Going for Growth - An Initiative for Women Who Want to Grow Their Business
The opportunity is now being offered to 60 women entrepreneurs, who are seriously committed to growing their businesses, to participate in a new cycle of Going for Growth.
Following the successful pilot, Going for Growth, was selected by the EU as an example of good practice and was showcased at the beginning of October at an EU sponsored conference in Stockholm. The challenge is to bring notice of the initiative to those who would get most benefit from participation and to let them know about the application window.
The Going for Growth website is www.goingforgrowth.com. On this website those interested can access additional information, including testimonials from past participants and lead entrepreneurs, and request an application form. Suitable applicants to the programme will have a strong determination to growing their business and will be willing to commit fully to the initiative. While this programme is not suitable for everyone, it represents a valuable opportunity for women entrepreneurs that are actively seeking to expand their business.
Sponsorship and funding support for the programme is from the European Social Fund, Enterprise Ireland and the Equality for Women Measure, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, and to the eight successful women entrepreneurs who have agreed to act as Lead Entrepreneurs and to contribute their time voluntarily. As a result, the successful applicants are not required to pay for participation in the programme. They just need to cover their own expenses.
You can read all about the initiative in the ebrochure (weblink below). The framework of the programme is to place selected applicants at one of eight ‘roundtables’, facilitated and led by an experienced female lead entrepreneur. The Lead Entrepreneurs are Amanda Pratt, Anne Heraty, Anne O’Leary, Elaine Coughlan, Julie Colclough, Monica Flood, Norah Casey and Rita Shah. Several of whom will be well known to you. Their details are included in the ebrochure. The six monthly sessions and the National Forum are not intended as training modules and the initiative is not a ‘grow your business’ course. Rather, the round-table sessions are designed to foster development through structured, agenda-led discussion within the group, about various aspects of business expansion and growth.
As the closing date for receipt of fully completed applications is 27 November 2009, I would urge you to move on this without delay.
Download the brochure by clicking here.
Rita Shah one of the keynote speakers is a Lead Entrepreneur and Paula Fitzsimons, M.C. for the National Women's Enterprise Day runs this programme.