This is the fourth interview feature in our Female Leaders of the Events Industry content series – a celebration of empowerment and diversity in our industry, and a chance to shine the spotlight on those leading the way.

Rebecca Kelly is Founder and CEO at VenueScanner.com, which aims to create a frictionless venue discovery & booking marketplace.

She talks to us about how she got to where she is today and how the hurdles along the way did nothing to deter her from her goals.

1. Can you briefly tell us about your career path and how you got to the role you are in today?

I had a fairly non-conventional route into the events industry. I graduated with a first-class Economics MA from Edinburgh after specialising in microfinance. Along with the rest of my class, I went into investment management and undertook my CFA qualification.

However, I quickly realised that I wanted to be sitting on the other side of the table and building the companies that I was analysing – so I joined Marks & Spencer’s digital graduate program, where I developed a passion for data-led consumer businesses and growing them through digital marketing.

After a few years, I was headhunted into an awesome opportunity to work for entrepreneur Rowan Gormley, responsible for growing the digital acquisition across Naked Wines & Majestic Wines.

While I was at M&S, I was always organising offsite meetings, team away days, and parties for the business. I loved this part of my job but found it incredibly hard and expensive to find and book venues. And so, VenueScanner was born – a platform to discover and book venues for every event type. I jumped into VenueScanner full time in October 2016.

2. Did you always have big ambitions?

Yes, I have always had a tendency to think “big & unrealistic” rather than in the realms of what is achievable! I have a habit of pushing myself to the limits and am a big believer in not knowing what might be achievable if you work at it enough. I wanted to solve problems that affected lots of people and hopefully, VenueScanner is the first product that does this.

3. If you answered yes to the previous question, did you ever feel that these ambitions were challenged or questioned at any point during your career path?

Oh yes. Challenged by teachers, colleagues, bosses, family, friends…the list goes on.

Being in a corporate environment there are places to which you can’t progress until you “do the time” or follow specific routes to promotion. This often felt restricting and meant I was unable to have the freedom to think laterally like I now can with VenueScanner.

Going way back, when I was in school, I was adamant that I would do a maths degree. Unfortunately, the most common feedback was “Rebecca, you will barely pass A-level math, let alone take on a degree in it”. I ended up achieving the highest marks in my maths A levels and went on to study Economics, not quite maths…but close enough!

The biggest learning for me has been resilience and grit. If you keep trying enough then you will achieve what you want to in the end.

4. Generally, what challenges have you faced to get where you are today?

I suffered from dyslexia and dyspraxia (never realised until the end of University!). This made the learning and achievement process hard for me throughout school, university, and professional qualifications. It never meant that I didn’t achieve what I wanted to, but just that it took a huge amount of effort and work to get there.

5. Have you had to make any sacrifices to get to where you are today?

We make sacrifices all the time in work and personal life to try to gain a “work-life balance”. The sacrifices I have made are time and financial sacrifices.

To grow my career and build the business, I have often had to forgo time and experiences with friends and family as well as things that I love, such as working abroad and travelling adventures. When you make the decision to be an entrepreneur you sacrifice salary, savings, and being able to own assets or save in the same way your peer group are.

I try hard to maintain a balance between relationships and work and try not to worry about the finances!

6. What do you love most about your role?

The challenge. At VenueScanner, we are trying to make it super easy and affordable to hire a venue for any type of event. This might sound straightforward but there are huge complexities in the events industry. I love the challenge of trying to solve these and add value for so many people.

As an early stage start-up, I’m constantly stretched to learn new things and quickly adapt to them, often in creative ways, which I love. The challenge comes from customers, employees, shareholders, and industry experts. Having the opportunity to disseminate all these inputs and opinions is rare and exciting.

7. What has been your biggest work-related achievement?

I hope it’s yet to come! But to date, it would be when we hit our first 1,000 event enquiries through VenueScanner in a month. It was hugely exciting to see that what we had built was working and customers were using the platform for all types of events from weddings and kids parties, to conferences and training sessions.

8. How do you achieve a work/life balance?

Achieving a work/life balance is really hard. Especially living in a city like London where work is very much 24/7. I certainly haven’t achieved it yet but some of the things I do are; go spinning or boxing in the mornings before work which enables me to have some time to myself and stay energised all day. I try to take at least one day off every couple of weeks and have an evening a week where I spend time with friends or family, unrelated to work.

9. Do you think the events industry provides good opportunities for ambitious women?

I think the events industry is a great place for ambitious women, it’s a huge industry (over £50bn) with endless opportunities to drive change and create awesome experiences and services for people.

10. What advice would you give to women looking for progression?

Shoot high, believe you can achieve it and then work really hard. You don’t need to wait your turn to progress. Just give it your best, never stop trying and tell yourself this – if I don’t ask and push the barriers, no-one can say yes!

11. What three top skills do you believe that you bring to your role and your team?

Passion, resilience and hard work

12. What motivates you more than anything else?

I am motivated by people; customers, colleagues, investors, advisors, partners. I love understanding consumer challenges, hearing and acting on feedback, and working as a team create something better. I get my energy from the people around me – I found the lonely, early days one of the hardest parts of starting a business!