INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S WEEK: MELANIE GOLDSMITH

To celebrate International Women's Day, we've decided to turn it into a week full of celebrating women we admire and who we think are really making a difference. Every day this week, we're going to be bringing you one powerhouse a day.

We've been lucky enough to interview our very own Melanie Goldsmith, co-founder and managing director of Smith & Sinclair.

We caught up with Melanie over cocktails and asked her a few questions...

So, in your own words, Melanie, tell us what you do?

"I’m the Managing Director of Smith & Sinclair which means my upmost priority is making sure the business grows in the right direction across brand/ product & revenue. I have an unwavering passion to disrupt and do things differently, which applies to both every element of our business plan from internal team structures & ways of reporting to external directions for the business."

What inspired you to start Smith & Sinclair?

"It was born out of events which were designed to get adults playing in order to release their inhibitions and bond with eachother on a deeper level. Whilst the product has changed from dating nights to a range of disruptive consumer products the ambition for the business remains – to make being an adult more fun."

What’s the best thing about coming to the office every day?

"Spending time with the team – they're creative, bring great snacks and make what we do hugely enjoyable and inspiring to be around every day."

As a woman in an industry predominantly dominated by men, do you feel you need to work twice as hard?

"I don’t measure how hard I work against other people. I have incredibly high expectation for myself and work as hard as I can to always over achieve on my own expectation which results in fast, measured, decisions for the business with the aim to accelerate our growth."

What’s your best advice for any up and coming businesswomen?

"Keep your eyes open always, opportunities are always around the corner, whether through talking to a stranger, doing something you’re afraid of or just not becoming too consumed by your idea as the best decisions I’ve made were influenced by people/ trends and directions I would have never seen had I been too ‘tunnel vision’ about our plans."

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

"Trust the gut – I need to remind myself of this often."

You’re now 5 years into the business, do you ever feel like you’re still “figuring things out”?

"Everyday. I genuinely face a new challenge every day that’s new which means you never get the chance to feel comfortable or fully in control – but I think that’s part of the rush – the speed of learning is fundamental to success."