Her Baby Bouncer Was in Her Grandfather's Office: Dominique Dawson on 70 Years of Finnies, Lessons from Harrods, and Why Nobody on Her Team Has Ever Worked on Commission

In this episode of Scale HER Up, I'm joined by Dominique Dawson — director of Finnies the Jeweller in Aberdeen, and, as I realised partway through this conversation, the first third-generation female business owner I've ever interviewed in 170-plus episodes.

Dominique's grandparents founded Finnies. Her mum and uncle ran it. Now Dominique and her brother are the third generation. And next year, the business turns 70.

Her baby bouncer was installed in her grandfather's office.

She went on to get her graduate gemology qualification in London, spent four years as assistant manager at Chanel Fine Jewelry in Harrods, sold a £1.5 million set of jewelry to a customer who paid by card without blinking, and came home to modernise a business she'd grown up in.

We cover:

• What Finnies the Jeweller is and what makes it special
• What three generations of female leadership looks like from the inside
• What Dominique took from four years at Harrods — and one crucial thing she left behind
• Why she has never introduced commission or targets for any member of her team — and why she never will
• Coming home to modernise: the half-day Wednesday closure, the website, the online transactions, and the staff rota she rebuilt for 40 people
• The imposter syndrome of being the youngest person in the room with the most ideas
• What's next: the 70th anniversary, the renovation, new brands — and why she'll never open a second location
• Aberdeen city centre: what it needs, what Finnies is doing for it, and why she's more optimistic than the Aberdonians
• Why sleep is non-negotiable and gardening was a revelation
• "Sometimes they say the third generation destroys. I hope not."

Quote of the episode: "The only reason we will continue to succeed is you've got to look after people." — Dominique Dawson

If you run a family business, if you're trying to modernise something that's been done the same way for a long time, or if you just love a good Aberdeen story — this one's for you.