Between COVID-19 and Brexit, we live in uncertain times but that’s not stopping women taking up training and mentoring supports offered by Local Enterprise Offices (LEO) across the country,

The latest figures show that 20,551 female participants have taken part in LEO training programmes during the first six months of 2020. That’s a massive increase of 58% on the same period last year.

There is also greater demand for mentoring support, with 3,567 female entrepreneurs taking up the support between January and June 2020, an increase of 19%. The figures were announced to mark National Woman’s Enterprise Day which takes place online on Wednesday 14 October.

Commenting on the figures to Irish Country Living, Orla Martin, chair of the National Women’s Enterprise Day Committee and head of enterprise with LEO Offaly, said more and more women were following their passion and setting up their own businesses. “Many of these female entrepreneurs have been successful in the corporate world. They have the business training and can apply it and they want a better work life balance.”

She says they adapted training from face to face and online and found a huge appetite for it. She expects to see a blended version of training post COVID-19. “National Woman’s Enterprise Day is a great opportunity for female entrepreneurs to recognise, support and learn from each other. It’s ideal for anyone running their own business or who are in management positions in family businesses.”

Stronger together

The interactive events for National Women’s Enterprise Day are moving online to LocalEnterprise.ie/NWED and the big themes this year are resilience, self-care, innovation and opportunity. All events in the programme are free of charge and include workshops with experts, panel discussions, a virtual marketplace and facilitated networking to connect more entrepreneurs with each other.

“We want to show businesses that we’re ‘Stronger Together.’ We also want to show how small changes can make big impacts, how we can learn from each other, how small businesses can cultivate innovation and how international markets can offer new opportunities,” says Orla.

Being resilient

Lisa Nolan one of of the speakers at the National Women's Enterprise Day events

Kicking off proceedings will be Lisa Nolan of Aslan Coaching who will give advice on overcoming the “imposter within” and managing stress. “The only thing that stops us is ourselves. For instance women don’t see themselves as successes yet every time we make a cold call, make a presentation or do anything we fear we are bring resilient and negating that inner critic.”

Take part

Some of the women who have been nominated as the “Leading Light” of their county due to their resilience, leadership and innovation tell us their inspiring stories.

To pre-register for the free events, go to www.LocalEnterprise.ie/nwed or search #NWED on social media.

Training through Local Enterprise Offices

2019 The number of females taking part in training programmes from January to June 2019 was 12,964.

2020 The number of females taking part in training programmes from January to June 2020 was 20,551 An increase of 7,587 female participants (58.5%).

*Figures compiled by Enterprise Ireland on 17 Sept 2020

Quick response keeps dream alive

Pamela Walsh of Wicklow Way Wines, one of the Leading Lights at National Women's Enterprise Day.

Pamela Walsh is an engineer who spent the early years of her career in California, returning home to Newtownmountkennedy with her husband in 2000 to raise their two children in Ireland. She joined Airtricity to lead the development of Ireland’s first and only offshore windfarm to date, off the coast of Arklow. “I still consider that project to be the most challenging and rewarding professional achievement of my life.”

But after 14 years, Pamela had enough of the corporate world and wanted a better life-work balance so she and her husband set about creating a business that would be focused on a sustainable food product. The product they hit on was Irish wine made from berries grown by local farmers in Co Wicklow.

Ireland’s only winery

Wicklow Way Wines is Ireland’s only winery where wines are made from the juices of Irish strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. In 2019 Pamela began running small tours of the winery. She worked with Failte Ireland to develop their ‘Wine Tasting and Winery Tour’ experience where they talk about the winemaking process and offer tastings paired with Irish cheeses and chocolate.

Sustainability is core to the business and Wicklow Way Wines has been a member of Bord Bia’s Origin Green programme since the launch of its first wines in 2016. The business has also given Pamela the opportunity to meet others involved in food and tourism. She now chairs the steering group to deliver Wicklow County Council’s Food and Beverage Strategy under the Wicklow Naturally banner.

Quick response

Wicklow Way Wines relies on the retail, restaurant and tourist markets so COVID-19 restrictions hit hard. But then Pamela and her husband had a light-bulb moment as she explains. ”The Minister for Health, Simon Harris, asked industry to help address the shortages in PPE and sanitisers. We wondered if we could make a hand sanitiser and to cut a long story short we received a licence to create a liquid, 70% alcohol hand sanitiser which is sold online or through our retail partner 123ink”

In the initial stages of the business Pamela availed of a feasibility grant and a business expansion grant. She is aware of the COVID-19 supports but has not used them as the hand sanitiser business line has kept the business going.

Best business advice: Caring for the environment is the right thing to do, but much greater results will be achieved more quickly if businesses can do it profitably’.

For more contact www.wicklowwaywines.ie

An unlikely horticulturist

Lynda Sheehan of Rockbarton Garden Center, a Leading Light at National Women's Enterprise Day.

Lynda Sheehan says she is an unlikely horticulturist, which is understandable as she spent most of her career working in the financial sector. But a couple of years after her marriage and move to Limerick, she decided her future lay elsewhere. “I enrolled on a horticulture FETAC level 5 certificate course and fell in love with flowers and decided I was born to open a garden centre.”

Lynda started selling perennial plants and bedding at local markets and found it tough to generate a profit that first year. In October 2015 she opened a garden centre in the old stable yard that adjoins her home in Rockbarton, just outside the town of Bruff. “I phoned every friend I had and called in every favour to help me to get the garden centre off the ground.” With the arrival of her 5th child in 2018 it would be an understatement to say she was a busy woman.

Up and running

Today Lynda’s garden centre is stocked with a wide range of shrubs, trees and flowers and has grown from a part time business to operating six days a week. She offers bespoke gardening classes along with hosting a boutique Christmas Fair where local crafts people are invited to sell their products. She also provides a garden design service and corporate wellness workshops.

Lynda was awarded the Business Innovation Award 2020 by Network Ireland Limerick. She has availed of the Trading Online voucher from LEO and the new Rockbarton website (rockbarton.ie) has launched along with the facility for customers to purchase products online. Lynda hopes to deliver her products nationwide through the website. She has also taken up the Continuity Voucher from the Limerick LEO office, which has allowed her enlist the guidance of a mentor with years of experience in the retail industry.

COVID-19 windfall

On 27 March 2020, all non-essential businesses had to close, including garden centres. “The first of my spring stock arrived that day at a cost of €3,000. I was approaching the limit on my overdraft and I had to re-evaluate everything.”

“But amazingly, while the COVID-19 restrictions presented practical difficulties, the lockdown had a massively positive effect. People spent the time improving their gardens. COVID-19 has moved many customers online and I believe that, even when the emergency has passed, it will be essential to have a strong online presence.”

Best business advice: Write out your goals every day.