Women in business with Jacqueline Gold

For Ann Summers, women really are everything. Our whole world revolves around helping our customers feel confident, feel sexy and feel seen, and so International Women’s Day is absolutely our kind of day. To celebrate this year, we sat down with Executive Chair of Ann Summers, Jacqueline Gold, to talk about women in business, to pick her brains on how to get ahead, where to turn when you’re struggling, and the joy in inspiring confidence in the bedroom and the boardroom…

This year's International Women’s Day theme is breaking the bias - what does that mean to you personally?

Oh I can think of a number of examples where it’s happened to me. Not long ago, I was doing a speech at Retail Week Live, so I was backstage preparing myself, and some chap came up to me, all flustered and anxious and said, "Where are my slides? I've not had my slides. I'm on in half an hour!" He had assumed that, as a woman, I couldn’t possibly be a speaker, I must be one of the crew. It’s so frustrating! There is so much bias that women experience in their everyday lives, even unconscious bias, whether that’s being turned down for promotion in favor of a man, or overlooked for other opportunities. It can feel so unbelievable at times that it’s still happening.

Is that why you made sure Ann Summers has a female leadership team?

I didn't start off thinking I'm going to have an army of women on my team, I just focused on recruiting the best person for the job, but in doing that, I have got some amazing women in my team. The problem is, a lot of companies with male dominated boards don’t think about recruiting the best person for the job - if they did, there would be a lot more women on their board. There are still some very outdated views of women wanting to leave and have families, and they couldn't possibly make that work, but that’s nonsense, isn't it? To miss out on that diversity, particularly at board level, is very shortsighted.

You must be proud of how many women you employ at Ann Summers…

The biggest thing that stands out for me over most businesses is that the percentage of women on our board exceeds most boards, and they're not boxed ticking. They are women that deserve their seat at the table, and that I am proud of. The other thing I'm proud of is the top four earners in our business are all women - you can't get much better than that.

That is brilliant - do you have any advice for women who aren’t so lucky and might be suffering from the gender pay gap?

I think there are two things here. The first one is preventative. If you are looking for a job, you should really understand what their female policy is. What are their female values? What are their people values? Do they sit comfortably with your own? And if you have doubts, this isn't a company to work for. This is a time to be much more selective about where you work - so many companies are finding it difficult to recruit right now because people are looking at their wellbeing and what is right for them. And secondly, it goes back to what I said earlier about the courage. A man wouldn't hold back if he thought he wasn't earning enough.

You’re surrounded by women at work – not only on your team, but also your customers - what have you learnt from them?

My customers have inspired me all my working life - if it wasn't for those women at that very first party telling me they wanted to be able to spice up their sex lives, but were too embarrassed to go into a sex shop… It was incredibly inspiring for me. I like to be open to inspiration from everyone, people I meet for the first time, somebody I sit next to on a plane, I gave a job to someone I sat next to on a train once. I think that women are particularly good at engaging and empathy and recognizing opportunities in different ways perhaps to men sometimes.

How have things changed for women in business since you first started out?

I didn't have a mentor when I started, and I didn't find those inspirational opportunities that often, but the way business was done was very, very different then. People didn't share, they didn't empower, it was all closed doors. Today, I'm proud that we always aim to bring out the best in our people. We're very candid, very transparent and I think that's critical to the success of your business, but also for the development of your team. And there’s nobody that could be prouder than me for achieving having a very dominant female board. There's lots more I would like to achieve, but I think we definitely have a female focused approach to everything we do.

What does having a female focused approach mean to you?

I'm part of a female focused, female first committee that looks at what more we can do for our female colleagues without alienating our male colleagues, because they are just as important to us and we also need men to be agents of change. Whatever initiatives we as pro female ambassadors do, we need to bring the men on that journey as well, because this isn't just a female issue, it's a family issue. This impacts our partners. It impacts the family income. It impacts our daughters, who we want to grow up in an environment where they can feel that they can be whatever they want to be. They need their mums and their fathers to inspire them to achieve that.

