From Corporate Leader to Female Founder

Meet Marissa Johnston, co-founder and managing director of Shaker Collective. Through Digital Boost’s small business support, she was able to launch her business in just 30 days!

The Vision: A Professional Home for Hospitality

After 15 years navigating the world of corporate FMCG spirits giants like Diageo and Moët Hennessy, Marissa reached a turning point. While managing a global cocktail competition, she realised that while the corporate world was well-connected, the heartbeat of the industry – the hospitality workers themselves – was often left in isolation.

Marissa spotted a significant gap in the market: hospitality professionals were relying on personal social media platforms to find brand events, training, and job opportunities. She noticed a growing shift where people wanted to be “slightly more analogue,” preferring not to use their private accounts for professional growth.

She envisioned something different – a dedicated digital community.

“Think of it a little bit like LinkedIn, but for hospitality,” Marissa explains. “The purpose of it is to share jobs, share resources and allow for greater collaboration and networking across the hospitality industry.”

Leveraging her marketing expertise, Marissa didn’t just guess at what was needed. She conducted market research, surveying existing communities to ensure Shaker Collective would be a true solution.

The Challenge: Moving Beyond the “Safety Net”

Despite her deep industry knowledge, the transition from corporate leader to solo founder was hard. Leaving the corporate world meant losing her safety net—a challenge almost every new entrepreneur faces. It also meant leaving large teams behind, which can be an isolating experience without a team to bounce ideas off.

“I was really missing that opportunity to just bounce ideas off people,” says Marissa. “That’s something that can be really challenging when you’re self-employed – having a community to get feedback from and even just talk things out loud”.

Beyond the isolation, there was the technical weight of launching. Even with her experience, she spent six months planning, during which the concept shifted several times based on feedback – even up until a week before launch.

How Digital Boost’s small business support changed Marissa’s path

After attending a Digital Boost networking event in Edinburgh, Marissa was inspired to join the Begin programme. Sponsored by NatWest, the programme trains aspiring female founders to turn their ideas into reality.

For Marissa, the timing was perfect as she prepared to launch. The programme provided the structure she had been missing:

• Weekly challenges kept her to a strict timeline, making the business “real” and keeping her on the right track.
• Begin offered a roadmap for her business plan, marketing strategy, PR, and the commercial side of the venture.
• Mentoring opened up a pool of “incredible resources and brains” to help solve Marissa’s business hurdles.

The Result: From Concept to Launch in 30 Days

The impact of this structured support was immediate. By the time the programme concluded, Marissa had the clarity and confidence she needed to stop planning and start doing.

“As a result of completing the Begin programme, I launched Shaker Collective just one month later,” she shares.

Since launching in July 2025, the community has been growing week by week, and is securing brand partnerships! Marissa continues to use Digital Boost’s free small business support to navigate the ups and downs of running a small business 😊

Inspired by Marissa’s journey? If you’ve got a business idea brewing, why not check out our free small business support and see how we can help you make your idea a reality ✨