A SEAT AT THE TABLE WITH JENENE CROSSAN

During the course of my work as The Female CEO, I have had the pleasure to be able to work with many innovative Women In Tech so when I was introduced to Jenene Crossan, CEO and Co-Founder of 'the world’s easiest customer booking UX platform for salons and clinics' Powered by Flossie I was more than a little bit excited and admittedly somewhat intimidated. This lady has a list of accolades most can only dream of and 20+ years experience of working with digital startups under her belt, I needn't have worried though, while just as incredible and tenacious as anticipated Jenene was also friendly, refreshingly open and frankly honest about her journey from a startup in NZ to her latest work in our nations capital city. We both laughed when I suggested that most people see powerful businesses as overnight successes...

POWERED BY FLOSSIE

So what is Powered By Flossie exactly? An outsider to the beauty industry would be forgiven for not recognising the name of this fast-growing and innovative technology, a plug and play solution connecting to existing calendar management software which is set to revolutionise the beauty industry's approach to booking by providing better tools to improve the user experience, cut back on booking abandonment and increase revenue by saving time and energy better spent on the craft itself. A streamlining of an age-old and outdated process providing a simple win/ win solution for both customer and retailer. Studies suggest that less than 15% of salons offer online booking services! I can only think it's about time for change. Eight years in the making and several transitions later, Powered By Flossie is by no means an overnight success, Jenene is refreshingly transparent about her journey, talking of the incredible joyous moments onboarding massive scale clients, well-deserved awards and securing funding for the business as well as the devastating lows of poor decisions, crushing frustration and having to find the strength to push further and harder than she ever thought imaginable in the pursuit of her dream. When asked about facing the tougher times and what it took to overcome them, Jenene offers 'resilience is not a personality trait, it's a cup that needs refilling' How very true.

LONDON BABY!

When I caught up with Jenene she was residing in London, having travelled back from her husband and daughters in NZ and Paris to continue to launch Powered By Flossie to the UK market and I can't help but think when in conversation with her, this is pretty amazing, who wouldn't want this? I also know, however, having worked with other impressive Women In Tech over the years, that this isn't always an easy market as a woman and despite the times and huge improvements, barriers do remain for our female counterparts in the tech arena. When I chat to Jenene about faring in the UK she tells me that she loves it here and while it's super tough to be away from her family she is enjoying what she describes as 'the friendliness of the Brits' and she's learning to adjust to the pace of business growth, which is a lot slower than she is used to, exercising persistence and resilience to partner with large scale companies in the industry (it took her five long years to bring on board one particular client) and bring new and exciting prospects to their ever-growing table. Being supported in their journey with outside investment comes with its own level of immense pressures to succeed too but Jenene is now fiercely protective of her space and time, knowing only too well that looking after herself is the only sure way of looking after everyone else and this lesson, as is often the case, was learned the hard way pushing back from the brink of burnout culture to become the woman she is today.

A WOMAN OF TRUE INFLUENCE

Following our conversation, it occurs to me that while I regularly speak to women from all areas of industry and all corners of the globe rarely do I meet someone with such transparency and commitment to not only succeed herself but is relentless in her efforts to help others navigate their way through the ever-changing landscape of entrepreneurship. A woman recognised internationally, achieving the 'Most Inspiring Individual at NZ Innovation Awards', as well as placing as a finalist for the 'Women of Influence Awards', 'Women of the Year', 'New Zealand Marketer of the Year' and the 'International Veuve Clicquot Award' I couldn't think of a more deserving or inspiring leader to bring to our very own table of fearless females. The world is a better place for our girls because of women like Jenene Crossan.

So, the next time you go to book your beauty appointment online take a moment to remember the tireless work that went into making the most of your precious time because fundamentally it’s not just the business of tech but the business of people at the heart of this enterprise, a fact often forgotten in this age of speed and convenience.

You can find out more about Jenene or Powered By Flossie here and follow on Instagram