We attended the Women’s Inspire Network conference in Galway a few weeks ago, and as we spoke to some of the amazing women in business, we were reminded of the challenges we can face while setting up a business. This could be in terms of finance, stepping online and a range of other issues, including the challenges we face within ourselves. If you are struggling with certain things while trying to get your business off the ground, just remember: you’re not alone.

Philipa Jane Farley
Business Consultant
Privacy Law Specialist
Twitter @JustCallMePips

Philipa is a privacy law specialist who has worked in IT and legal advisory positions for 20 years, and is an expert on the General Data Protection Regulation. She and her family moved to Ireland from South Africa in 2017.

“A big challenge for me has been the shift in marketing with the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). There’s a website explaining everything. You can become so paralysed by it so find somebody in your circle who knows what they’re talking about.”

The GDPR will be introduced on May 25th 2018, and anyone in business (individual or organisation) must be aware of it. It’s true that you can become lost in a sea of information, but there is a helpful website here, which explains everything you need to know. Learn how to run a privacy audit on your business, so you can be sure that you are complying with regulation.

“Also, trusting that people will come to you and use your service – you have to make yourself look so good that they do.”

It can be hard to trust that you will generate leads and customers in the beginning stage of business. The fear of failure can be hard to ignore. But if you have faith in your business, are confident in its values and are marketing those values correctly, you are likely to do well, even if it takes a while to get off the ground.

Find out more about Philipa on her website, philipajane.com
Keep an eye on our social media for the next part of our series coming next week.