Meet Emma

Meet Emma May, an award-winning founder who's a self-professed "Bridget Jones of business"—unpolished, unfiltered, and always grounded in the "realness" of business, life, and relationships.

Emma's world revolves around her family. She's a Mum to her absolute world, her son Albert, a loving (if slightly chaotic) wife to her wonderful husband Oli, and a daughter who cherishes her Dad and the memory of her Mum more than words can say. She's a loyal friend to her "soul sisters," and at her core, a creative soul who loves nothing more than to sing, perform, paint, create, and laugh! While she's an intermittent exerciser who always tries crazy challenges (but often lacks the "consistent training" part), you're probably getting the picture!

Emma's entire life is driven by her "why": to build a life centred around her family, making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

She kicked off Real World Consultancy (RWC) in 2018, just a week before her 30th birthday. This was a bold leap, as she left behind a successful and ‘comfortable/stable’ IT and Project career where she'd been Head of Portfolio Management. She hasn't looked back since! RWC is all about strategic growth, and they have already helped over 1000 businesses really scale up. Her big goal? To be that absolute must-have strategic partner for ambitious founders, helping them grow sustainably and truly love their success, without the endless grind.

Emma's also the brain behind The Ambitious Growth Model. It's a fantastic framework designed to bring clarity and focus to both your personal journey and your business growth. You'll find this model woven into RWC's diagnostic tools, her book "The Ambitious Blueprint," and the invaluable work her team of strategic partners does.

In 2024, Emma launched The Strategic Circle, a vibrant community that empowers FoundHERs with curated peer boards. She's passionate about expertly curating success for ambitious women founders, bringing together expert 1:1 strategy, peer support, and proven frameworks for awesome clarity, connection, and growth. You can currently find these boards buzzing across the West Midlands.

And there's more! In May 2025, Emma teamed up with Tara Attfield-Tomes to co-found The Ripple Effect. They started it because they were genuinely frustrated with the patchy business support out there for entrepreneurs. Now, they're delivering proven retreats and programmes that focus on real-life founders and genuine, tangible growth. Emma is a speaker, author, and advocate for Genuinely Ambitious Founders.