62: Emma Bardwell on Mum Guilt vs. Role-Modelling and Building a Business in a Man's World

Emma Bardwell is the founder and managing director of BardWood Support Services, a fast-growing recruitment business specialising in security and facilities management. Driven by a desire to create flexibility for her young family, she left her career in recruitment in 2015 and began building her business from the ground up with two daughters aged two and five and no guarantee of where it would lead. What began as a way to be at the school gates has grown into a well-oiled, multi-location business with operations across the UK and an international support centre in India. In this episode, Emma shares the honest story of building BardWood from nothing, navigating a traditionally male-dominated industry as a woman with two small children and the guilt that came with those early years of phone-in-hand, always-on entrepreneurship. She also reflects on what her daughters actually remember and what it has meant for who they are becoming. 💡 "*My girls don't remember me being absent, they just remember me being busy.*" - Emma Bardwell In this conversation, we explore: ✨ How Emma spotted a gap in the security recruitment market through a chance Facebook conversation and went from zero to her first major client in a matter of weeks ✨ Why she made the bold decision to leave her first business relationship behind to pursue an industry accreditation that would open much bigger doors, with no client waiting on the other side ✨ The reality of those early years of growth - from managing three phones and spreadsheets at her grandfather's hospice bedside to filling shifts on Christmas Day while her daughters opened their presents ✨ Why being a woman in a male-dominated industry turned out to be a breath of fresh air rather than a barrier and how her honesty, hunger and can-do energy set her apart from the egos in the room ✨ The moment she realised she needed to bring in a business partner and how handing over control to someone she trusted transformed both the business and her capacity to be present for her family ✨ Setting up a 24-hour operations centre in India and why trusting her partner Nilesh to make it happen was one of the best decisions she ever made for the business ✨ The identity shift from founder and micromanager to strategic leader and ideas generator and why that transition was as hard as it was necessary ✨ Her honest reflection on mum guilt, being physically present but mentally elsewhere and why the early years looked very different to the flexibility she had imagined when she started ✨ What her daughters, now 17 and 19, actually remember about their mother's years of building and why it turns out they don't remember her being absent - they remember her being busy ✨ How watching their mother build a business in a man's world has shaped both daughters' belief in what is possible for them as women About The Host: I’m Victoria Phipps – a Mum of two, analogue family photographer, personal brand photographer, educator, charity co-founder, marketer and now podcaster! 🎙️ I was raised by a nurturing Mother and an entrepreneurial Father and have inherited traits from both, so the tension between ambition and motherhood is one I grapple with on a daily basis! I’m fascinated to hear the stories of other women on a similar path, who are striving to build thriving businesses whilst being present for their children. It's a tough juggle, but I hope the conversations shared on this podcast help Mums in business feel less alone and inspired to keep going in pursuit of their dreams. Head to the Mum Means Business Podcast website for full show notes. I would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed in this conversation, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @victoriaphippsmbe or @mummeansbusinesspodcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5* rating and review!