Diversity in Business Support

For those of you who missed it. Last night I had the fantastic opportunity to talk about the 5 to 9 Club, and how we're supporting individuals in these uncertain times on ITV Wales News.

So many people, particularly women, are finding their financial circumstances have changed in the last 8 months, and are now looking to create new opportunities for themselves through self employment.

We don't target our afterhours business course specifically towards women, its for everyone. However, it does appeal to women. In fact 85% of our uptake is female, which is at odds with statistics that tell us that women are a 3rd as likely as men to start up businesses.

We (Welsh ICE) understand the additional barriers women have into business, as well as when accessing business support.

Last night I spoke about the importance of flexible business support in relation to this, but equally if not more so, its important to provide diverse role models.

For example, if I was to ask you to draw a picture of an entrepreneur or business owner, the chances are you would draw a middle aged white man in a suit, right?

This is because across the entire business landscape women are under represented, and simply put, this masculine persona within entrepreneurship isn't a relatable self image to the majority of the population, including many men.

"You can't be what you can't see" and so within business support and the media, we need to address this.

This is why we've pledged that 50% of our speakers on our 8 week afterhours course, will always be entrepreneurial women themselves, and from a variety of different backgrounds.

The fantastic speakers we have on the 5 to 9 Club don't just provide expert and practical advice, they also enrich our participant's networks, and stand as a pillar of inspiration and a beacon of hope. that despite the additional barriers we women face in business, they can be overcome; and just because they approach their businesses differently to the masculine traditional norm, it doesn't mean that it's wrong, nor does it mean that they won't be successful for doing it differently.

This is all subtle messaging we provide through out the content in the 8 week program, and the result is empowerment!

Many of the women who've been through the course have said afterwards that it boosted their confidence; which is also something we know women struggle with more than men; and they have told us that they have applied for funding following their 5 to 9 Club journey, which they would never have done otherwise.

The take home from this is:

Woman or man, black or white; if a person wants to start up a business, they don't have to do it alone. We can help.

Also diverse business owners need to make themselves seen! Even if it feels really awkward, fly the flag for others who will be inspired by you. You won't believe the difference you could make to a persons life, for that moment of awkwardness.

And lastly, the business support sector in Wales needs to become more diverse, to better support all kinds of entrepreneurs.