From banker to business owner to Charity Chair – Tracy Fletcher, Smart Works Leeds
Today’s episode with Tracy Fletcher covers her time in banking and recruitment, with some great advice for YOU when YOU recruit staff, and then we discuss Smart Works Leeds where she is The Chair.
Listen not only to what Smart Works Leeds does but, more importantly, how you can support and get involved with this much-needed and highly effective charity.
If you’re looking for a business and entrepreneurship podcast that will inspire, motivate and educate you, through the personal business journeys and entrepreneurial lessons learnt of Leeds business owners then this is the podcast for you.
INTRODUCING TRACY FLETCHER
Tracy enjoyed a 20-year career in Financial Services, working in senior leadership roles, before launching her own banking recruitment business in 2008.
Throughout her Career Tracy has been a huge advocate for women, being both an active signatory of the HM Treasury Women in Finance Charter and mentoring a number of new business owners and finance professionals.
She joined Smart Works initially in 2019 as a volunteer coach, and was appointed Chair in 2023, Following the sale of her recruitment business last year she is working on a number of consultancy assignments, giving herself some much-needed work life balance.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
[00:00:00] Starting in banking and the skills learnt
[00:04:00] Leaving banking and setting up a recruitment business
[00:19:00] Getting the best out of your recruitment consultant
[00:23:00] Splitting from a business partner
[00:27:00] AI in recruitment
[00:30:00] Exiting the business
[00:33:00] What is Smart Works and what does it offer?
[00:36:00] How Tracy got involved with Smart Works
[00:38:00] The benefits of Smart Works
[00:44:00] How you can help Smart Works
[00:56:00] How to chair an all-female board
3 KEY TAKEAWAYS & BUSINESS LEARNINGS
• Your team are people. They are not strategic pawns in your chess game
• Being in business with somebody is like a marriage
• In (any) meeting make sure all voices, especially female ones, are heard
4 MOMENTS TO LOOK OUT FOR
“I have a heightened moral compass. And a very strong sense of justice”
“I needed to spread my wings and listen to my heart”
“Being a banker is marginally more respectable than being a recruiter”
“Of 1000 women who came into Smart Works, 630 got a job with a month”
VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR YOU
Website: www.leedsbusinesspodcast.com
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/leeds-business-podcast/
Work with Phil – www.philfraser.co.uk
Website: https://leeds.smartworks.org.uk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyfletchercampbellfletcher/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/smart-works-leeds/
Shout outs:
Jo Smedley – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-smedley-371a2335/
Charlotte Hopkinson – https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-hopkinson-0ba0515/
Amy Mortimer – https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-elizabeth-mortimer/
Claire Ackers – https://www.linkedin.com/in/claireackers/
Zoe Hands – https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoehands/
Ruth Cherry – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-cherry-08ba438/
Jo Coburn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-coburn-clarke-7a3bb570/
Helen Oldham – https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-oldham-46aa8324/
Jane Slimming – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-slimming-698a4a3/
DON’T FORGET THE LEEDS BUSINESS PODCAST ‘FAIR DEAL’
My half of the agreement; Every week I bring you inspiring Leeds Business people FOR FREE.
Your half of the deal – Share this episode with just ONE person who you think will get value from it
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE PREVIOUS EPISODES FEATURING SHOUT OUTS;
Helen Oldham – https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/helen-oldham/
Anna Sutton – https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/anna-sutton/
Jane Slimming – https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/jane-slimming/
ABOUT YOUR HOST
Phil Fraser went from an accidental kitchen table start up, with no investment, all the way to multi-million pound sale to a PLC 18 years later. He’s travelled the full SME business journey of launch, growth, scale and exit.
As well as hosting the Leeds Business Podcast, Phil now works with ambitious SME-owners as a Business Sounding Board (think somewhere between Business Coach and Business Mentor). In simple terms, he’s ‘a pair of ears and an extra pair eyes’ for SME Owners helping them to be better at what they do. Phil’s mantra is It doesn’t need to be ‘lonely at the top’. He helps Business Owners to be better business owners, by helping with their clarity and focus.
As a Business Sounding Board, he gives SME Owners the time & space to regularly discuss their challenges and opportunities, with no sense of judgement or bias, and in complete confidence. This allows them to explore their options in full, culminating with a list of issues to address/clarify, a clear target in mind, a roadmap to success, and a renewed enthusiasm and confidence for the challenges ahead.
Want to work with Phil to help you? See www.philfraser.co.uk.
This podcast is hosted by Captivate. Get your 30 day free trial at https://bit.ly/Captivate-Offer.
LEEDS BUSINESS PODCAST
Leeds, Business in Leeds, Leeds Business, Business in Leeds, Nous of Fraser, Business Sounding Board, Business Coach, Business Mentor,
Email: phil@leedsbusinesspodcast.com
