TGt Meets...Ally Rios Twitchin, Founder & Creative Director of Frost Flower Promotions - IWD Special

International Women’s Day 2021 #choosetochallenge

Ally Rios Twitchin is the founder and creative director of Frost Flower Promotions. It is a multi-faceted Social Media Marketing company that was established in October 2020. Read below as we spoke to Ally to get her thoughts on International Women's Day 2021.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #choosetochallenge – what would you choose to challenge when it comes to gender equality or inequality this year?

I would challenge the misconception that women are catty and unsupportive of each other. Since going into business I have met so many women who lift each other up and rally behind each other, and I think that there is space for everyone to succeed. Similarly, I think the outdated idea that women are too emotional to be good leaders (not just in business) is unfounded. Just look at how Jacinda Ardern has handled New Zealand’s response to the pandemic, always having put the safety of the population first. I think there is a lot to be said for empathy, care and compassion in our leaders and I think that is something women have been able to embrace more.   

Thinking of your own experience in the world of business – which inequalities, if any, have you experienced personally or witnessed around gender?

On a number of occasions since starting FFP, I have experienced older people trying to take advantage of the fact that I am a start-up by going back on their word and trying to coerce me into working for next to nothing because I should be grateful for the experience. Luckily, I know my worth and after standing my ground I can feel that I receive more respect going forward. My advice to any young women going into business is to always know the value of the service or product you are providing and do not let anyone tell you different. Wiggle room and negotiation is fine, being guilt tripped or bullied is not. Also – get EVERYTHING in writing!

What do you think men and women offer to the world of business? 

I think that in any business or industry, the more diversity you can have the better. Whether that’s with gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, educational background – anything! – the more diverse, the more the organisation will benefit as we all bring something different to the table

Can you name up to three women in business or in your organisation or in the wider business community that you admire?

Patricia Bright – Patricia is a business woman and Youtuber who has previously worked in the business and finance Industry for big names. She now consults, invests and makes videos filled with great advice for aspiring business owners. She also has a channel creating fun, fashion content – she does everything! I personally like her because she is very honest and loves to see her fans succeed.

Sorelle Amore – Sorelle is another YouTuber. She creates stunning videos about travel. She often talks about how she hated what she was doing when she was 25, picked up a camera and never looked back. She took internships, learnt on the job and there was a lot of ‘fake it till you make it’ but due to her relentless hard work she now has a huge following and has released courses teaching others how to get into photography/videography. She inspires me to be better, more creative and constantly motivates me to build on my skills – and encouraged me to start my YouTube channel!   

Ivonne Rios-Centellas – Ivonne is my mum! My mum came to Bournemouth at the age of 27. She would go to language school in the day, work at hotels/restaurants in the evening and then study for her beauty courses through the night. The first half of my life she was a self-employed beauty therapist and worked from home and in different salons. Later on, she took over one of those businesses and ran her own hair and beauty salon right in the centre of town. She always worked six days a week without fail, I am very proud of her for how hard she worked and what she achieved. Now, she is passing on a lot of her business knowledge to me and I couldn’t have gotten where I am without her wisdom!

Can you name up to three men in business or in your organisation or in the wider business community that you admire? 

While I don’t know many men in business, I have a lot of male friends who have studied for years to be doctors, accountants and therapists. I also have friends who didn’t study at all but went straight into working full time. Both have value and both demand discipline and hard work. That is what I admire!     

Do you think women who start their own business experience more challenges than men?

I think so. Traditionally, women were expected to be the homemaker. Now, women are crushing it in business but still have a lot expected of them when it comes to their family/personal lives and it seems everyone has an opinion on what we should and shouldn’t be doing. Plus, women are socialised to be more agreeable which can be a hard thing to break out of when going into business. Because of these kind of gender norms, we perceive women who are more assertive than agreeable as argumentative or ‘bitchy’, but a man with those traits would be praised for having direction – Judith Butler’s book “Gender Trouble” explains this and much more very well!

I think that these things are gradually improving with more equality protocols and legislation, as well as increased awareness and discussion about the different barriers we all face.

Now a little bit about being based in Poole and your Covid-19 experience…     

Describe Poole in 3 words…   

Exciting, full-of-potential, up-and-coming

Where’s your favourite place for an out of office/remote meeting? 

Honestly, a lot of my work is based online and starting a business mid-pandemic has made business meetings difficult. But, my newly-discovered favourite place to go for a walk and clear my head is Arne nature reserve. You can see the whole of Poole Quay, Sandbanks and all the islands in the harbour.   

What do you love most about working in Poole?   

I love how close we are to the beach and in the other direction, miles of forest and countryside. There are always new places to explore and get inspired by.

How do you think Poole and local businesses will bounce-back once lockdown is eased?

I think local businesses will 100% bounce back after lockdown because people are craving social interaction and in-person experiences. They miss trying on clothes in a changing room and having coffee with friends.     

How has Covid-19/Lockdown affected your business and what are your plans for the year ahead as we start to move out of lockdown? 

To be honest, I have to be thankful for these periods of lockdown because without them, I would never have started my business. As an Event Management graduate, I couldn’t find a job last summer. This led me to take my marketing and social media knowledge and start something of my own. If you had asked me about my goals a year ago, working for myself wouldn’t have been one of them - but since I started, I’ve never looked back. Moving forward, I want to keep working on my creative skills and expand the services we can offer clients in regard to content creation. Watch this space!

Anything else you’d like to say? 

I would like to thank everyone who has supported my business so far and I would like to thank Total Guide for having me - I can’t wait to keep showing off about where we live!

For further information about Frost Flower Promotions please check out their social media pages here.