The Womens' Organisation's WICED Building Wins Mayor's Award

The Women's Organisation's hard work paid off this month as we were once again confirmed to be an award winning organisation. This time it was the organisation's new £5.3m Women's International Centre for Economic Development (WICED) that prompted recognition.

The winners of the very first Merseyside Social Enterprise Awards were honoured at a ceremony held at Liverpool Town Hall, and The Women's Organisation were delighted to be nominated alongside other Merseyside based Social Enterprises nominated in 11 categories to recognise their contribution to improving the lives of local residents.

WICED was nominated for The Mayor's Innovation Award sponsored by Liverpool City Council. When The Women's Organisation were announced as the winners for their innovative building, Chair of the board Pat Shea Halson and Chief Finance and Operating Officer Helen Millne who went forward to collect the award couldn't contain their delight. When Councillor Nick Small (pictured above with Pat and Helen) presented the award to The Women's Organisation the support from the other organisations in the room was overwhelming; Helen and Pat were deeply touched by the response.

The development came about after nearly a decade of discussion, planning and campaigning. WICED is the largest dedicated centre for women's economic development in the UK. It boasts business incubation units for women led businesses, a sleek and modern conferencing and meeting centre, virtual office and hot desking facilities, as well as housing the women's enterprise services offered by the organistion. The project also included the development of an international research hub drawing on the expertise of leading experts on women's economic development from across the globe. The development was completed in January 2011 and has since welcomed thousands of budding female entrepreneurs.

To read more about the background of the development please visit our website.

If you might be interested in hiring our meeting rooms or holding a conference here please contact our team on venue@thewo.org.uk or 0151 706 8100.

Liverpool Woman Turns Redundancy into Business Opportunity: Emily's Story

Redundancy was turned to opportunity for Liverpool resident Emily Ross, who created her own job by setting up her business ‘EAT Landscape’. Having been employed for four years as a Senior Landscape Architect at a large multi-disciplinary architectural practice in Liverpool, Emily fell victim of the current economic climate, being made redundant in 2011 as the business were finding their workload had dramatically reduced. Although her experience and qualifications were quality, Emily found the job market a tough road to navigate.

Emily said “I spent about three months looking for work however there were very few positions for landscape architects advertised in the northwest and I didn’t want to re-locate due to my husband having a secure, local job that he enjoyed. At the same time I started to think about taking on freelance work, working for landscape and architectural companies who may have just won a large project and needed some additional resources on a temporary basis.”

Emily found comfort chatting to close friend Helen, who had been successfully working as a freelance consultant in a similar environmental field for about a year and really enjoying it.

“I asked her loads and loads of questions about whether I should be a sole trader or a limited company, insurances, did I need a Business Plan, business cards, websites, getting clients etc. I was also very keen to get some kind of business training, having had no experience of running my own company before. Through ‘Googling’ about business courses in Liverpool and the local area I came across the Women’s Organisation and found out about all the amazing services that they offer to help women set up in business.”

Although Emily had determination, she found niggling doubts her biggest barrier to achieving her goal “The only thing that stood in my way was simply my own fear and lack of self-belief. I worried about how to go about the whole process, entering the unknown and doing something completely different. However once I had met an advisor from The Women’s Organisation and starting talking things through and making an Action Plan, the fear turned into excitement and enthusiasm about getting started.”

While setting up her business Emily proved her ideas to be award winning! Having kept busy by volunteering with Family Refugee Support Project (http://www.familyrefugeesupportproject.btck.co.uk/) charity in Toxteth, Emily helped them to produce a garden at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park to showcase their work which went on to win the silver medal. She is keen to keep the link there even while running her business through joining the Friends group that they are currently setting up, to help with future fundraising events and projects.

Having completed the courses and receiving advice from The Women’s Organisation, Emily was awarded a £200 grant to help her set up her business which she decided to call ‘EAT Landscape’.

“The business is called EAT Landscape because I am really interested in using creative ways to incorporate edible planting into designs for public and private spaces. This includes mixing delicious fruit, herbs and vegetables with more traditional planting. The result is a unique and beautiful landscape, which not only looks good but that you can EAT.”

Feeling proud of her achievement, Emily is positive that she has made the right decision going self-employed.

