I never expected to start my own business. It wasn't on my life goals or even a vague aspiration. I just didn't think I would enjoy it and I couldn't see what I could bring that someone else didn't have already.
Then the company I worked for went into liquidation 😢 and everything changed. I looked around for jobs, but I couldn't see myself going back to being a cog in the wheel in a corporate after having had almost two years at such a mission driven company. I still thought I just needed to find the right place to work.
Until two people approached me to help them out. One was Direct Tech Training Scotland Ltd who wanted to fill the gap left by my old place of work (CodeClan) and the other was Kirsty Bathgate with some fascinating customer research. I was happy to help out with both. I thought it would tide me over until that job I was looking for came along.
Then I started to realise I loved what I was doing. And that people needed what I could bring - 20 years of technical expertise and leadership, aligning development and product to build fantastic teams that "build the right thing" as well as "building the thing right".
The more I networked, the more convinced I became there was a real need I could fill and the more excited I became hearing all the founder stories, their business ideas and passions. So Thistle Labs Ltd came into being and my role changed to Fractional CTO (I didn't even know that was a thing 6 months ago!).
I'm loving what I do. Helping people and solving problems is what I do best. I love the buzz from figuring out a suitable MVP, solving a tech issue or guiding people along their tech journey. In 6 months, I've mentored aspiring CTOs, advised on MVP designs, planned a pilot launch to test product market fit and supported Direct Tech Training Scotland Ltd to build a new bootcamp and connect with Scottish employers.
I never would have imagined myself doing this job, but I love it and whilst I dearly wish CodeClan still existed, I don't regret where I have ended up.
For other founders out there - did you always imagine yourself running a business or, like me, did it take you by surprise?
Female Founders Rise