Buttercrumble: Twin sisters behind Yorkshire firm release new book aiming to ‘empower’ female entrepreneurs

The duo have now released their first book, The Brand Power Manifesto, which they designed and illustrated themselves, and which was published globally by BIS Publishers.

Speaking on the pair's inspiration for the book, Chloe said: “When we set up our own business, it's something that we did completely from scratch - we didn’t have any prior business knowledge.

“But when we were looking into the other resources that are available, so much of it is geared towards this super high growth and you’ve got to be a unicorn business, and you’ve got to get all this investment, but I think that's just not the case really.

“We wanted to show a really accessible approach to building your brand and to empower normal people and small businesses like the ones we work with. We want to say: ‘this is possible, and here's the down to earth way to do it.’”

Following the book’s launch event at Everyman Leeds, the authors are working on a series of workshops and events to support fellow business owners across Yorkshire.

Current locations include Ilkley, Scarborough, and Leeds, and more dates are due to be promoted across Buttercrumble’s social media channels.

The book features a foreword by Sir John Sorrell and Lady Frances Sorrell, revered figures in the design industry and champions of creative education - through founding the National Saturday Club.

Abigail added: “We grew up without business experience or mogul connections. Yet, we could make a sustainable living from our passion. So, we want to inspire others — especially young women — interested in creative enterprise”.

Originally from Scarborough, Chloe and Abigail were the first in their family to go to work in the creative industry, and the first in their family to own a business.

The all-female team at Buttercrumble has been responsible for producing design solutions for organisations including Chester Zoo, Mamas and Papas, and John Lewis.

The Brand Power Manifesto aims to offer a roadmap for aspiring female entrepreneurs to “build a sustainable business from the ground up”.

Speaking on the pair’s choice to focus the book on female entrepreneurs, Chloe said: “There is a real funding gap, especially when it comes to the business that are getting the support, most of them are led by men.

“Women also aren’t getting the support that they need, and in leadership positions as well, there's still a lack of diversity, which needs to change.

“Even for us, still now, when we go to events, people ask ‘what college are you studying at?’, which is a compliment in some ways, but we’re going to be turning 30 this year, and I don’t think people say things like that to men. Women have to prove themselves a bit more.

“I think it's ingrained in culture, and it can be so subtle at times that you don’t always notice it - but there's still a bit of a preconception there.”

The Female Founders Forum, a project of The Entrepreneurs Network and Barclays, found that in the first half of 2023, only 3.5 per cent of equity investment went to female-led businesses, compared to 85.1 per cent for male-led firms, and 11.4 per for startups co-led by women and men.

The percentage of female led firms receiving investment has fluctuated in the ten years since 2013, when 4.2 per cent of equity investment went to female-led firms. The highest figure recorded was in 2016, when just 5.8 per cent of equity investment went to such businesses.

Looking at the number of deals being made, the figures are slightly improved, with 10 per cent involving female-led firms in the first half of 2023, 15 per cent involving firms with female and male founders, and 75 per cent involving male-led firms.