What's the most important lessons that you've learned throughout your career in setting yourself up for success?

I'm very focused. I always think about what I want the outcome to be and I work back from there. I think we often let perceived barriers stand in the way of blue sky thinking, but I don’t do that. Business people often dismiss things because they think, we don't have the financial resources or the quality of people, but there are ways around challenges, and actually I love a challenge because usually great opportunities come from them.

What is the most common thing people ask you about?

Confidence is always the most common theme, and imposter syndrome comes up a lot. I've never heard a man suffering from that. Whether he does or not, I don't know, but I've never heard it. Women are super intelligent, it can't possibly be a woman thing that there aren’t more women on boards, so confidence is so important.

What’s some of your favourite advice to give people?

Surround yourself with cheerleaders, people that are going to say to you, "You can do this." Eliminate the negative people from your life, which I know sounds drastic, but they will only drag you down. On top of that, you need to make sure that you are your own cheerleader - write yourself an email with everything in it that you've achieved. The moment before you go in to do something that you are having a big wobble over, read it back to yourself, and remember how awesome you really are. And remember, you got this job because you deserve this job. You didn't get it by chance. Sometimes, we just forget how good we, and how valuable we are. Another thing is, don’t ever think, "Oh, that's a silly idea, I won't raise that." Nothing is a silly idea. Be noticed.

What do you think the best way to be noticed is?

You don't have to be a table basher or a chest beater to be successful, it's about being authentic, so just be you. If you're quietly spoken like I am, that's absolutely fine. Sometimes we put ourselves off doing things because we don't think we fit the stereotype. I never fit the stereotype, ever. In business, whether it be the sisterhood or small businesses, independent businesses, it is about engaging. It's about building your network, which doesn't mean pitching every five minutes, it means building relationships.

Speaking of the Sisterhood, what’s the criteria for getting involved with that?

We like to recruit women that are passionate about our brand. If they love what we do, if they're a customer already, then they are going to be successful ambassadors, and they will get amazing support from the Sisterhood. The great thing is it's an opportunity to do something you love, meet people, gain financial independence, earn lots of money and make loads of friends. I am so proud of the Sisterhood, because they are the heritage of our business and entrepreneurs in their own right. What they achieved during lockdown was absolutely phenomenal. They were joining us in their droves, supplementing the family income, and they adapted our model to suit the environment, by doing Zoom parties and personal shopping get-togethers on Zoom. That is what being an entrepreneur is all about; adapting to the environment. If you want to run your own business, choose your own hours and work it around your family, this is a perfect way to make money at the pace that you want to work at. I absolutely love, I love, love, love the Sisterhood. They're amazing.

When you were sitting at that first Ann Summers party all those years ago, did you have any idea how much it would grow?

Actually, no idea whatsoever. I certainly didn't think, "We are going to be a multimillion-pound company," but I love that about it. It doesn't work for me when people say, "My dream is to be a millionaire." Your dream should be about something in particular. If you have a passion for a particular idea, that is what will make you a millionaire or make you a multimillion-pound company. I was so passionate, and still am as passionate about Ann Summers today as I was then. I remember being at my very own first party, which I demonstrated at, and the women at the party were excited, but embarrassed and curious all at the same time. The interesting thing is that's completely changed, because now the customers know what sizes the toys come in, they want to know what speeds they have. It’s a change in the culture and Ann Summers has driven that culture change to empower women in the bedroom. That is something we should all be proud of.

You’re a big believer in mentoring – why do you think it’s so important?

It can be scary when you are climbing the career ladder, so I think it's a fantastic idea to have a mentor – it’s something I didn’t have access to when I was younger, apart from my father of course. The best way to go about it is to think about the people in your network that you admire and reach out to them. Most people would gladly help and give their time to listen to your challenges and support you. We, as women, need to do this together. All women need to support each other in the workplace. We need to be cheerleading each other, and we need to give each other support to speak up.

