In this episode of Mind Your Business, David Pawsey sits down with Fiona Anderson, Innovation Director at the Crawley Innovation Centre, to explore the real challenges early-stage businesses face when trying to grow.

From the struggle to secure funding to the importance of testing an idea before investing too heavily, Fiona shares practical insight drawn from years of supporting startups across the UK. She explains why many founders hit the same obstacles regardless of location, what investors are really looking for, and why passion alone is not enough to build a sustainable business.

The conversation also dives into the unique barriers women founders still face, including confidence gaps, access to investment and the constant balancing act between business and family life. Fiona reflects on her own career journey too, including a difficult period working in South Africa and what that experience taught her about resilience, culture and finding where you truly belong.

This is an honest, thoughtful conversation about entrepreneurship, growth, leadership and the realities behind building a business in a changing world.

• Why access to funding remains one of the biggest challenges for startups
• The difference between grants, loans and angel investment
• Why founders need to validate demand before scaling
• Common mistakes that cause promising businesses to stall
• How to test a business idea quickly and affordably
• Why women founders often face extra barriers in business
• The role confidence, childcare and culture play in leadership
• Fiona’s personal story of career challenges, resilience and returning to the UK
• Why in-person connection and business communities still matter

A great idea is not enough on its own. The businesses most likely to succeed are the ones that understand their customer, test demand early, plan properly for growth and stay adaptable when conditions change.

Fiona Anderson is the Innovation Director at the Crawley Innovation Centre and also works independently as a consultant and mentor for early-stage businesses. With experience supporting startups across multiple regions and sectors, Fiona brings practical, grounded insight into funding, growth strategy and the realities of entrepreneurship.

To find out more about Fiona’s work and the support available through the Crawley Innovation Centre, connect with her on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow Mind Your Business on YouTube, Spotify and all major podcast platforms for more conversations with people from different industries sharing the challenges they’ve faced and how they’ve progressed in their careers.

deepsocial helps businesses create podcasts and turn each episode into a full content campaign, including blogs, whitepapers, LinkedIn posts, videos, shorts and more.