About Us

At the heart of our network is a culture built on optimism, freedom, and limitless opportunity

We pride ourselves on being warm, caring, and genuinely supportive, creating an environment where kindness, collaboration, and growth flourish. Our members are real, authentic, and generous in their approach, making it a space where deep connections and mutual support are the foundation.

Whether you’re just starting out or are further along in your entrepreneurial journey, Women Mean Biz offers you the resources and community to accelerate your growth. Our network provides access to positivity, inspiration, learning opportunities, and a true sense of belonging.

Running a business can often feel lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. With in-person groups across the South West (including Bristol, Bath, Cheltenham, Wiltshire, Stroud, Somerset, and North Somerset) and a growing online community, we’re here to ensure you never have to navigate your journey alone.

Join us to connect, collaborate, and thrive alongside like-minded women who are all here to lift each other up.

It started with a very different kind of networking experience.

Sometimes you have to experience what doesn’t work to create something that does.

When WMB founder Philippa returned to the UK in her early 40s with two young children, she was rebuilding her life from the ground up. With little savings left, she invested in a franchise business and threw herself into local networking.

What she found wasn’t exactly welcoming.

The networking scene felt overwhelmingly male-dominated, with uncomfortable banter and a culture that simply didn’t reflect the realities of women juggling business, family, responsibility and ambition.

Over lunch with a friend and fuelled by more than a little frustration, an idea emerged.

What if business networking could feel different?

Human. Compassionate. Inspiring. A place where women could show up as themselves, learn from one another and be ambitious without leaving empathy at the door.

And with that, Women Mean Biz was born.

From 45 women to hundreds of success stories.

What started around one table became something much bigger.

The very first WMB trial lunch brought together 45 women. From there, Women Mean Biz grew into an established business network that has supported hundreds of women over the past 20 years.

It’s about helping women build businesses that give them greater financial independence, control and choice. It’s about creating opportunities to learn, collaborate and grow. And it’s about those unexpected relationships and friendships that make running a business feel a lot less lonely.

Today, WMB combines structured networking with a relaxed, welcoming environment, experienced business leadership and a focus on long-term personal and business growth rather than quick wins.

Founder & Owner of WMB

Meet Philippa

The woman who decided networking could be better.

Philippa Constable is the founder of Women Mean Biz and We Mean Biz, a speaker, network builder and long-standing champion of women in business.

Her belief in the importance of financial independence, control and choice for women comes from personal experience. Having rebuilt her own life and career, she created WMB to give other women something she knew first-hand was needed: a business network with heart.

Over the years, Philippa has hosted large-scale events with high-profile speakers, spoken at International Women’s Day events and business conferences, and guided the network through significant challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. She was also a finalist in the Bristol Women’s Charter Awards for her contribution to enterprise, network-building and advancing opportunities for women in business.

What started as Philippa’s search for a better way to network has become a network helping hundreds of other women find theirs.

Membership Manager and PA to Philippa Constable

Meet Leanne

Leanne has been supporting Philippa in the day to day running of WMB since 2020 and her main role is looking after members and guests. This includes helping them with every aspect of their memberships, supporting them when booking onto meetings and ensuring that there is always someone that can help with their general enquiries. Leanne joined WMB as a member herself in March 2018, shortly after starting her own VA business, having never done any networking before. She describes herself as naturally shy and so the idea of networking was “utterly terrifying”, however, she was made to feel so welcome and comfortable at her first meeting that she decided to join there and then and, while she is still shy, she found her confidence grew quite quickly. She still has clients and friends that she met at that very first meeting!

Outside of work, Leanne loves exploring the British countryside with her dog, Obi. Her love of Scotland in particular is well known amongst anyone who spends more than 5 minutes with her and she is happiest when visiting a castle and indulging her inner history nerd!

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Accounts Manager

Meet Cassie

Cassie keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes, looking after WMB’s finances and helping members with any questions around payments and invoicing. She’s also Philippa’s daughter-in-law, making WMB a genuine family business!

Our close-knit team genuinely care about the people in the community. From supporting members and making valuable connections to keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes, they bring experience, encouragement and plenty of personality to WMB.

Because for us, networking has always been personal.

You Can Rely On

Our Expert Panel

Whatever business throws your way, there’s a good chance someone on our Experts Panel can help. Our carefully selected experts bring specialist knowledge from across the business world, giving members trusted people to turn to for advice, fresh perspectives and practical support.

• Philippa Constable — Business Networking & Business Coaching
• Tamsen Garrie — Business Growth Strategy
• James White — Small Business Sales
• Ros Conkie — Marketing
• Belinda Furneaux-Harris — Branding
• Joanne Turner — Legal
• Gildas Jones — IT & Technology
• Trula Brunsdon — HR