Episode 41: Leading in a Lonely World with Penny Power OBE
It’s never just business. It’s personal.
We don’t often talk about loneliness, and especially not in business. Yet for Penny Power OBE it has been the driving force in her mission to reduce loneliness in business by building and serving impactful business communities. Penny has personal experience of loneliness at various stages in her life. In childhood, as the child who didn’t fit in. As a stay at home mum. As an employee, as a sole trader, and as a business owner. Together with her husband Thomas, she built Ecademy, the first social network for business people, with a community of 650,000 members and yet she still suspects she was the loneliest person in the community.
In this powerful conversation, Penny describes her experience as an entrepreneur, public speaker, author and community builder. She shares openly and vulnerably about not only experiencing huge business success but also the story of her personal and professional recovery - having been broken, in 2011, by the loss of her business and community.
For Penny, making business personal means bringing all of who we are, with courage and confidence, into our service of others. If you’ve ever been tempted to think ‘it’s just business’, this episode is for you.
ABOUT YOUR HOST: SUE REVELL
Sue is on a mission to STOP women playing small so that they can create the legacy they want to leave in the world. With over 30 years coaching and leadership experience, Sue loves nothing more than disrupting the unhelpful thinking that often holds women back, so that they can think, dream and BE bigger in leading the change they want to see. Coaching internationally, Sue’s clients are primarily world-changing women who want to lead with confidence, increase their impact and live a life that matters.
TO CONNECT WITH / HEAR MORE FROM SUE:
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TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR SPONSORS:
Practice Solutions are a leading Welsh consultancy, helping other values-based organisations to bring their vision for a better future to life. Further information is available on the Practice Solutions sponsorship page.
Penny Power OBE
Entrepreneur and Community Builder
Penny is an Entrepreneur, Public Speaker, Author and Community Builder. She is the mother of 3 adult children and has been married to Thomas Power for 31 years.
Penny passionately believes in ‘community-led business growth’ and her belief, in business, has always been highly personal. Her latest book “Business is Personal” helps thousands of business owners to find their success and happiness in business.
Business Loneliness is a mental challenge that impacts the financial results for many, Penny focuses on this aspect of mental support through building and serving business communities.
Penny was awarded her OBE by the Queen in 2014 for her ‘contribution to entrepreneurs in the Digital Economy’, citing the work she and her husband, Thomas, achieved to bring community to business owners in 1998, before LinkedIn and Facebook (who followed 4 and 6 years later). ‘Ecademy’ grew across 52 Countries with 650,000 members. Working with business owners and their dedication to community values has been their life ever since.
In 2020 Penny and Thomas launched an exclusive business community for ‘Experts’. Business owners that have decided to focus their lives on a skill that will have impact on others. The community, called BIP100, reflects their beliefs in ‘small intimate groups’, ensuring intimacy, privacy, trust and support for business owners, where they can grow and support each other with strong values of kindness. The BIP100 Group will never have more than 100 members to maintain the intimacy within the community.
Penny also speaks … Read More
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