Jark Norfolk is a specialist construction recruitment business in Norwich which supplies staff across East Anglia. A larger business initially, Kelly took over a brand-new franchise in the county six years ago, aged just 23. It was a move which saw her taking the plunge into owning and running her first business.

“Going from an employee to business owner is a huge transition, but one I look back at and think was amazing," says Kelly. "There are some tough lessons along the way, though,” she adds.

“Because I was 23, I’ve never struggled with impostor syndrome a such. For me, it’s other people - if they look at me and see a young female, especially in construction which is heavily male dominated.

"I was quite ballsy, though, and I look back now and think ‘blimey!’ but at the time I didn't even question it. I just thought 'I want it and this is what I’m doing.'"

Kelly is a self-confessed go-getter. She's someone who when she’s told she can’t do something will go all out to prove otherwise.

“I'm one of these people when if someone says don’t do something, I'll do it and I’ll probably take a picture and send it to them,” she laughs. “That's my personality. You do have a lot of challenges being a young female in the business world, that's for sure."

So, is that in general or because she works in a male-dominated industry? Well, Kelly reckons women bosses can almost start out being on the back foot because of their gender, whereas a boss who is male is able to win instant respect – something intensified by the industry she’s in. But these are challenges she is determined to overcome.

“I’m a bit of a go-getter and I want to prove people wrong, so for me it was building up that confidence to just go out there.

"Don’t get me wrong, I've had people challenge me straight away and ask ‘Do you actually own the company?’ I had one guy admit he looked on Companies House just to make sure it was legit, which was absolutely baffling.

“The fact that he'd admitted it was outrageous, but for me it was more just proving people wrong. Everyone has their own way of dealing with it, and for me it was that I want to inspire other people and show that you can do it. You can be a business leader. You can be in a male-dominated industry. That's my main drive and motivation.”

In starting out, Kelly’s advice is to surround yourself with supportive people you can rely on and, if possible, have a supportive business network.

“When I started, I was fortunate, I had a very good friends and family network but not necessarily a business connection network. I think if I’d had a network of people who'd been there, done that, got the t-shirt, there would have been some challenges I could've sound-boarded off someone else about how they tackled it."

When it comes to the support needed to start and succeed in business, Kelly says it varies from person to person and isn’t gender specific.

"I’d rather people don’t look at someone for their gender, they just support them for who they are as a person,” she says. “I want it to get to the point where it's not ‘women in business’ it's ‘we're in business’ and we have an equal opportunity."

Kelly loves her role and is very much hands-on, enjoying the sales and getting a buzz from seeing her clients working on site. As the boss, she says it’s important to remember those who are in leadership positions aren’t perfect.

“You get put on a pedestal,” she says. “There are certain things when you start a business, you don't even know these tasks exist! There's a lot of responsibility and a lot of pressure to deliver and to be this business leader, and I think a lot of people forget that you’re actually human."

And she's happy to be really honest about it, recently posting on social media that she suffers from an anxiety rash when speaking publicly.

“It looks awful, but people don't realise I'm actually a human being because they see me as a business leader and I’m doing this within a male-dominated industry,” she says. “I feel like it's really important to be personable with people and say ‘When I stand up in front of 150 people this is what happens.’

“Putting it out there, I was hoping that there would be one person it would have a positive impact on, so I braved it and the response was really overwhelming."

Sharing her experience is important to Kelly, who regularly takes time to talk to others in business who ask for her guidance. Questions vary from life lessons to tips and tricks, and often it's about being honest with those you’re working for and with, she says.

"I think everyone assumes you know everything and you’ve got this book on how to run a business and you’re bossing life, which, let’s be honest, we don’t. Sometimes we're winging it.

"Let's face it, when Covid hit none of us knew what we were doing! Just being honest and personable is really important."