BUSINESS
KENT WOMEN IN BUSINESS
THIS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN ’ S DAY insideKENT IS CELEBRATING SOME POWERHOUSE BUSINESS WOMEN FROM ACROSS KENT , BE PREPARED TO BE INSPIRED BY SOME OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE LEADING THE BUSINESS WORLD IN 2022 .
Kim Goodger - Rawganic www . rawganickent . com
Before opening Rawganic , an independent , zero waste store , 36 year old Kim Goodger was already an established business owner , having opened her own successful hair salon ; ‘ Raw ’ 13 years ago . After starting her eco journey at the salon , Kim became more and more passionate about reducing waste and plastic use , reducing water consumption and even recycling hair , as well as promoting a healthy lifestyle to the community she belonged to . That dedication , along with the horrifying prospect of not being able to work for months thanks to the pandemic , spurred Kim on , and today she is the proud owner of her dream zero waste shop . Beside her all the way have been her tenacious mother - who had worked several jobs all her life to provide for her family and inspired Kim ’ s incredible work ethic , and her supportive sister who has been working side-by-side with Kim for years . Kim has always been an advocate of paying it forward , and makes a point to encourage young women to go into trades that teach them skills they can count on for life , both in their professional and private lives . We asked Kim what the best thing about being a business owner was , she replied ; ‘ It ’ s a lovely community of people . It ’ s encouraging and kind and feels great to be doing your part for the planet .’
Vicky Vidal - Heronden Veterinary Practice herondenvets . co . uk
Director of Heronden Veterinary Practice , Vicky Vidal walked an unconventional road to becoming a vet . First graduating from Agricultural College and landing a job at Newmarket Horse Racing , then deciding to broaden her horizons by travelling to Africa to work on some development projects . After a couple of years in Tanzania , Vicky headed home knowing that her future lay in the veterinary industry , so she rolled up her sleeves , studied everywhere from Europe to the States and finally qualified right here in the UK . Since her days as a struggling student , she has opened her own highly successful practice , and staffed it with incredible , mostly female veterinary doctors all dedicated to the care of animals big and small ; ‘ I have extraordinary female colleagues who have built this business in many more ways than I have .’ When we sat down with her , Vicky explained that although 70 % of vets are female only 1 % of veterinary practices are owned by women ; being part of that 1 % Vicky is determined to encourage other woman to start their own careers as practice owners ; ‘ Scout for a premises , find a builder to fit it out … The rest will fall into place , you just need to take the first step !’
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