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Calling all ambitious women entrepreneurs from Tipperary

Posted by on January 4, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

Applications now being sought for 60 funded places available on next

‘Going for Growth’business development initiative

 

Are you an ambitious female entrepreneur who wants to significantly grow your business in 2013?

 

Are you interested in getting personal business advice from successful and established women entrepreneurs such asMary McKenna, Managing Director of Tour America, Lulu O Sullivan, Founder and CEO of Giftsdirect.com or Colette Twomey, CEO of Clonakilty Black Pudding?

 

If so, you need to apply for one of the 60 places available on the next Going for Growth programme which will get underway in January 2013. This business development initiative is designed to support women who are serious about growing their businesses and are the owner manager of a business which has been trading for at least two years. The programme, which involves a time commitment of one half day a month for six months, is free of charge to suitable applicants.

 

Going for Growth pairs successful and established women entrepreneurs with businesswomen who are at an earlier stage of company development.The established entrepreneurs, known as ‘Lead Entrepreneurs’, act as role models to the early stage entrepreneurs and share their knowledge and experience with them on a completely voluntary basis.

 

Commenting on the Going for Growth approach, Tipperary entrepreneur, Veronica Molloy, Crossogue Preserves, describes the experience:

 

“Going for Growth is a vibrant and exhilarating experience for an entrepreneur who would like to meet and learn from others of the same mind set. Positivity is the name of the game and this one “inhales” at the Going for Growth National Forum. “

 

This will be the fifth cycle of the extremely successful Going for Growth scheme and is being supported and funded by the Equality for Women Measure 2010-2013, which is financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Department of Justice and Equality, Enterprise Ireland and Bank of Ireland.

 

To date, four Going for Growth programmes have been completed and over 250 women, from all over the country and involved in a diverse range of businesses, have taken part since the pilot scheme in 2007. Most of the 60 participants in the most recent cycle of Going for Growth increased their turnover by an average of 25 per cent and seven became exporters for the first time. An additional 50 jobs were also created by participants, all achieved in the midst of a continuing recession.

 

Successful businesswomen who have committed to become Lead Entrepreneurs for the nextcycle of Going for Growthinclude:

 

  • Colette Twomey, CEO, Clonakilty Black Pudding
  • Fiona O’Carroll, former Executive Vice President, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Julie Colclough, