Everything
About
Rachel Watkyn O.B.E
I wasn’t supposed to do anything remarkable. So I did anyway.
Rachel has never been one to chase awards. She’s far more interested in building things properly, questioning how things are done, and proving that business can be both successful and responsible. That said, people have noticed. Over the years, Rachel’s work in sustainable packaging, ethical business, and UK manufacturing, through Tiny Box Company, has earned recognition across industries that don’t hand out praise lightly.
When I was 15
the school careers office told me I had two options.
Secretary or The Army
That was the level of expectation.
Stability wasn't something I knew...
I had already spent part of my childhood in a children’s home before being returned to parents who, looking back, were clearly struggling.
Stability wasn’t something I grew up with. No clear path. No structure. No sense that life would turn into anything remarkable.
Your past does not define you.
If anything, it sharpens you.
Building upwards
Over the last couple of decades, I’ve built businesses including Tiny Box Company.
That journey led to being awarded an OBE was for Sustainability & Ethical Business Growth.
More recently, I’ve been working on new ventures like Indiki.
It wasn't easy
But the truth is, none of it has been straightforward.
Alongside the business journey, there have been ongoing health challenges. The kind that slow you down, knock you sideways, and force you to rethink how hard you can push.
Comparison is pointless.
You never really know what someone else has had to overcome just to get to where they are standing.
I am not particularly interested in corporate nonsense.
I do not do buzzwords.
I do not pretend bad ideas are good ones.
And I have very little patience for systems that reward the same people over and over again.
The lack of investment in female-led businesses is real.
It is frustrating.
And it needs to change.
It's who, not what.
What I am most proud of is not just what I have built, but who I have built it with.
I’ve worked with people who had been written off… and watching someone realise they are capable of more than they were ever told is one of the most rewarding parts of everything I do.
That matters far more than titles or turnover.
Stand tall.
Stand tall.
Even when it’s uncomfortable.
Even when it would be easier to stay quiet.
If something is not right, challenge it.
If something is broken, fix it.
If someone has potential, back them.
Do not wait for permission.
This is me.
Underneath all of it, everything comes back to family. Not in a polished or performative way, but in a very real one. They are the reason. The grounding force. The thing that matters when everything else is stripped away.
This is me.
No perfect narrative.
No pretending it has all been smooth.
Just someone who started with very little, built something anyway… and is still going.
If you want to follow the journey, you are very welcome to.