Next up we have Jasmine Wheelhouse. Jasmine is the MD of an events company called No. 18. Technology makes Jasmine's day to day way easier and quicker. Jasmine is a super inspirational woman, her role covers social media, financial planning, press, PR, graphic design and anything else you can think of! Thank you for providing us with such detailed responses!
"I'm the MD of events company, No. 18, which operates in the North of England and Scotland. Within this business, there's a range of things going on - we have a number of pop-up bars (Just Fizz and The Extraordinary Travelling Gin Company) which we take to food festivals, shows and is available for hire for private events; we run The Gin Fayre in Scotland which is a celebration of Scottish gins and an exploration of the wider world of gin; and we are the organisers for the Hidden Markets which is in it's first year, but is set to be a fantastic Christmas market with a twist in the wonderful town of St Andrews.
As sole director and employee, my role spans everything from management to office assistant. I do social media, financial planning, press, PR, graphic design and all aspects of event planning... you name it, that's my job!"
Tell us a little bit about your journey into a technology-based role, how do you use technology at work?
Technology allows me to do everything I need to do, but do it a lot faster. I use Insightly as my CRM system, which allows me to keep track of projects, sales pipelines and important contact details from the hundreds of people I speak with on a daily basis. It also serves as a checklist/to do list which is very handy! I use Zapier to automate tasks such as emails and reminders. I use Mailchimp to send out our newsletters and manage mailing lists. I use Photoshop and InDesign to design our brochures for events. Plus, of course there is Facebook, Instagram and Twitter - all of which I use for business.
How do you personally use technology in your day to day?
I truly couldn't live without my iPhone. It's not as quick as using my MacBook, but I can basically do everything I need to from my phone. All of the apps I mentioned in Q2 are available as iPhone apps, so I can feasibly run some of my business while I'm walking my dog!
What have been the best learning resources for you?
Well, like any millennial, I love Google. When I'm stuck with anything, or need an integration or tool that will help me do something quicker, Google is my first port of call.
As a woman, do you think you have faced any challenges that a man would not face in your position?
I don't allow gender bias to exist in my day-to-day. For me, it's all about ability - and the proof is in the quality of work - it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman!
What HAS been your biggest challenge so far?
Making the transition from a 'real' job - to working for and being accountable to myself.
With regards to technology, what do you think will be our biggest barrier to success in the future?
STEM subjects in schools. In a previous life, I worked in education where I saw plenty of young women believing that STEM subjects and equally STEM careers are boys subjects - which is not the case at all! If there is anything holding young women back it is the lack of knowledge surrounding STEM careers. (Parents often have a lot to answer for!)
Who makes up your support squad?
The fam!
What’s your favourite piece of advice to offer entrepreneurial/techy women?
Without sounding too much like Nike, the biggest piece of advice I can give anyone is 'just do it!' You'll no doubt regret it later.
Thanks Jasmine!
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