What You’ll Gain...

Throughout the day you’ll have the opportunity to focus on…

Where to start
The practical steps to launching and growing your business

Ways to market your business effectively and get visible
Finding your first customers and building momentum

Facing the Challenges
The realities, challenges and opportunities of running a business

Believing in yourself
Building confidence when you're full of self-doubt

Inspiration from other mums
Creating a business that works alongside family life

Kelly Newton

Founder of NIXI Body

Kelly Newton is a mum and keen hockey player who wanted to stay active without worrying about bladder leaks or unreliable period products. When she realised there wasn't a solution that truly met women's needs, she decided to create one.

That idea became NIXI Body – the UK's only leak-proof underwear brand designed specifically for sport and movement.

As the keynote speaker at First Steps 2026, “You don't need a background in business to build a brilliant business”, Kelly will be sharing the honest reality of turning a personal challenge into a thriving business.

Clare Murthy

Founder of Clare Murthy Coaching

Back in 2016, while on maternity leave from her corporate career, Clare Murthy made the decision to take a leap and build her first business.

Today, Clare is an ICF-accredited executive and career coach and the founder of Clare Murthy Coaching, supporting women as they navigate career change and work out what their next chapter might look like.

At First Steps 2026, Clare's session “The Confidence Gap: Believing in Yourself and Your Business" will be exploring how to manage those confidence highs and lows, recognise when self-doubt is holding you back, and keep moving forward even when you don't feel 100% confident.

Orgesa Meli

Founder of ConfigurAI

Orgesa Meli spent 17 years in corporate finance and banking before founding ConfigurAI. She is an expert in the practical use of AI in business: she audits companies to find where it will genuinely pay, builds it into the daily work of finance teams, and teaches professionals and business owners to use it properly. She practises what she teaches, running 3 businesses on her own, with AI doing the jobs she would otherwise hire for. She lives in Twickenham with her 2 young daughters.

At First Steps 2026, Orgesa will lead the session “AI Without the Fear”, and show you how you can use AI to save time, spark ideas and take some of the legwork out of starting and growing your business.

Emma Hodges

Founder of Biscuit Communications

Emma has worked in marketing for 25 years, including 15 years in-house and the last 10 years running her own business. She now coaches and mentors female founders who feel overwhelmed by marketing and aren’t sure what they should actually be doing.

And Emma is passionate about changing the idea that marketing simply means posting on social media.

At First Steps 2026, Emma's session “So I have to market my business… now what?" will help you make sense of what actually matters, where to focus and how to create a strategy that works for your business.

Tamsyn Jefferson

Founder of Seed Accounting Solutions

With almost 15 years of experience in the small business world and nearly 12 years running her own accountancy practice, Tamsyn has seen first-hand just how confusing and overwhelming the numbers can feel when you're trying to build a business.

Tamsyn is passionate about taking the stress and jargon out of finances, helping early-stage small and micro business owners build clarity and confidence in their numbers from day one.

At First Steps 2026, Tamsyn's session “Getting Your Finances Set Up Well From Day One”,will lead you through the practical things you need to think about and do when you're starting out, helping you understand what matters financially and put good foundations in place from the beginning.

Femke Harris

Founder of Merry Go Round Club

Femke is the founder of Merry Go Round Club, a UK-based baby equipment rental business she launched in February 2024 to make the early years of parenthood less expensive, less wasteful and less overwhelming. A mum of two herself, she made the leap into entrepreneurship after spotting a gap between what new parents actually need and what the market offered and has been building the business ever since, one decision at a time. 

As a panel member in the session “Taking your First Steps into Business”, Femke will share how she took the leap and started building something different.

Lauren Leopold

Founder of Lauren Leopold Business Coach

Lauren Leopold is a business coach, marketing strategist, EFT practitioner and professional untangler of brilliant, but overwhelmed business brains. She helps badass women grow businesses that actually feel like them. No funnels, no cookie-cutter frameworks, no 'follow my exact blueprint' BS. She coaches the whole woman, not just the business owner, offering honest AF support, mild swearing, and a lot of laughter along the way.

As a panel member in the session “Taking your First Steps into Business”, Lauren will help untangle those questions and find what works for you to build a business in a way that feels sustainable and authentic.

Maddy Hamilton

Co-founder of Bewilderbeest

Maddy is the co-founder and Chief Of Odd at Bewilderbeest (known for their funny greeting cards and gifts). She started the business with her husband, and now they've grown to a team of five, with international distribution. As a mum to two small children, she knows what it's like to juggle a successful business with a young family. 

As a panel member in the session “Taking your First Steps into Business”, Maddy brings a really useful perspective to our panel: what happens when the business starts to grow, the decisions get bigger and you’re still trying to make it all work alongside family life.