07/09/2026
Women in Business at Prison Break Market 🎙️✨
Part 2: Jo’s advice to women wanting to start a business
There are hard parts to building a business that no one warns you about. Financial risk, months on end without taking a single rand out the bank, and pressure that can strain your relationships and family if you’re not careful. Jo’s built Upstage, San Quentin Events and Alkatraz from the ground up, and she’s felt every bit of that.
Her advice? Before you take the leap, have at least 3 months’ worth of expenses saved. That buffer is what gives you room to breathe while you find your footing.
Her second piece of advice comes from her own experience: don’t lose your femininity trying to fit in. Coming up in a male-dominated stage company, Jo found herself dressing down, jeans, boots, a fitted shirt, to blend in. It worked, but it wasn’t really her. Looking back, her message to women starting out is to stay feminine and stay true to yourself, rather than shrinking yourself to fit a mould that was never built with you in mind. 💪💄