“I was feeling at a bit of a loss when I was made redundant last year but since then I’ve met so many interesting people and learnt so much, I definitely wouldn’t turn back the clock. My confidence has definitely increased and I think it has done me a lot of good to be pushed out of my comfort zone and doing new things all the time.”

Her advice to other women considering taking the brave step into business is “Go for it! Get some really good business training (preferably from the Women’s Organisation!) and definitely put together a Business Plan, even if you’re not looking for a business loan. All the services I have received from the Women’s Organisation have been a huge help to me setting up my own business. The staff I have met have all been very knowledgeable, professional and very warm and friendly. I have also enjoyed meeting other women setting up in business during the courses I attended, sharing stories and swapping useful tips. It’s also good to talk to friends and family, particularly ones that work in a similar field, who are running their own business to get their advice and hear their positive experiences and the negative things too. It’s good to go into business with your eyes wide open!”

EAT Landscape provide landscape design services for, 1) Commercial landscape projects e.g. schools, nurseries, hospitals, housing projects, parks and open spaces, community gardens, play areas, care homes etc. and 2) Private garden clients. To find out more about the services Emily offers through her business visit www.eatlandscape.co.uk or contact Emily via 0151 494 3478 emily@eatlandscape.co.uk

And if like Emily you are a woman looking to turn redundancy into an opportunity, contact The Women’s Organisation on 0151 706 8111/info@thewo.org.uk to find out what help you can receive.

Female enterprise agency offers lifeline to unemployed Mersey women

Unemployed women or those facing redundancy are being offered a lifeline by Liverpool-based female enterprise agency The Women’s Organisation.

The award-winning agency has teamed up with Liverpool City Council to launch a new initiative to help women to either set up their own business or find a job.

The ‘Women’s Enterprise Programme’ is backed by European funding and aims to work with more than 300 women within the Liverpool city region.

The Women’s Organisation is offering a range of options to support women in to work – either on a self-employed basis or into a job. The help available includes courses on applying for jobs, standing out at interview, advice from a qualified business adviser about starting up a business and grants that are available and networking opportunities.

The initiative comes as recent unemployment figures revealed that women have been hit hardest in the recession with the numbers claiming Jobseekers Allowance more than doubling in the last five years in the Merseyside region.

Experts say women have been hit hardest by public sector cuts, which have disproportionately impacted on women due to the high numbers working in the sector.

Maggie O’Carroll, chief executive of The Women’s Organisation, said: “It is widely recognised that women have borne the brunt of the recession with many in the area either out of work or facing redundancy and are unsure of what to do next.

“We have the expertise to work with them on a one to one basis and provide support that is very much tailored to individual needs. We are delighted to be working with Liverpool City Council to able to provide this much-needed service and look forward to working with lots of women.”

Councillor Nick Small, Cabinet member for employment, enterprise and skills, said: “Giving people the help and support to get into work is one of our priorities and I am delighted that we have been able to team up with the Women’s Organisation for this important initiative.

“These are difficult times for everyone, but we know that women have been particularly hit hard and that is why it is absolutely vital that we do all we can to give them the help and support necessary to find new employment.”

The Women’s Enterprise Programme also enables The Women’s Organisation to work with staff facing redundancy within major organisations.

Women eligible to apply for the programme include those who are unemployed, economically inactive, working less than 16 hours a day or are under threat of redundancy.

Situated in the Baltic Triangle area of the city, the £5.3m Women’s International Centre for Economic Development provides a range of services focused on women’s start-up businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises.

As well as an international research and knowledge centre, the building also provides ‘incubation’ units for new and high growth women enterprises. The units are proving popular with more and more female entrepreneurs choosing to run their businesses from the centre.

To find out more about the programme or the other free services available from The Women’s Organisation, including advice and support on starting a business, call 0151 706 8111.

Alternatively please email info@thewo.org.uk or visit www.thewomensorganisation.org.uk

Caption: From left: Jackie Williams, enterprise director at The Women's Organisation is pictured with Councillor Nick Small, Cabinet member for employment, enterprise and skills and Kim Griffiths, head of employment programmes at Liverpool City Council

The Women's Organisation to host live broadcast of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour

Liverpool-based female enterprise agency The Women’s Organisation is to host a live broadcast of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour.

