LAUNCHING:
GRACIE & SOPHIE TYRRELL

WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL TITLE?

We are the founders of Squirrel Sisters!

WHAT DO YOU DO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS?

Everyday is different but it usually starts in the office catching up on lots of emails, attending meetings and getting on with general day-to-day jobs to keep the business running.

WHAT ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS DO YOU HAVE?

We both have university degrees (Gracie went to Leeds and Sophie went to Manchester).

WHAT’S THE BEST CAREER ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN?

Preparation is the key to success…

WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY?

Our Mum and Dad. They are amazing - so strong and inspiring. They have taught us that we can do anything and achieve anything if we put our mind to it and work hard. Also, Beyonce… she is pretty amazing.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT WORKING ENVIRONMENT?

We love good food so working in the food industry means we are surrounded by it and get to try lots of delicious things. We also love our Squirrel Sisters team… it’s still a very small team but everyone works so well together and we have a lot of fun. Having a good team is so important!

WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT YOUR DAILY WORK ROUTINE IF YOU COULD?

The commute… it’s so draining and wastes a big chunk of the day.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF PROFESSIONALLY IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME?

We want Squirrel Sisters to be one of the bigger players on the market. We want to be a brand that everyone recognises and respects for its genuinely healthy and delicious products and we want our products to be available globally.

DO YOU FEEL YOU CAN BE THE SAME PERSON AT WORK AND IN PRIVATE?

Yes… obviously we are more professional at work because we are running a business but luckily we are sisters so we can be ourselves and our team is fab so everyone feels relaxed with each other.

WHERE AND IN WHAT ROLES ARE WOMEN IN THE LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE AT YOUR COMPANY?

Currently, we are all women. I want my team to be able to evolve and feel free to challenge themselves in different fields and initiatives. As we are at an early stage, it’s all about finding your own role and responsibilities. No one will tell you what do to, you need to find out. Which I love.

DOES DIVERSITY MATTER TO YOU?

For us it’s all about who we click with, if we see that someone shares the same values and has the same passion and drive as us, then that’s all that matters. We are called the Squirrel Sisters… so we love having more ‘sisters’ on our team but we are all about equality…the men or our team get to be called the Squirrel Misters!

HOW GOOD IS YOUR WORK LIFE BALANCE?

Balance is so important… it’s so easy to burn out these days so we do take it seriously especially because we are a health and wellness company. We eat really well because we know that it helps us feel good and we both have ways that we like to wind down like going to a gym class or having a glass of wine with friends. If you’re tired then you won’t be productive so in order for the business to run smoothly we need to be feeling good so we do a lot to make sure that we have a good work life balance.

WHAT QUALITIES DOES BEING IN YOUR ROLE NECESSITATE?

Passion, persistence and patience.

ANY FINAL COMMENTS?

If you are planning on starting your own business then make sure you are doing it because it’s something you love. Whatever you do needs to be a genuine passion. If you truly believe in your business idea then go for it – you’ve got nothing to lose and the passion will keep you going. You’ll experience a lot of knock backs on your business journey, things won’t always run smoothly and you will experience times when you just want to give up. Know that these feelings will pass and it takes a huge amount of persistence, hard work and commitment so keep going so don’t give up!