Answer extracted from The Purpose People Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
How mentors shaped a financial professional's approach to business growth?
Julie Williams credits her early mentors and employers in the late 1980s boom years with shaping her entire approach to business mentoring. Starting at age 17 as an accounts assistant during a period of rapid growth and acquisitions, she gained far more practical learning through hands-on experience than a traditional university degree could have offered—a foundation that helped build her 35+ year business career.
Williams excelled in mathematics from school, completing A-levels in accountancy before beginning her career at 17. The timing proved crucial: she joined the workforce during the late 1980s economic boom when businesses were expanding rapidly and acquisitions were frequent. This environment created an exceptional learning laboratory for someone early in their career.
What set her path apart was not just timing, but the quality of mentorship she received. As Williams explains in the episode, her mentors and employers believed in her capabilities and invested heavily in her development. They pushed her to take on challenging work that stretched her abilities far beyond what a junior accounts assistant might typically encounter. This approach—throwing substantial responsibility at someone with the confidence that they can rise to it—became formative to her philosophy.
The contrast between her early mentoring experience and formal education shaped her perspective on learning and development. Practical, real-world challenge proved more effective than classroom instruction alone. Because she was working through actual acquisitions, managing accounts during growth phases, and tackling complex financial problems, she developed an intuitive understanding of business mechanics that went beyond theory. The mistakes she made had real consequences, and the wins she achieved had tangible value—both powerful teachers.
This foundation became the lens through which Julie Williams later approached mentoring others. Having benefited from mentors who saw potential and acted on it, she carried that philosophy forward as she advanced through roles at HSBC as an area director managing 180 customers, then as founder of Business Oracle. Her belief in spotting talent early and providing stretch opportunities—even when it feels uncomfortable—traces directly back to those formative late 1980s years when her mentors bet on her ability to grow.
"My superpower is to borrow some of my belief until you find your own."
Julie Williams — Founder & Consultant, Business Oracle. Williams has run businesses for over 35 years, starting her career at age 17 as an accounts assistant with mentors in the late 1980s during a period of business growth and acquisitions. She has worked in construction and M&A, served as an area director at HSBC managing 180 customers, and founded both Business Oracle and a children's books business that has operated for 20 years. She is currently building an AI-powered brand platform startup.
The philosophy embedded in that statement reflects her early experience directly. Her mentors loaned her their belief in her potential during years when she was still building confidence. Now, as someone with decades of business success behind her, she does the same for others—lending her conviction that they can succeed until they develop their own.
To understand the full scope of how these early experiences shaped her mentoring philosophy and approach to building high-growth businesses, listen to the complete episode where Williams discusses her journey through construction and M&A work, her corporate experience at HSBC, and her transition to launching Business Oracle.
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