Susan Lawson is the Founder of Susan Lawson Ethical Thought Leadership. She established the company to enhance the quality, ethics, authenticity, and originality of Thought Leadership materials in business. With a strong focus on Ethical and Sustainable Business and Sustainable Finance, Susan advocates for the role of business in driving positive change. She brings extensive experience in publishing and editorial work, transitioning from a career in architecture to writing and content strategy.
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your corporate journey/venture/initiative.
I was brought up in a rather crestfallen yet garish seaside town in the North of England (I’ve not been back for 35 years but will probably always have a fondness for neon lights, let’s put it that way!). As a child, I was obsessed with interior design of all things. I was that weird teenager who spent their pocket money on interiors magazines, causing much consternation from my conventional working-class grandmother, who thought I should be spending it on beer and being ‘normal’! I was also a massive ‘swot’ (still am!), which didn’t make me popular—in fact, I was bullied—but it has served me well in my life as an entrepreneur, as I still enjoy learning and gaining critical new skills.
Initially, I studied Architecture, partly because of my interest in design but also influenced by the men in my family, all of whom were builders (especially my Grandad, a bricklayer who used to keep clippings for me about architecture from the papers). But in my mid-twenties, I began to realize that I was a somewhat better writer than designer. I moved to London with a good friend, and that’s when I got started in the publishing/editorial field.
Every industry that is now a large-scale, top-notch business once started as a small idea in the minds of entrepreneurs. What was that idea or motivation that made you start your business/initiative? What motivated you within to say YES, go for it!
There was no initial ‘grand moment,’ I’m afraid! I had undertaken freelance work on and off throughout my entire career, often in conjunction with part-time but meaningful high-level roles. By some quirk of circumstance, most of my good friends have always been self-employed or entrepreneurial, so I guess it’s somewhat in my blood. I have never much been around ‘full-time-employed’ people.
But I will say that I made a clear transition from ‘being a freelancer’ to actively wanting to start and grow a clear, delineated, and defined business proposition a couple of years ago. I reached an age as a woman where I was tired of conforming to other people’s business ideas and felt experienced and confident enough to act on my own ideas instead. In addition, I saw that most Thought Leadership (or long-form content) was increasingly sub-par in terms of quality and also that Thought Leadership was uniquely suited to certain types of ethical or thoughtful business.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity?
Obviously, I care about ethical business—by which I mean business that not only causes no harm (socially or environmentally) but also, ideally, contributes. Unfortunately, there seems to be something of a backlash against these ideas at present, and so my most urgent concern right now is that there remains strong leadership here. We need to keep showing that sustainability and ethics are not antithetical to healthy business and growth. There are some prominent proponents of Sustainable Finance (such as Mark Carney, former Head of the Bank of England and now PM of Canada), but we need more visibility about this stance and also a broader range of people involved. Personally, I’ve never understood why finance and investment aren’t taught in schools, but because they aren’t, a ‘fear of finance’ develops that leads to false ideas about business and finance being inherently unethical.
Women are a growing force in workplaces worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. There are cracks in glass ceilings everywhere, with many women breaking through to carve out a space right at the top of the pyramid. What are your thoughts about women leadership today?
I’d love to give a more upbeat response, and obviously, there is some progress, but unfortunately, I don’t share quite the same level of optimism. Women are still an anomaly on boards, and women’s businesses are still under-capitalized. Studies have also shown that a majority of people (including, shockingly, many women themselves) still perceive men in the workplace as ‘more competent.’ In addition, posts by women receive fewer readers than their male equivalents; women who are assertive (i.e., using the same straightforward language as men) are often perceived as ‘aggressive’ or ‘self-opinionated,’ and many women Thought Leaders remain wary of making bold statements online in the face of potential backlash. There are even business books telling women to pretend to be hesitant when they speak! None of this is acceptable, and so I’m more wary of declaring progress. What’s the solution? I don’t know, and I often despair, but it seems clear that real change is going to need women and men working together to understand why such issues still remain, so it’s great to see Humans of Fuzia encouraging this.
What’s the most important thing you have learned in your personal life and professional journey? What is your personal motto in life?
Just Keep Going! (‘Slow and steady wins the race!’) Also, it does help to grow a thicker skin (although not so thick as to be heartless or deny your own emotions!). If I had taken it too much to heart every time there was a setback, knock-back, rejection, or lack of support, I would have given up on my goals or dreams years ago. As much as I have an optimistic view of life, I’m also a realist, and the truth is that for most people, making progress can be harder than we want or expect. So you must have quiet, relentless self-belief and personal strength—none of which is the same as arrogance, by the way!
With your grit and determination, you are making a considerable impact, breaking through, and serving as a role model for many budding entrepreneurs. What would you want to say to our young women leaders/audience reading this?
Firstly, I would be open and honest with them about some of the negatives, including that circumstances are not yet what they should be regarding equality and that entrepreneurship does come at a cost, at least initially. It takes a willingness to be uncomfortable, often for a long period of time, and you sometimes have to have nerves of steel, not to mention sticking power! It’s definitely not for everyone! That all being said, I wouldn’t want to put anybody off the possibility of bringing their own ideas into the market. Anything is possible if you plan thoroughly and also have the patience and persistence to carry through your goals.
Website: www.susan-lawson.co.uk
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