One year anniversary for successful Inverclyde Women in Business group
An initiative which supports women in business is celebrating a successful first year.
Inverclyde Women in Business was set up by the council with the aim of supporting local female business owners as well as those keen to set up their own venture.
The first meeting took place in October last year with more than 60 attendees and it’s since gone from strength-to-strength meeting at various places around Inverclyde.
More than 200 women have attended the meetings in its first year.
And to celebrate, the group held its October meeting at The Albany.
Jayne Lasley, Founder & Director of Fairly Curved said the Inverclyde Women in Business networking events were “instrumental” to their business growth and success over the past year.
She added: “By attending these events, we've had the opportunity to connect with an amazing community of local female entrepreneurs, gaining insights into valuable grant opportunities specific to Inverclyde businesses, and discovering valuable contacts who have helped reduce our costs, such as business insurance.
“The sense of community and mutual support at these events is truly invaluable. Everyone is genuinely invested in each other's success, offering advice, resources, and encouragement. The positive impact on our business has been undeniable—each event has brought new opportunities, ideas, and connections that continue to benefit us.
“Although our intention wasn’t to sell products at these events, we've organically built a loyal customer base, with some attendees becoming cherished regulars.
“Overall, the Inverclyde Women in Business network has not only boosted our business but also deepened our ties to the local business community in meaningful and lasting ways and personally helped me grow as a business owner.”
Shelagh McKay Jones, founder of Singing Spaces Community Interest Company said the meetings had helped boost her confidence to set up her own business.
She said: “This is not about collaboration per se but the meetings are very good for my self-confidence and dealing with the things that tend to knock us down.
“I have imposter syndrome so without the meetings I would struggle with things like funding rejections or people taking ages to get back to me, when it's okay to follow things up - that connection with people and knowing I'm not alone in any difficulties I might be experiencing. “And also we just learn so much from each other especially with the spotlight talks.”
Funding to support the group has come from the council’s Shared Prosperity Fund.
Each meeting begins with an introduction on the services available to local businesses from Inverclyde Council and Business Gateway Inverclyde followed by a spotlight talk from a local business. Then there is the opportunity for people to tell their news and the session ends with some structured networking sessions.
Looking ahead, the organisers are planning masterclasses with experts coming in to talk about topics including social media, marketing and HR.
To find out more about the group and upcoming meetings, click on the Related Links on this page.