"As I was writing the book - I thought: I'm loving this, but I still want to get to know other women who are in the same boat. So I set up More To Life Than Shoes and started my first group where I live in St Albans. The idea was to try and attract women who were thinking of starting a business or changing career and wanted to meet like-minded women. I wanted that support network - which is something you don't always get from family and friends because they're sick of hearing about it."
MTLTS meetings - which cost £5 to attend for the first time (full membership is £7 a month) see women in towns mainly in the south east - though plans for expansion are afoot - link up and talk around a different monthly scheme. February's is pricing."Women have a bit of trouble valuing themselves in order to charge enough money for things," says Finer. "We tend to undercharge - 'Oh yeah, sure, I'll do it for a fiver'. We're like: 'What are you doing?!'"
She adds: "We're more for mutual support than how to do it. I think women get accused of being competitive quite a lot - but I don't see that. We want everyone to do well. If that happens and it works and jobs are created then it's all for the good." So why just a network for women then? "Well, there are networks for men and women but I think women struggle in some ways with confidence and creating a space and time where they can be authentic and open," argues Finer. "When you go to other meetings and networking things - it's kind of showing off. You go in and go: 'Hey everyone! I'm amazing, my business is fabulous, buy my stuff!'" That's OK, but I think having an opportunity to say: "Does anybody understand this stuff?" or: "This isn't going quite how I planned it," and knowing that you're going to get honest, helpful or supportive answers is really important."
One of the women who joined the first MTLTS group in St Albans is Anita Lindeman, who left her job as a part-time florist after 11 years to set up her own business, The Flower School, which teaches flower arrangement. She agrees with Nadia Finer that the key to the success of MTLTS is having a group of like-minded strangers both to bounce ideas off and to be inspired by.
"It made me think I could take the risk and do it," she says. "I saw women there who were making changes in their lives. I just said: 'Wow' - they've left their jobs and set up on their own. It was as much a mental boost as anything and they were so encouraging."
The New Year is a common time for people to reevaluate their lives and careers. And it's an equally common time for people to make grand plans and not keep to them.
But making a career leap of starting a business isn't the same as a new year resolution.
"It's not a resolution," says Finer, "because if you say: 'My resolution is to change my life'" by the 10th of January you'll have changed your mind. It's small steps. The new year is a really good time - you go back to work after Christmas and, even if your job is kind of OK, if you've got a passion for, say, making clothes - well, it doesn't mean you have to ditch your job at a really difficult time - it's more looking at the things you enjoy doing and doing a little bit of it on the side in a way that it can become something in the future."
"There doesn't need to be some dramatic change. Do a bit until you're ready. January is a very good time to start doing it."
- INDEPENDENT