The popular magazine programme – with more than three million listeners - will come live from the Women’s International Centre for Economic Development on Monday, 12th March, hosted by Liverpool-born presenter Jane Garvey.

The special programme, being broadcast during the city’s hosting of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, will focus on female entrepreneurship.

An expert panel of prominent businesswomen will answer questions from a 150-strong audience on topics including setting up and running a business - from raising finance and developing overseas markets to combining work with family.

Maggie O’Carroll, chief executive of The Women’s Organisation, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that BBC’s Woman’s Hour has chosen to broadcast a programme from our international centre, particularly with all eyes on Liverpool as the city hosts the Global Entrepreneurship Congress.

“Our centre is the only one of its kind in the UK, focusing on female enterprise, providing a hub for female entrepreneurs and housing an international research centre. We really look forward to welcoming the Woman’s Hour team and audience members here during what will be a very exciting week.”

Jane Garvey, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, said: “When we learned about the Women’s International Centre for Economic Development we were very impressed and it seemed the obvious choice when selecting a venue to broadcast a live programme during Global Entrepreneurship Week. I am really looking forward to coming to Liverpool as it the city where I was born and bred.”

Working with partners Liverpool Vision and the Kauffman Foundation, the Women’s Organisation will host a series of events as part of the GEC’s week-long festival of enterprise.

These include a global research symposium, a female business mastermind and a female entrepreneurship international policy roundtable. Liverpool is the first city in Europe to host the international event, which starts on March 9.

Situated in the Baltic Triangle area of the city, the £5.3m Women’s International Centre for Economic Development provides a range of services focused on women’s start-up businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises.

As well as an international research and knowledge centre, the building also provides ‘incubation’ units for new and high growth women enterprises. The units are proving popular with more and more female entrepreneurs choosing to run their businesses from the centre.

BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour will be broadcast from The Women’s Organisation between 10am-10.45am on Monday, 12th March. To apply for free tickets go to www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/womans-hour/

To find out more about the free services available from The Women’s Organisation, including advice and support on starting a business, call 0151 706 8111.

Alternatively please email info@thewo.org.uk or visit www.thewomensorganisation.org.uk

The Women's Organisation Awarded Disability Symbol

We are pleased to confirm that The Women’s Organisation has been awarded the Disability Symbol Employer status for 2012.

The organisation have carried the symbol since 2010, but recently underwent a review to look at the organisations continued approach to the five commitments to good employment practice which the symbol represents.

Operations manager at The Women's Organisation Lynn Kelly, who was instrumental in gathering evidence for the assessment with JobCentrePlus representatives, said "We were delighted to be able to show our commitment to the ethos that this award represents. We are keen to continue to show our commitment to employ, keep and develop the abilities of disabled staff and will display our award symbol proudly."

You can see more information about the award and 5 commitments here - Disability Symbol.

Father's Legacy Inspires Susan's 'Mushin Martial Arts Academy'

When Susan King’s father sadly passed away, Susan decided to use the money he had left her to carry on his legacy and do something she knew would make him proud. So she took the brave step to set up her own martial arts academy ‘Mushin Marital Arts’.

Susan started training in martial arts at just 15 years of age when her father expressed his keenness to have her be able to defend herself. Although Susan had built up her career working as a manageress in sports retail, she developed her martial arts training over 26 years offering classes on a voluntary basis in the community.

Now a 5th degree black belt ‘godan’ Susan is one of the few women in the UK to be ranked so highly and she is keen to see more women have a go at the sport. “Women seem to think that they can’t do it”, says Susan, “However, it’s not a sport that uses strength; it is more about self-defence. Anyone can do it; women just need more confidence to try it out.”

At the point of setting up her business Susan had been out of work for several months, and the thought of signing off benefits to work for herself was both daunting and exciting. Susan was directed to The Women’s Organisation for support via another local support service. She said “I did my business plan with one of their business advisers who was so helpful. Capital was the main barrier in setting up the business, so I was glad of help to put together grant applications.”

The Mushin Marital Arts Academy were awarded grant funding from local enterprise initiative Stepclever to enable them to cover their business start-up costs.

