Beth Roscoe is an entrepreneur taking a firm seat at the table. In this instalment of our empowering series, we interviewed Beth to find out what inspires her at work, her goals for this year and to unveil her career story so far.

Can you introduce yourself?

I’m Beth, 27, and started my own clothing brand ‘We-Are-Beti’. My love for fashion, a big dream, and the drive to be my own boss led me to start up my business.

What did younger you want to be when you grew up?

When I was younger, all I wanted to do was be a fashion designer. I loved clothes and how I could express myself through what I wore, so I decided I wanted to make clothes that make people feel good about themselves.

How different is that from where you are now?

Right now, I am not a fashion designer as such; I still work in another industry so that I can support my brand. However, since establishing my business in 2022, I am working towards the career in fashion that I always dreamt of.

Can you tell me about your career journey so far?

My career so far has been somewhat difficult, as I’ve struggled to figure out what I wanted to do for most of it. I started out in my first full-time role in hospitality as a waitress at 18 and made my way to the general manager by the time I was 19. The job was long days, unsociable hours, and difficult customers, yet I loved my team and the fast-paced environment.

After about 4 years, I moved to another company and landed myself a job in the finance team where I made my way into an account’s role. A career change for sure, and it took a lot of studying and hard work as it was not something that came easily to me.

Over the past few years, due to the insecurity of being employed in the current climate and being dissatisfied in my career, I decided to start my own clothing brand. Since 2020, I have spent my spare time trying to make this happen.

In July 2022, I finally took the leap and launched We-Are-Beti.

Have you ever experienced gender discrimination at work?

I would say like most women, unfortunately yes. Specifically, my time in hospitality was the most difficult when facing gender discrimination issues. Being a young woman in a managerial position in hospitality was extremely difficult for a number of reasons. A major recurring issue I was often faced with was that of disgruntled male customers struggling with the fact that ‘a girl’ was in charge, and I was told on countless occasions to ‘go get the man in charge,’ referred to as a little girl, laughed at, and on far too many occasions been made to feel extremely uncomfortable. I would always stand my ground and try to deal with the situation in hand, but eventually, this just gets tiring on a daily basis having to defend your position & your ability to do your job. My male counterparts or even the males in positions of less responsibility, however, never faced such issues and received a lot less abuse from male customers; in fact, they were shown respect I very rarely was.

How did you find your courage to step out on your own and become your own boss?

I think rather than finding courage to take a massive leap, I found how unhappy I was in my unfulfilling career and that only I could change that. I left my career in finance, took a massive pay cut to do a part-time role that could accommodate and be flexible around the needs of my business.

Were there any setbacks?

So many setbacks I’ve lost count; it feels like there is a new one each day at this point. I’ve had manufacturers go into liquidation while owing me thousands of pounds; the launch of the business was delayed by a whole season as I could just not get the samples right. The list is endless; however, every single setback or mistake has taught me something new, and I think they have made my business better and stronger than the things that went right.

What is your biggest achievement to date?

I would say my biggest achievement so far is setting up my brand and just going for it, as there will never be a right time and life will always get in the way. As scary and difficult as it has been so far, it is also the best thing I have ever done.

What is the biggest mistake you’ve made in your career so far?

I think my biggest mistake was letting myself believe that I wasn’t capable of more, keeping me stuck in a career I had long outgrown and for not following my dreams earlier.

How did you overcome that?

I wouldn’t say I have 100% overcome this, as I doubt every decision I make still, but the difference now is that I make the decisions rather than thinking about them. I managed to push myself to do this by questioning my ego and realizing that a big wage and all the material things you can buy with it would have never made me happy; however, waking up every day and working on something I love that has a purpose to me, that will.

What’s the one thing you wish you had known prior to embarking on your career/journey as an entrepreneur?

That it will not happen overnight and that’s okay.

Do you think taking a seat at the table/building a career in a male-dominated industry is hard?

