Ellen Joan Ford - Redefining work around real life

Ellen Joan Ford runs a purpose-led business in the leadership, culture, and high-performance teams space. With a background in the army, corporate leadership, and academic research, including an MBA and PhD in leadership, Ellen left the corporate sector to build a business centred on one core belief: leadership can be done differently. ​

Now in her fifth year of business, Ellen works as a speaker and facilitator, helping organisations rethink how they lead people, measure performance, and support flexible ways of working. She is the author of #WorkSchoolHours, which challenges traditional ideas about work, parenting, and productivity, particularly for working parents. Her work has been recognised nationally, including a Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Local Hero award and a Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award. ​

Running a solo business brings a different kind of pressure. Ellen does not have a fixed salary, and as a single mum, her household relies entirely on her ability to secure bookings and bring in work consistently. That reality makes financial uncertainty more than inconvenient. It makes it stressful. ​

In the early stages of building the business, managing cash flow and forecasting expenses carried weight. Without predictable income, budgeting becomes more deliberate.​

Her previous accounting setup added to that pressure. Fees were billed by the minute, which meant even asking questions required caution. Conversations that drifted into broader business context or personal circumstances could later appear as additional line items. Over time, that created hesitation. Instead of feeling supported, there was an undercurrent of needed to be efficient with every interaction. ​

For a founder already navigating the uncertainty of self-employment, that added mental friction. What Ellen needed was clarity and predictability around a core business function, not another variable to manage. ​

What initially drew Ellen to Beany was the subscription model. Knowing exactly what her accounting costs would be each month made budgeting easier and removed the fear of asking questions. The cost certainty mattered immediately. ​

Over time, her experience with Beany went beyond pricing. As she interacted with the team, Ellen noticed something important. Beany operates in the same way she encourages organisations to work. The team is remote-first, works flexibly, and focuses on deliverables rather than hours. Many of the people she interacted with were working mums balancing work and life in a way that did not feel competing. ​

For Ellen, that alignment mattered deeply. Beany was not just providing accounting support. It was living the principles she teaches: trust, flexibility, and respect for people as whole humans. ​

“It's an organisation that cares about offering great client service, but provides conditions for the team members to be able to do work and life in a way that's not completely competing. I've enjoyed working with Beany because they provide good services, and give me that stability of costs. So I really like that. But I also enjoy the fact that they are kind of practicing what I'm preaching. So I feel really positive being aligned with Beany on that regard,” Ellen said.​

Ellen believes belief in what you are building is essential. Especially in a small or solo business, purpose is what carries you through pressure. ​

She said, “My leadership model is Belonging, Autonomy, and Purpose. And so you've got to believe in what you're doing. There's got to be a reason for it. And so I feel really lucky that I'm kind of living my purpose. Like, I believe that I'm meant to be trying to change the world. And yeah, when you believe in something, I think you can really go to the nth degree to make it work.”​

She also believes leaders often underestimate the impact of flexibility, belonging, and autonomy. Helping people thrive as human beings is a drive of performance. When people feel trusted and supported, they deliver better outcomes for the business. Those principles apply whether you are leading a team or choosing the partners you work with. ​

Ellen is currently working on her next book, focused on leadership lessons drawn from her experience volunteering in the evacuation of people from Afghanistan. Alongside that, she plans to continue building year-on-year growth, expanding her reach, and turning leadership ideas into practical action. ​

As a single mum running a viable, purpose-led business, her focus remains on sustainability. Doing meaningful work, creating real change, and building a business that supports both life and livelihood. ​

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