It was the sight of herself in a TM Lewin shirt which finally pushed Rebecca Robertson to set up her own financial management company.

Having worked in the industry since she was 19, she was made redundant when she was 14 weeks pregnant in 2008 and struggled to fit in when she finally went back to work, 250 job applications later.

“Women often have to fight so much harder to get what we deserve,” said Mrs Robertson, cutting a sharp figure in her blue jacket against the soft background of her garden at her Higham home.

“When I was a sales manager, I was wearing a shirt with cufflinks and had become another clone. My feminine element didn’t really come through. I was institutionalised.”

She launched Evolution for Women in August 2011 at the Medway Innovation Centre in Chatham, declaring her business “puts a feminine touch to finance”.

It was the perfect antidote to the sadness she felt having to sign on after having her daughter and struggling to find work.

“My job was who I was before then,” she said. “I was so proud of what I had achieved. Then when there were no financial jobs, I was just a mum and lost a lot of my buzz. When I went back into the industry, I wasn’t the same person. I had developed more empathy and realised all the things I didn’t like about the industry, like overcharging clients. I couldn’t find an alternative, so I decided to create my own.”

Despite confessing she is “a bit of a feminist,” about 40% of Mrs Robertson’s clients are men. She runs financial workshops called Evo Girls across the county, which attract about 70 people each time.

She celebrated last month after winning the customer service prize at the Kent Women in Business Awards.

“Being a good financial adviser is about empathy and listening to your clients,” said Mrs Robertson. “It is about listening for the things behind what they tell you they want. You have to find out what their bigger long and short-term goals are. It is also about showing them it is OK they haven’t got it right yet.”

What is the most common financial problem women face?

“The biggest issue financially is childcare. You are stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have seen clients with childcare bills higher than their mortgages but they have to do it to keep their job. They are essentially having to take a loss to keep an equal standing.”

What is the most important part of being a financial advisor?

“It is about nurturing people to achieve much more. It is not reacting to the clients wants, it is showing them the way to other areas they might want to consider in the future.”

Are more women feeling empowered at work?

“Women are now seeing other women doing it and following suit but there is a glass ceiling at boardroom level. There have been improvements to that but until you have more women in management and middle management then women won’t have career progression.”

Do men need to change their attitude towards women at work?

“I do believe the majority of men are supporting change and don’t see it as an afront. They see it is about equality. They are making changes by recruiting women in management roles and not making women redundant when they go on maternity leave. Men are really making the change.”

What is the biggest mistake people make managing their finances?

“The problem is people reacting to a situation. Their biggest risk might be redundancy and it might be wise to take out cover for that. I don’t like to sound patronising but people need education around all the different financial options. It is about learning and being there for them before the worst happens.”

Who will you vote for in the general election?

“I’m like a lot of people in their mid 30s who feel none of the parties are doing us justice. It is like picking from a bad bunch. Nigel Farage is a difficult character but what his party is doing is making other politicians address gaps in big issues but I wouldn’t vote for Ukip.”

CV

Born: 3/8/80

Live: Higham

School: St John Fisher, Chatham

Marital status: Married with a seven-year-old daughter, two dogs and three cats

First job: Working in Fourayes Farm near Sittingbourne packing fruit at midnight

First job salary: Minimum wage in 1996.

Salary now: “I’d rather not.”

Car: Renault Laguna

Book: Key Person of Influence by Daniel Priestley

Film: The Goonies

Music: Paloma Faith. “My favourite song at the moment is 30 Minute Love Affair.”

Gadget: iPhone

Last holiday: Lanzarote

Charity: British Heart Foundation and Royal British Legion

Typical day

Rebecca Robertson gets up at about 6.30am and then reads or listens to music for 20 minutes.

She said: “Being a business woman I have to be focused so I do something for myself because it gets my energy levels going.”

She gets her daughter ready for school and starts to look at emails at about 8am. She leaves the house at 8.30am and is at her desk for 8.45am.

She will have a meeting or run a webinar in the morning or be on the phone to the team.

“I might be following through something for a client. My role is to make sure everyone is happy and the business is growing.”

On an average day she finishes at 3.30pm and picks her daughter up from school. She will take her to a club or do her dinner and then start back at work at about 6.30pm.

“Then I either go out to an appointment, meeting, networking group or speaking session and I usually finish for the day at about 9pm.”

In her downtime, she likes to walk her dogs and take her daughter out on her bike. She also likes to sit in the garden and listen to music.