Hannah Strong, founder of Zora Marketing joined 50 female founders from across the North East for an evening with the Chancellor; all recognised for the role they are playing in building and growing businesses across the region.
The room was crammed with world-class innovators across tech, creative industries, and professional services, but the underlying theme was that these women – through geography alone – didn’t have the same access to investment compared to other parts of the country.
As Sophie Milliken put it on the night, the barrier has never been ambition, it’s been access. That’s something that resonated across the room because it’s a reality for many founders. Hannah’s key takeaway from Sophie, Kim McGuinness, and Rachel Reeves was one of HOPE; that investment and belief in the capabilities of Northern women has been ignored for too long, but change is already afoot.
Hannah said: “There’s a huge amount of creative energy in the North East, and I love being a part of it. I’m frequently found at the North Tyneside Business Forum and Factory events, City Ladies at the Hilton in Gateshead, the North East Charity Freelancer bi-monthly co-working group, and the North East Freelance Network (the most supportive freelance community going), so I like to get out and about as much as I can!
There is a real sense that people are building things that matter, often alongside everything else life brings. I even bumped into Abigail Reid (Merwave founder) at the event, whom I last met 4 years ago at a Whitley Bay stay’n play with our toddlers! It was proof that many women in the room are also mothers out to change the world around changing nappies. Many of these businesses are being run around school runs, client work, and day-to-day commitments, and still managing to grow. It’s not always the version of entrepreneurship that gets talked about, but it’s a big part of what’s driving the region forward.
Although I’m from the Lake District originally, I’m now an honorary Geordie, and being invited to spend the evening amongst such an esteemed group of women was incredibly inspiring. I even chatted to Kim McGuinness about this very topic – pushing for the BIPC scheme to be rolled out to Durham and Tees Valley too.”
From a Zora Marketing perspective, the message of regional potential is clear every day. Through her Experts in Residence role at the BIPC, Hannah sees first-hand how many brands are seeking access to business support to scale their operations. The focus of the BIPC is to safeguard and create new roles, and the sheer demand for both the Citylife Grants (12hrs 1:1 support with an Expert) and their local networking events (held from Northumberland to Sunderland) demonstrates just how much entrepreneurs are clambering to take advantage of North East Combined Authority opportunities.
Managing Google and LinkedIn ads for local brands and BIPC North East clients gives Hannah a direct insight into how ‘ready to scale’ these businesses are. They’re not trying to get going; they’re already scaling, already delivering results, and already building momentum.
Being invited to Downing Street reflects the quality of the businesses here, including Zora Marketing, but the real value will come from what follows: the conversations that continue, the opportunities created, and the investment in female-founded businesses that will hopefully grow from strength to strength.
Hannah gave a huge thank you to City Ladies Networking and Natalie Turner for bringing it all together, and for creating the kind of space where those conversations can happen properly.
If you’re a North East business looking to grow and want support with Google or LinkedIn ads, Zora Marketing works closely with brands at that stage, helping turn what’s already working into something that scales.
You can get in touch directly at: hannah.zoramarketing@gmail.com