On the subject of mentoring, you set up WOW (Women on Wednesdays) through Twitter to showcase, celebrate and mentor female entrepreneurs – what compelled you to start that?

When I first joined Twitter, I noticed that a lot of my followers were either mums that had got fed up with not being able to crack the glass ceiling, or women that wanted to supplement the family income, who were asking me for advice. I just thought there must be a way that I can reach these women much more regularly. I decided to put this competition together, and it really took off. Hundreds of women were signing up each Wednesday and telling me about their business. I'm really interested in the businesses that have a good website, because that's their shop window, and businesses that are scalable, and also that are different and are thinking about something that can make them relevant in this environment. When I’ve chosen my winner, I profile them on my social media, and they join our WOW Facebook page, so they can trade with each other. We've done days at head office where they meet experts they can learn from and I take them for a mentoring lunch. I love doing it, and I'm always looking at ways of evolving it and making it better.

What’s your favourite thing an Ann Summers customer has ever said to you?

I love it when someone has come up to me unexpectedly and said something, I've got so many stories. There was one of our customers, who is a Loose Woman customer, and she said "I conceived my second child wearing your nurse's outfit." That was fabulous! And then, there was another very famous panelist, shall I say, on one of the very famous TV shows, who shares the same hairdresser as me. She came over when I was there and said, "I really want a rampant rabbit”, so I sent her one, and about six weeks later, I went into the hairdressers, and he said to me, "Less than a minute." I said, "What?" He said, "Less than a minute…" I got what he meant on the second time! Hearing those things always makes me think, that's why I'm here. That's why we all do what we do.

Last year, you teamed up with the Retail Trust on IWD to create a tshirt with a quote of yours on - "First comes courage, then confidence, then success." Courage and confidence can be really hard to find for a lot of people…

Well, this is why I always say first comes courage, because most women ask me about confidence and you can't just be confident overnight. It takes practice. What you can do overnight is courage. I remember when I was 21 years old and I was very shy, but I had lots of dreams. The workplace was even worse than it is now, you can imagine the whole male dominated environment that I worked in, I remember one board member actually stood up, threw his pen on the table and said, "Well, that's not going to work is it? Women aren't even interested in sex." That said a lot more about his sex life than it said about my idea… But I remember walking down to the boardroom to talk about my idea and get the investment that I needed, and passion allowed me to do that. Passion drives courage. If you have an idea that you are passionate about, you will find the courage. If you find that courage and step outside of your com comfort zone, I really do believe great things will happen and it will be life changing.

Why did you choose to work with the retail trust?

I think they’re brilliant, a fantastic support for people who work in retail, they really understand the challenges that retail staff go through. It is a non-judgmental place, and you can go with any issues that you might have, whether that be issues at home, financial issues, mental health issues. They have the expertise and the support, 24/7. They are absolutely amazing.

Speaking of struggle - burnout is a very real thing for working mothers - as a working mother yourself, what steps have you taken to safeguard your mental health?

I don't think that has ever be as important as it is right now, especially for those people working from home still, because we automatically pick up those caring responsibilities, that is the reality of our situation. So for me, first of all, I always make time in my diary for my family. I know that sounds a little bit clinical, but I'm one of these people if it's in my diary, I will do it. Now, that's not going to be right for everybody, but it does work for me. And I do think carving time out is important, whether that be family time or you time. I also meditate and I know some people don't get that, but I find it incredibly good for calming the mind when your head is buzzing all day.

Let’s end with your favorite thing about being part of the Ann Summers' team, because there must be loads…

I love my job. I love Ann Summers. I love the people I work with. No one day is the same. We are such a unique brand with so many opportunities still out there for us. I am so lucky. I go on the campaign shoots. I'm involved in the vision. I meet the models, and I often think, I wonder how many CEOs or executive chairs do this? I live and breathe this company. And I know there are so many exciting times ahead. There isn't a day that doesn't go by when a new idea pops into your mind and you quickly ring up one of your colleagues and talk about it. No day feels like I'm going to work, and that, to me, is how I want it to be.