Anna Gross - CEO, Project Access UK

At university, the traits I most closely identified with were being thoughtful and hardworking. Still, it never occurred to me that taking an idea from a pub conversation through to the real-world was the way to make use of those strengths. That’s why I didn’t. My own entrepreneurial journey began only because someone else had started something, but didn’t have the time to grow it. So I took over.

Once I started, it was hard to stop. I think having to figure things out for yourself can be addictive. To me, being an entrepreneur is empowering. It brings out a determination that I always suspected I had in me, and it’s exciting to see that this determination can actually create something real that didn’t exist before I came along. It gave me confidence in my ability to do things – anything! – while always teaching me that the timeframe for doing those things is always somehow longer than I gave myself time for…

I hope to see people from all backgrounds pursue their ideas with determination and enthusiasm in the future, whether that be through entrepreneurship, thoughtfully written journalism, innovative policy making or something else that challenges the status quo. The world is full of problems, so we need all the creative minds we can get to take them on!