From Young Mum to Business Owner | Antonia on Bookkeeping, Backing Yourself & Building a Business Around Family

In this episode of the Built By Her Podcast, Georgie sits down with Antonia, founder of A B Accounts Support, to talk all things bookkeeping, business finances, and what it really looks like to build a career around your life...not the other way around.

From becoming a mum at 23 and spending five years out of work, to accidentally falling into bookkeeping and eventually launching her own business, Antonia shares the honest reality of rebuilding confidence, learning on the job, and creating a business that supports both her clients and her family.

This episode is packed with practical advice for business owners who feel overwhelmed by finances, bookkeeping, VAT, invoicing, subscriptions, and everything in between, but it’s also a really relatable conversation about self-belief, flexibility, and taking opportunities even when you don’t feel “qualified enough.”

In this episode, we cover:

• What a bookkeeper actually does (and why they’re different to an accountant)
• Why bookkeeping isn’t just “reconciling transactions”
• How a bookkeeper can actually save you money
• The benefits of having someone manage invoicing and payment chasing
• Why separating your accounts from your day-to-day business can reduce stress
• Starting a business as a sole trader vs limited company
• The importance of getting financial support early in business
• How Antonia accidentally fell into bookkeeping after becoming a mum
• Learning on the job without previous experience
• Completing AAT qualifications whilst working and raising children
• Why you don’t need your whole career figured out in your early 20s
• Building a business around flexibility and family life
• Xero vs other accounting software
• The value of personalised financial support for small business owners

This episode is such a refreshing reminder that careers don’t always follow a straight line and sometimes the best opportunities come from simply saying yes and figuring it out as you go.

Guest Details

Guest: Antonia Burgess

Instagram : @abaccountssupport

Linkedin: Antonia Burgess

If you’re a business owner who’s been putting off sorting your finances, this episode will make bookkeeping feel a whole lot less intimidating.

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🎙️ Hosted by Georgina McDonald founder of G R Design Studio

🌐 Website: https://www.grdesignstudio.co.uk/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/g_r_designstudio

🎧 Produced by Richard Lannen at Nozzle Media
🌐 https://nozzle.media
📸 https://www.instagram.com/nozzlemedia

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone building something of their own.

It started as a side hustle during maternity leave… but it didn’t stay that way for long.

In this episode of the Built By Her Podcast, Georgie sits down with Ellie, founder of her own PMU and lash business, to talk about how a small idea turned into a 13-year career in the beauty industry.

From working in spas to building her own fully booked client base, Ellie shares the honest reality behind running a beauty business, including the confidence struggles, the pressure of social media, and the constant feeling of chasing the next level.

This episode goes beyond lashes and permanent makeup. It’s about what it really takes to build something for yourself, and why success doesn’t always feel how you expect it to.

✨ What we cover:

• Starting a business during maternity leave without even realising it
• How the beauty industry has evolved over the last decade
• What lash extensions and permanent makeup actually involve
• Why one-size-fits-all doesn’t work when it comes to beauty treatments
• The importance of client consultation and managing expectations
• The reality of poor training in the industry and learning as you go
• Imposter syndrome, even after 13 years in business
• The impact of social media and comparison in a visual industry
• Why growth doesn’t always feel like success
• Feeling overwhelmed, time management, and trying to do everything at once
• The importance of focusing on your own journey
• Ellie’s next step, launching her own lash training (coming soon 👀)

💭 Key Takeaway

Building a business isn’t just about skill, it’s about mindset.

Even after more than a decade, Ellie shares that self-doubt, comparison, and setting new goals never fully go away. But what matters is focusing on your own path, looking after your clients, and recognising how far you’ve already come.

👩‍💼 Guest

Ellie
Founder of a PMU & Lash Business
📍 Gloucester (Longlevens)
📲 @eleanorpmulash

🌐 www.eleanorpmulash.co.uk

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🎟️ Events & Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/114520957181

Join the community, come to an event, and be part of the conversations beyond the podcast.

🎙️ Hosted by Georgina McDonald founder of G R Design Studio

🌐 Website: https://www.grdesignstudio.co.uk/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/g_r_designstudio

🎧 Produced by Richard Lannen at Nozzle Media
🌐 https://nozzle.media
📸 https://www.instagram.com/nozzlemedia

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone building something of their own.

What actually is marketing… and why do so many business owners leave it until last?

In this episode of the Built By Her Podcast, Georgie sits down with Laura Vout, founder of Laura About Marketing, to talk about what marketing really means, why it matters so much for small businesses, and how to know when it’s time to stop trying to do it all yourself.

Laura shares her journey from a corporate marketing career into running her own business, after redundancy gave her the push to finally back herself. From managing marketing in large companies to now helping smaller businesses connect the dots between social media, email, websites, strategy and growth, this conversation is packed with honest insight and practical advice.

Together, Georgie and Laura chat about the difference between brand and marketing, how social media has changed the way businesses need to show up, why authenticity matters more than ever in the age of AI, and what small business owners should actually focus on when they’re feeling overwhelmed by marketing.

In this episode, we talk about:

✨ What marketing actually means beyond just social media
✨ The difference between brand and marketing
✨ Why marketing is often underestimated until business slows down
✨ How social media has changed the way brands connect with people
✨ AI, authenticity, and why real content still matters
✨ SEO vs AEO and how people are now searching differently
✨ How often you should really update your website
✨ Whether blogs still matter in 2026
✨ Why doing your own content is harder than it looks
✨ The reality of leaving corporate and starting your own business
✨ Pricing your services and communicating your value
✨ How to know which marketing activity is actually worth your time
✨ When it’s time to outsource your marketing

This episode is a brilliant listen for any business owner who feels like they should be doing more marketing, but isn’t sure where to start, what actually works, or whether they’re spending time on the right things.

Guest: Laura Vout
Instagram: @laura.vout
TikTok: @laura.vout

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Follow Built By Her

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builtby_her
🎟️ Events & Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/114520957181

Join the community, come to an event, and be part of the conversations beyond the podcast.

🎙️ Hosted by Georgina McDonald founder of G R Design Studio

🌐 Website: https://www.grdesignstudio.co.uk/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/g_r_designstudio

🎧 Produced by Richard Lannen at Nozzle Media
🌐 https://nozzle.media
📸 https://www.instagram.com/nozzlemedia

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone building something of their own.