“I’m feeling positive that we’ve managed to open the academy, and everyone who has come through the doors has said it’s fantastic. We really have tried to make sure there is something for everyone, from suiting the traditionalists to those who are into their MMA and I think we’ve managed to achieve that.”

Mushin Martial Arts Academy which is located at 180a Queens Drive offers a range of classes including: Japanese Ju-Jitsu, Sambo (which is a Russian form of wrestling),Women’s Thai boxing, fitness classes, Aiki Budo, Thai Boxing, children’s boxing and grappling, little Samurai’s and Combatives - fitness class. To find out more about the classes on offer from Mushin Martial Arts visit www.mushinmartialarts.org.uk or contact Susan on 0790612610. You can also follow @mushinacademy on Twitter or befriend them on facebook.

Reflecting on her achievement Susan said “This is something I have always passionately wanted to do. Working for yourself gives you more drive. It’s your own, not someone else’s and that is a great feeling.”

Susan’s advice to other women considering self-employment is “Get help from someone who knows what they are doing. There was so much that goes into a business plan I hadn’t realised needed to go in it. If it wasn’t for The Women’s Organisation I would still be running around in circles.”

If like Susan you are looking for support in following your dream to start up your own business call The Women’s Organisation on 0151 706 8111 and find out about the range of FREE services we can offer. You can also email info@thewo.org.uk or visit www.thewomensorganisation.org.uk

Knowsley's Angela Launches 'McAllister Mobile Chiropody/Podiatry' Business

When Angela McAllister graduated from University it had been her plan to pursue a career with the NHS. “With the government cuts I found there were just no jobs, so I thought self-employment was the best way to go” said Angela.

Knowsley resident Angela contacted Business Link for guidance and was directed to women’s enterprise support agency The Women’s Organisation.

“My business adviser was just lovely. She helped me with my business plan, my costings and marketing plan. It was in speaking to her that I realised I definitely wanted to go self-employed. I also did courses on tax and basic book keeping at The Women’s Organisation which were great”

Planning her business was a real learning curve for Angela who reflected “I had always envisioned that my customers would mainly be the elderly, but while I was doing my market research I got in touch with Asda who agreed to let me test my services on staff. It was then I realised younger people could really benefit too.”

Angela was concerned knowing that there would be a lot of trained professionals leaving University in the same predicament as her and realised she needed a unique selling point to help her stand out from the crowd. “In discussions with my adviser Francine I mentioned that I had previously been a beauty therapist. I realised combining those skills with the health care training I had done would give me the competitive edge.”

Upon starting her business Angela was awarded a £200 grant from The Women’s Organisation and £600 from Knowsley Council’s Fresh Start scheme that helped her to buy her equipment. “I was delighted with the funding. It helped me to get what I needed to make me look professional.”

As well as running her own business ‘McAllister Mobile Chiropdy/Podiatry’, Angela takes care of her elderly parents. “Working for myself means that I can organise my appointments around caring for them” she said. “I can do their shopping or nip to see them at lunch or between appointments. It’s a real help.”

Angela is feeling positive about the progress of her business to date and has built up a strong client base of repeat custom, nursing homes and family groups. “Each month I have made more than the month before and that’s great. I love what I do. I love treating feet and I love that I have flexibility to offer appointments at any time between 8am and 8pm and to be able to support clients who don’t want to hang on the 4 or 5 months they can wait for treatment through the NHS. People’s feet are never as bad as they think. Any problems with feet I can either fix myself or refer a client on to the best person to help.”

Angela’s advice to other women considering self-employment is “Go along to The Women’s Organisation to get help with your business plan. I wouldn’t have known where to start without them, and they are great for continued support. Facebook has also been great for my business. I’m going into the homes of people I don’t know anything about quite often, so connecting through facebook helps you to get to know a bit about them first.”

McAllister Mobile Chiropody/Podiatry provide a mobile chiropody service which offers skin and nail treatments combined with lower leg and foot massage in the comfort of your own home. Angela is fully qualified and is registered with the health professions council, The Society of Chiropodist and podiatrist which means she has full insurance cover. For more information or to book appointments call Angela on 07548747475 or find her business on facebook.

If you are thinking about creating your own job by using your skills and qualifications to set up a small business, then contact The Women’s Organisation for advice and support on 0151 706 8111 or info@thewo.org.uk

Photography by Abi Booth