It was interesting to read some of today's NatWest Rose Review report on female entrepreneurship.
As it was International Women's Day, I found myself in NatWest's own Entrepreneur Accelerator Hub in Milton Keynes, surrounded by dozens of other business women. There was some great networking and a couple of interesting speakers.
"The UK is the start-up capital of Europe, attracting more venture capital than any other European country, yet only one in three UK entrepreneurs is female. In comparison with 15% of women in Canada, almost 11% of women in the US, and over 9% of women in Australia and the Netherlands, only 5.6% of UK women run their own companies."
Some of the stories you hear about the responses to women's business ideas - often from potential investors - are reason enough why women don't want to become entrepreneurs.
It was interesting to be in a room with women who just want to get on with business. We don't think we're better than men. We don't even feel sorry for ourselves - we simply want to get on with doing what we do, alongside other people. If we are treated badly, we will deal with it.
The Rose Review says: "access to funding, risk aversion, primary care responsibilities and perception of skills are among the barriers female entrepreneurs need to overcome. And in order to do that, she recommends eight initiatives the private sector (and parts of the public sector) can take forward, including: increased funding; support from private investors; the expansion of mentoring and networking opportunities; and accelerating the rollout of entrepreneurial courses to schools and colleges."
Two hours of networking today didn't actually bring me any new business, but it opened up some new opportunities and helped me develop some existing relationships. We all need more of the same, whoever we are, and we need to encourage women, wherever they are.
As it was International Women's Day, I found myself in NatWest's own Entrepreneur Accelerator Hub in Milton Keynes, surrounded by dozens of other business women. There was some great networking and a couple of interesting speakers.
"The UK is the start-up capital of Europe, attracting more venture capital than any other European country, yet only one in three UK entrepreneurs is female. In comparison with 15% of women in Canada, almost 11% of women in the US, and over 9% of women in Australia and the Netherlands, only 5.6% of UK women run their own companies."
Some of the stories you hear about the responses to women's business ideas - often from potential investors - are reason enough why women don't want to become entrepreneurs.
It was interesting to be in a room with women who just want to get on with business. We don't think we're better than men. We don't even feel sorry for ourselves - we simply want to get on with doing what we do, alongside other people. If we are treated badly, we will deal with it.
The Rose Review says: "access to funding, risk aversion, primary care responsibilities and perception of skills are among the barriers female entrepreneurs need to overcome. And in order to do that, she recommends eight initiatives the private sector (and parts of the public sector) can take forward, including: increased funding; support from private investors; the expansion of mentoring and networking opportunities; and accelerating the rollout of entrepreneurial courses to schools and colleges."
Two hours of networking today didn't actually bring me any new business, but it opened up some new opportunities and helped me develop some existing relationships. We all need more of the same, whoever we are, and we need to encourage women, wherever they are.
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