Make It YOUR Business
Helping more women build successful businesses
A fast-growing not-for-profit business community supporting ambitious women to start, grow and scale businesses with more confidence, connection and support.
MIYB exists to create accessible support, encouragement and opportunity for women navigating the real journey of business ownership.
Through honest conversations, inspiring role models and meaningful connections, we help women feel less alone as they build and grow.
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This started with a belief
That more women are capable of building extraordinary businesses:
- Influential businesses
- Profitable businesses
- Flexible businesses
- Scalable businesses
And that women should not have to choose between ambition and presence, success and wellbeing, growth and family life.
Because for too long, women have been sold two extremes:
- sacrifice everything for success
or
- stay small to protect your life
MIYB exists in the middle of that conversation.
Some women want £60k and freedom, others want £6m and scale. Neither of these are more or less valid.
We believe success should fit your life, not consume it or ruin it.
And we also believe the UK economy becomes stronger when more women have the confidence, support, networks and capability to build sustainable businesses in a way that genuinely works for them.
What happens at MIYB
Three times a year, MIYB brings together inspiring founders, CEOs, leaders and business owners to share the honest realities of building and growing a business.
We explore the real journeys behind successful businesses, instead of the polished and perfect versions people often share publicly. The pressure, pivots, mistakes, lessons and growth that rarely get talked about openly.
These events are designed to give women:
- practical insight
- visible role models
- meaningful local connections
- honest business conversations
- confidence to take action
- access to people who have genuinely walked the journey
Whether you’re starting from scratch, growing steadily, navigating something new or scaling something bigger, MIYB is here to help women move forward with more clarity, courage and capability.
The Next Make It Your Business
An inspiring morning of honest conversations, practical business insight and powerful connection for women in business.
Join local founders, business owners and ambitious women for:
- keynote speakers
- panel conversations
- audience Q&A
- networking
- fresh perspective
- and an energising welcoming environment
It’s led by ambitious women for ambitious women. Creating a welcoming environment for honest conversations, encouragement and growth through the realities of entrepreneurship.
📍 Tunbridge Wells
☕ Tea & coffee included
🎟️ Limited spaces available
12 Speakers
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Live Stream
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Live Stream
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Live Stream
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Lead by Debbie Waite
Debbie Waite is a Strategic Leadership Partner for scaling founder-led businesses and Founder of Stronger Inside & Out.
With over 25 years’ experience across leadership, organisational growth and business performance, her work focuses on helping businesses scale sustainably without over-reliance on the founder.
She works with ambitious leaders and growing businesses to strengthen leadership capability, communication, accountability and operational effectiveness. Helping businesses grow without sacrificing their people, culture or humanity in the process.
Debbie believes more women should have access to the confidence, capability, support and networks needed to build successful businesses in a way that supports both ambition AND life.
Under her leadership, MIYB is evolving into a modern business community designed to support women through every stage of business growth.
Building something bigger
MIYB believes supporting more women into sustainable business ownership benefits far more than individual businesses.
It creates stronger businesses, stronger communities, wider opportunities for future generations of women and strengthens the UK economy.
That’s why MIYB is focused on creating more than just events. We are building a supportive and collaborative community where women can access:
- encouragement
- honest conversations
- practical support
- meaningful connections
- inspiring role models
- and opportunities to grow
Beginning in Tunbridge Wells, with a long-term vision of creating wider impact through women-led growth and sustainable business support.
Beginning locally…. Building intentionally…. Designed for wider impact over time.
Meet the team
A special thanks to...
Gini Bailey
Marketing Manager
Gini Digital, who designed and built the MIYB website. Founder Gini Bailey supports micro businesses with thoughtful branding, websites and practical marketing support designed to help businesses grow with more confidence and clarity.
Martha Smith
Product Designer
Brand photography for MIYB has been captured by Ada Gold, personal brand photographer, helping bring the personality, warmth and energy behind the community to life.
Roana Marques
Front End Developer
Gini Digital, who designed and built the MIYB website. Founder Gini Bailey supports micro businesses with thoughtful branding, websites and practical marketing support designed to help businesses grow with more confidence and clarity.
Want to get involved?
MIYB is growing and we’re always excited to connect with women who want to contribute to the community in meaningful ways.
You might:
- have a skill or expertise that could support the growth of MIYB
- want to help organise or support future events
- be interested in sponsoring an event or collaborating as a partner
- have a business journey or leadership story that could inspire others
- want to join future panels, workshops or conversations
- simply believe in the mission and want to be part of building something positive
We believe powerful communities are built collaboratively, through shared experience, encouragement, expertise and connection.
If you’d like to be involved in shaping the future of MIYB, we’d love to hear from you.
[ GET IN TOUCH ] link to a form asking some basic details and queations
The story of MIYB
Make It Your Business was originally founded by Alison Cork to encourage and support more women into business ownership across the UK. Here’s what she says:
“As a female business owner, I have always felt very strongly about the quality of life that running a business has given me. So over the years I founded a couple of initiatives to help other women start and scale their own businesses.
My view has always been that the biggest impact on people’s lives is to have financial independence and the ability to determine their own future. Moreover, that it is the small businesses, what I call the acorns and not the unicorns, that actually make the difference to the greatest number of lives.
However, despite women making up approximately half the population, they only account for a third of business owners, even though female led businesses generate on average higher returns than male led businesses.
So I decided to try and help redress that imbalance by founding two initiatives, Make It Your Business (MIYB) and National Women’s Enterprise Week (NWEW) to support women to network, found and scale businesses.
I am extremely proud of the fact that these not for profit initiatives continue to thrive and are open to all women free of charge. Thousands of women over the years have taken part and we look forward to welcoming many thousands more.
In 2026, Debbie Waite took over MIYB, and has already considerably grown and strengthened the network, bringing her unique dynamism to the role. I look forward very much to seeing how Debbie further builds on what we started.”
Today, MIYB is independently led by Debbie Waite and is entering a new phase focused on sustainable business growth, honest leadership conversations and meaningful support for women in business.
Her focus in 2026 is to strengthen the Tunbridge Wells based community in the South East of England.
The mission remains the same: to help more women build successful businesses with greater confidence, capability and connection.
Featured Sessions
Mastering Effective Communication Skills
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Sat, Mar 23, 2024
10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Harnessing the Power of Data Analytics
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Sun, Mar 24, 2024
11:00 AM to 2:30 PM
Building High-Performing Teams
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Mon, Mar 25, 2024
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Innovation and Design Thinking for Business Growth
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Mon, Mar 25, 2024
2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Registration
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Divi Event
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