I think building a fashion brand in 2023 is so difficult, especially when a large percentage of major fashion brands are predominantly owned or run by men. The fashion industry has been running this way for so long, and it’s very hard to push for the change we so desperately need.

How do you advocate for gender equality and inclusivity within your workplace/in your business?

Beti advocates for gender equality within its business by questioning the social norms and helping educate anyone involved. The ‘I’ in Beti stands for Inclusivity as this is one of our core values as we don’t see that this should be a negotiable option; however, it is still largely sparse in a large part of this industry. We strive to be more inclusive with regards to sizing with each new collection we release. Beti works with a wide range of small businesses and people to help our brand work well for everyone. We accept that we are constantly learning and there is always more we can do to be better.

What encourages you to not give up?

The idea that young girls can grow up in a world where they don’t have to fight to prove they deserve their seat at the table and they can know they belong there.

If you could tell younger you three things, what would they be?

What you look like is the least interesting thing about you. Comparison is a thief of time. Nobody is you and that’s your power.

Looking forward, what changes or improvements do you hope to see in terms of gender equality and women’s empowerment in your industry?

In the fashion industry, I think the biggest change that we need to strive towards to achieve gender equality is the regulation of UK sizing for women’s clothing. This will help so many women all over the UK feel more confident shopping for clothes that they know fit their bodies, rather than just settling for sizing up and accepting the poor standard of sizing being wildly different in every place you shop at. The fashion industry is also crying out for more female-owned/ran fashion brands so that women can be leading the way in designing & making clothes for our bodies.

Who or what inspires you the most?

I would say my mum is my biggest inspiration as she is the strongest but most kind-hearted human I have encountered. She has taught me from a young age to be a strong woman and not to forget it and has always helped me see my value in life. I could not even name the number of women online over the years that have inspired me through most of my major life decisions as the list is endless. What I will say is every woman who has come before me and made a path so that I can make my decisions today have all been my inspiration.

What is a mantra, quote, or idea that you live by?

She believed she could, so she did.

When do you feel your most empowered?

I feel most empowered when I get the opportunity to work with other amazing women and seeing everyone come together for the same cause to make a difference that we used to only ever dream of seeing.

What do you think the key to success is?

I think the key to success is having an amazing support network, whatever that may be to each person. Without this, I’m not sure I would have ever had the confidence to dream about my future never mind get out there and try to get it.

Do you think you’re successful?

I feel like it is quite hard to determine your own level of success but in terms of my idea of what I think success is, I get to work on my passion more and more each day, and I love and care about what I do, so in a way yes. However, of course, we all have a million goals we want to achieve.

How do you prioritise self-care and work-life balance in your demanding career?

I will say this is something I have always struggled with ever since working, as I am all or nothing, so I think I am still trying to figure this one out. However, what I will say is I have learned better to know when I work best & in what environment to best maximize the time I have. I have learned to listen to my body’s cues better and what I need in order to keep a better balance in my life. Ultimately prioritising time for my loved ones is always top of my priority list as it is most important for me; this is the reason I work in the first place to do more of what I love.

What do you hope to achieve this year?

I hope my business reaches a point where I could work full time solely on my brand. I hope to grow my little community to be larger and to find more like-minded women who want to be in this space. I would love to start a podcast as I have a lot to say, just not too sure how to go about that one just yet.

What goals do you have for the next five years?

My biggest goal will always be to help in some way to get UK female sizing regulated. I want to grow my fashion brand to be as affordable, sustainable & inclusive as possible, as I am told too often that you cannot be all 3. I would love for my brand to reach a wider audience so that it can have a positive impact on women’s lives everywhere.

How can we, as readers and potential customers, support you in that?

You can continue to support your amazing female-owned fashion brands and keep pushing for the change needed by starting those conversations that instigate change. You can support my business in any way that is possible for you, from showing up online and showing your love, attending our events and campaigns, and as always, where possible, make better and more sustainable fashion choices if affordable for you and buy from our amazing collections we work so hard on.