Coffee with Isabel Oswell
Isabel Oswell
Head of Business and Research Audiences at The British Library
Age 61
Coffees at The British Library Cafe, 96 Euston Rd, London NW1 2DB
Describe your career path in two or three sentences including any twist or turns ending with where you are now and where you see yourself in the future.
I have been working for nearly 40 years now. Most of my career has been in marketing, new business development and strategy. I guess my career has been quite serendipitous. I initially wanted to be a journalist but I ended up doing an international marketing degree and, during my holidays, I worked for a business to business market research agency which was looking for French speakers.
In those days you didn’t have the internet, so you had to use libraries to do your desk research and the telephone — or indeed visits — to ask more detailed questions. I ended up talking to very senior people in very large organisations both here and abroad and very quickly got to grips with new products and new industries. I just loved the variety of it — and the travel!
After gaining experience there, I got a very plum job in a tech organisation and since then I have worked in a variety of large and small companies mainly in tech and professional services.
And now I am at the British Library and I have been here for 17 years as Head of Business Audiences, responsible for business support for entrepreneurs and small business owners from all walks of life. I was lucky enough to be able to set up the Business & IP Centre here in London, inspired by the New York Public Library’s SIBL and we have now been operating for 13 years and expanded to a network of 14 Centres across the UK.
What decision / experience proved to be the most helpful to your career?
My initial experience of doing market research, getting to grips with new markets quickly and dealing with very senior people when I was very young helped a great deal. It gave me quite a lot of confidence. It also helped me to analyse and present information.
What do you think are the most important qualities for sustaining a fulfilling career(s)?
You have to love what you do. You have to be passionate about the product or service that you are representing, selling or marketing. And you have to keep on learning and stretching yourself beyond your comfort zone.
What advice would you give your 20-year-old self knowing what you know now?
If I went back to my 20s, I’d probably tell myself to start a business — just go and do it.
Of course, you need to learn the skills and gain some experience first. Nowadays, there is a fantastic amount of support around to help you. But looking back, I think could have done it and should have done it.
The first time I lost my job in my 30s, I had learned a lot in terms of tech and marketing skills and that’s when I should have taken the plunge. I’m a latent entrepreneur, so I’m very happy doing what I do now — supporting others to start up businesses. It’s very fulfilling and I feel that this is what I was put on earth to do!
What are the biggest challenges for people wanting to make a career re-entry or re-invention later in life?
I think the biggest challenge is technology. Technology has moved on in leaps and bounds and you need to keep on top of it.
Also confidence: confidence in your own abilities when you’ve had a career break or want to change direction.
And just keeping a network going as well — that’s really important. So that’s three things.
What are the opportunities are for people hoping to work into their 50s, 60s and beyond?
It’s a knowledge economy now, it's about what you know. It is about focusing on what you are very good at and what you enjoy doing and then figuring out how you can make a living or sustained career out of that. I think people really value knowledge and expertise.
You have to keep abreast of trends in society and business and find your particular niche. And, because of the advent of the internet and being able to do things online, it is much easier in many ways to start another career.
If you’re thinking of starting a business or being self-employed, the Business & IP Centre supports people of all ages. There are plenty of opportunities to come in and learn new skills. We do workshops day-in day-out on all sorts of topics like marketing, social media, business planning, public speaking and PR.
What is your top tip for staying relevant in today’s job market?
You have to keep abreast of what is going on, especially in technology and make sure your skills are up-to-date.
You have to read a lot.
You have to listen.
It helps if you know and use social media.
You have to pick up on the zeitgeist. It is really important to keep in touch with what’s going on in the market and society and recognise the trends.
And, above all, maintain your networks. Get together for coffee – or wine!
Recommendation: Favourite book to read, website to browse or podcast to listen to while drinking coffee?
We run a series call Inspiring Entrepreneurs where we have famous and not-quite-so-famous, but still successful, entrepreneurs sharing their expertise with the next generation. They talk about how they set up and ran their business: the highs and lows, the things they learnt along the way and the things they wouldn’t do if they were to start again.
We’ve had so many really amazing people on our stage and probably the one I found the most inspirational was the late Anita Roddick of The Body Shop. She was a very successful business woman but also a real force for good as well as an activist. She was our entrepreneur in residence and she would give one-on-one advice to socially and environmentally-minded entrepreneurs.
There are people I know today who say that she changed their lives and gave them the confidence to go ahead. I just felt a terribly strong connection with her. I remember she said “If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito.”
She talked about taking risks and being brave but also about being honest. And she lived the way that she talked. I have read her book Business as Unusual: The Journey and I found it very inspiring. She was an incredible role model.