Inspiring entrepreneurs reveal the ups and downs of running your own business

We gathered in the Wildwood Room of the Green Man in central London for the SHSK Society Professional Networking evening focused on careers in business, marketing and entrepreneurship. The guest speakers were alumnae Alison Hargreaves (Class of 1988), founder of the UK Wedding Association and Guides for Brides, and Zenia Duell (Class of 2012), founder of the Strat Comms Surgery. 

Zenia started by telling us that even as a student at St Helen’s, she always knew what she wanted to be - a TV producer. She made full use of all the networking opportunities provided at school to secure work experience placements with production companies – one of which eventually led to her first job in TV. She decided to record her learnings from each project in a blog over her seven-year career in TV, and that material later became her book Breaking into Factual TV: Your Career Companion. The book is the mentor she wished she had had when she started her career. During her time as a TV producer, she worked on documentaries for international broadcasters and streaming platforms, including Netflix, the BBC, Discovery and Channel 5. 

However, as she was developing her storytelling skills, creating documentaries and podcasts for different audiences, , she also noticed some disturbing geopolitical trends. Similar storytelling techniques were being used to spread Russian disinformation, with alarming effects. Could her TV training help to unpick some of these global trends? Zenia enrolled for a part-time Master’s in Strategic Communications at King’s College London to learn more, and this became the trigger for a career pivot.  

Zenia went on to work for a global strategic communications firm for three years, whilst studying for a PhD in Strategic Communications, and in 2025, decided to start her own consultancy: the Strat Comms Surgery. Zenia’s model builds on both her academic theories and her industry experience, serving clients through a workshop-based methodology which aligns an organisation’s communications around its strategic objectives and target audiences. 

To end her talk, Zenia highlighted two key pieces of advice. Firstly, trust your instincts - if your preferred way is different to others, do things your way. Try the side hustle, see where it takes you! Her second recommendation was to go into every opportunity with a growth mindset. Zenia was grateful for her time at St Helen’s which helped foster a sense of humility and curiosity. At school, she felt she could try anything and nothing was out of bounds - a wonderful attitude, which she maintains steadfastly. 

Next, we heard from Alison Hargreaves about her unconventional career path since leaving St Helen’s, having dropped out of school only a few weeks into Sixth Form. She did not go straight to university, choosing instead to travel and work abroad for several years, before setting up a wedding cake business on her return to the UK. The self-reliance of running her own business was a source of real motivation.  

Whilst planning her own wedding in her mid 20s, Alison became frustrated by the lack of information regarding wedding suppliers and discovered that the businesses associated with this very lucrative industry were not well-organised. This insight was the source of her inspiration to set-up Guides for Brides, providing a single location for numerous associated businesses to be featured. What started as a local venture in Oxfordshire, quickly grew regionally and later nationally with the arrival of the internet, which shook up the wedding industry and many others. Guides for Brides, which started as a paper publication, went online and soon had national reach. By 2019, the businesses had grown to a team of 22 people working for Alison. 

Alison emphasised how lucky she has been to have had a strong support network of family and friends, who have always provided a safety net. Although she has never needed to rely on them financially, their continued support helped her have a sense of freedom and creativity. Alison went on to highlight the challenges which Covid brought when the wedding industry was decimated, and she was forced to lay off numerous staff. After a few turbulent years, and some creative diversification in that time, her business has gone on to expand and diversity with extensions such as Beyond Weddings and the Pride Guide. In 2025, in celebration of 30 years of her business, Alison founded the UK Wedding Association to showcase the professionalism, sustainability and trustworthiness of the businesses involved. Alison is excited about AI and believes it will have as big an impact on the wedding industry as the internet had. 

To sum up her advice from her many years as an entrepreneur, Alison noted attitude as a key factor in her recruitment strategy. Whilst she can teach anyone the skills needed to succeed in their roles in the business, key qualities such as drive, passion and positivity are intrinsic to those who thrive in that environment. ‘Follow your passion’ was the key message from both Alison and Zenia. 

Following the talks from our two fascinating speakers, there was a lively Q&A session, before the evening continued over drinks, and both Alison and Zenia continued to discuss their careers more informally with the assembled group of alumnae, some of whom had set-up fledgling businesses of their own. 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our speakers and our guests for engaging so wonderfully at this Professional Networking Event.