss advertising with us. We’d love to hear from you!