Faqs
what is realwork?
REALWORK is the online membership democratising business learning for women. Become a REALWORKer and join a community where you can access the knowledge and inspiration you need to create a business or work life that is right for you. REALWORK is about finding your own path to sustainable growth, whatever the size of your idea or business.
who are realworkers?
REALWORKers include freelancers, creatives, women who have left companies or have been on maternity leave and want to be their own boss, and founders of product or service businesses. This community really knows what you are going through and will encourage you through an atmosphere of peer support. Around 20% of REALWORKers are outside the UK including Europe, the US and Australia.
who is Fleur Emery?
REALWORK’s Founder, Fleur Emery, has been starting businesses in industry for nearly 20, known for her ability to locate opportunities and model responsive businesses at super-human speed.
Fleur’s career really has been full of highs and lows and can offer up some valuable insight into what it takes to become better at failing - and why it's important. Fleur founded and grew a profitable business, in a year, alongside solo parenting in a pandemic and is still smiling. REALWORK has since taken on a life of its own.
Fleur is also a member of the advisory board for CREATE EQUITY a not-for-profit created to address the lack of equity investment in businesses with Black and ethnic minority founders. She is a Courier columnist and opinion writer for Tortoise Media.
How does membership work?
Most of REALWORK’s communication happens via a private Slack group, a downloadable standalone channel with easy access from your desktop or mobile device. We have dedicated channels, where you can opt in or out, and where the emphasis is on asking questions, community knowledge-sharing and learning in the open.
We host weekly Wednesday morning REALWORKshops with our Founder Fleur Emery who takes you through all aspects of women’s business by hosting open mic Q&A Zoom sessions.
Joining our community of freelancers and founders will support and inform you to set and meet your business goals, no matter how big or small.
You can find the Terms of Sale for the membership here.
How do you protect my privacy?
We are a community of mutual support and self-regulation. Privacy is fundamental to the REALWORK community and we request that you observe our spirit of confidentiality and duty of care. We don’t cut and paste, download or record. We are all legally obliged to respect our policies so we can connect and work in meaningful ways. Click here for our promise to you.
who is realwork for?
Working and earning your way can reap great rewards, but the downside is that you're on your own, which sometimes can be difficult - especially if you're used to bouncing ideas around the room or catching the latest gossip at the watercooler.
Within the community, REALWORKers share goals, challenges, hard-gained wins, resources and opportunities and advice. If you want to work and earn your way and are looking for accountability and real actionable advice to support you to do it, REALWORK could be for you.
do i have to have a business to join?
Whether you are taking your first steps towards working for yourself, or have an established business, in REALWORK you will connect with peer support, learn from experienced freelancers and founders and be encouraged by women who really know what you are going through.
Just like babies, all businesses are different - equally, there is no manual for either. The art of growing a business is similar to child-rearing: there is no secret formula, silver bullet, or one size fits all solution. The art of growing a business is in the learning, iterating and constant improvement.
The best thing about being a small business is that we can be nimble and responsive so let's be nimble and responsive. We help you to keep your house in order. In Slack, we talk a lot about what is working and what isn't. We ask questions, listen to our colleagues, customers, clients, competition and consider what they say, if we don't like it, why not? What feels easy? What is a struggle?.
Is it just product people? I’m a freelancer and sell a service.
The group is a mix of female founders and freelancers with a spread of business types across product and services.
what is the time commitment involved?
This simple answer is, as much or as little time as you wish to commit. We find that our members get as much value out of the membership experience as they are willing to put in. There is no one-size fits all approach and the commitment is completely up to you.
I’m thinking of changing my business should I wait until I know what I’m doing?
REALWORKers are all kinds of women with different specialities who can help you shape your business idea and set it up for success. People at all different stages join.
How is it different to the Facebook membership groups that I have been in?
This group exists outside Facebook to limit distractions from outside social communication. The Slack group is made up of multiple clearly signposted channels where conversations on specific topics are posted. The group is supported by the community manager Laura who is in conversations with the group daily.
what are the opportunities / expectations?
REALWORK is collaborative, not competitive. We are proud that our generous community is continuously creating and sharing opportunities within the network. REALWORKERS are often hiring and providing platforms for each other. We champion their collaborations in the group and across our social channels.
is it an inclusive space?
REALWORK is committed to building a healthy, inclusive and accessible community space where our members feel able to open up about their vulnerabilities, fears, feelings of failure or disappointments, just as much as celebrating their successes.
We work with The Other Box, an inclusivity education company, to keep us on the right track. Their Allyship training is now required for REALWORK team members and is also offered to all REALWORKers. Rolling out this work within the community lays a foundation for our ongoing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion activities.
As a team, we have protocols in place so that our own unconscious bias doesn't creep into our work and to encourage the wider community to be the best Allies they can within REALWORK. Please read our DEI policy here:
DEI Statement
Individuality, collaboration and inclusion are at the heart of REALWORK’s culture, both as a workplace and a community. We encourage and support women to experience their potential as individuals, colleagues and members. We share stories of women’s work, we aim to inform and inspire your idea of what’s possible. We believe that this approach creates a solid foundation for the co-creation of our activities, the quality of our experiences and our collective success as REALWORKers.
what are REALWORK’s values?
While we don’t have a rule book, we do love values and tools. REALWORK is dedicated to creating a culture of individuality, collaboration and inclusion. We are constantly iterating, progressing and growing, alongside our members. We have a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Board and continually seek feedback from the community.
Our values are:
● We take action, wholeheartedly
We want you to create a business or work life that is right for you
We understand that everyone has different needs, circumstances and ambitions
We try to ensure that everyone is empowered with any help they might need, when they need it.
● We do the work, collaboratively
We are firm believers in peer support.
Everyone has something to teach and something to learn.
We lift each other up along the way.
● We value difference, openly
At REALWORK we are committed to building a healthy, inclusive and accessible community space where our members feel able to open up about their vulnerabilities, just as much as celebrating their successes.
We welcome individual differences and advocate for doing the work, even if it gets uncomfortable.
We have protocols in place to prevent our own unconscious biases creeping into our work.
We have also begun the process of becoming a B Corp Pending company. We view B Corp Certification as the gold standard of ethical business. It interrogates organisations from top to bottom, auditing their effect on people and planet, their extensive set of guidelines are helping us to create processes throughout the business to ensure that we meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental impact.