ICE is teaming up with The Core Project to deliver a Female Founders 5-9 Club for women in RCT.
The course has been designed by women for women and each week will be delivered by women trainers, experts and speakers. There are 30 funded spaces available, and we are currently accepting interest for this special cohort, starting on the 22nd of March 2022.
The 5-9 Club is an after-hours, nine-week course featuring a series of workshops where attendees can develop their idea into a business plan right through to launching and even seeking investment.
They take place once a week from 5pm to 9pm, to allow those who work full-time to gain the experience and support needed to grow their business idea without taking the risk of giving up full-time employment.
This version of the 5-9 Club course has been specifically designed for women based in RCT, wanting to lay the right foundations to start their own businesses. It will include an extra week on ‘Breaking down the Barriers’
Whether you’ve been made redundant, are at risk of redundancy, are on furlough or have been on a career break, if you’ve got a business idea, or are in early stages of getting your idea off the ground, this nine-week course will help you!
Created by, and delivered by women for women, this fun and flexible course will:
- Inspire and build confidence
- Build business ‘know how’
- Help to build contacts, tools and resources, to help you get your idea off the ground at a comfortable pace
This course has been carefully designed by Community Outreach Manager, Lesley Williams. Lesley said she felt the programme particularly resonated with women as it breaks down many of the barriers women face when starting a new business.
On this special cohort, Lesley said:
Women are just a third as likely to start-up businesses as men. We believe that supporting and increasing women’s participation in entrepreneurship will promote opportunity, tackle inequality and create a positive impact on the economy of Wales.
Lesley Williams, Community Outreach Director
Lesley has spoken about the huge rise in female founders through the 5-9 previously, stating:
There are a number of reasons why we think the programme has particularly spoken to women. Firstly, the fact that these clubs take place on a weekday evening means they provide that all-important flexibility.
There has been a lot of research into the barriers facing women and key amongst them has been childcare issues with women still being the main source of early-stage-care in fledgeling families. With the workshops taking place after-work, there are more options available to women that can help free them in the evening so they can take advantage of the support.
Another important factor is the highlighting of role models in business. They stand as an inspirational example that it can be done, whilst also offering their technical expertise.
Research also tells us that women network differently to men, with many experiencing a “glass ceiling” effect in professional environments. This results in women having less information-rich connections when first starting out, which could be crucial to the success of their startups.
To help combat this, the 5-9 Club also provides members with a professional and supportive network, including introductions to potential funders and new experts every week in a local, supportive and fun environment. We believe this develops our member’s networks, and confidence to source funding, tenfold in a short period of time.
Register your interest here or drop an email to course facilitator, Hope Weyman at hope@welshice.org.
Female Founders and the CORE Project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund.
