Inspiration and Top Tips from the Female Enterprise Boot Camp
January 30, 2018
The keynote speaker at the very successful Female Enterprise Boot Camp in Lisburn was Nuala Anne McKeever. This was the second boot camp organised by Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council in partnership with Women in Business.
Nuala offered plenty of encouragement and guidance to the fledgling female entrepreneurs through sharing her expertise on building resilience and using coping mechanisms to deal with day to day stress.
Also present to discuss the range of support for women thinking of starting their own businesses were representatives from Lisburn Enterprise Organisation and the Council’s Business Solutions Team.
Deputy Mayor, Councillor Hazel Legge, welcomed over 60 women to the event. She said: “I am delighted to be part of the second Female Boot Camp which has been designed to encourage, support and drive the ambition of local female entrepreneurs by providing an opportunity for them to meet like-minded people, make new contacts, access support and hear inspirational business stories. Today you can say you have taken your first steps towards running your own business and I wish you all every success in the future.”
Dr Theresa Donaldson, Chief Executive of the Council, speaking at the start of the event, said: “There are many words that can be used to describe an entrepreneur such as creative, confident and dynamic. Traits like these are very important and will assist you as you grow your business. If I was to give you any advice it would be to have a strong vision of where you want to go and ensure you work with others to achieve success as there will be forces acting against you. I wish all our local female entrepreneurs every success as they go on their journey, embrace change, address challenges and develop strong resilience.”
The other speakers included local entrepreneurs Alice McIlhagger from award winning Brambleberry Jams; Alison Matthews from Virtuali; and Rosemary Morrison from Directus.
Alderman Allan Ewart MBE, Chairman of the Council’s Development Committee, speaking at the event, said: “The Lisburn Castlereagh area really is a great place to start a business. The Council’s Business Solutions Team works to support ambitious business men and women grow scalable businesses through designing and funding a comprehensive range of business support programmes as well as working with various partners to improve access to other support.
“We have two active networks that meet regularly - the Entrepreneurs’ Network and the Female Entrepreneurs’ network; they build mutually beneficial relationships and I have witnessed first-hand how hearing about other people’s success stories encourages more people to take ambitious leaps for their businesses,” concluded Alderman Ewart.
The Mayor, Councillor Tim Morrow, closing the event commented: “I can sense a real buzz in the room and I hope that you are leaving today feeling inspired and empowered to succeed in your own business or to take that first step to starting your own business. It’s now up to you – to seek out the opportunities and do all you can to avail of the support available – from the Council, Women in Business and other partners.”
To find out more about the extensive range of business development support which can be accessed through the Council, please contact Gina Biggerstaff on 028 9244 7381 or email: gina.biggerstaff@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk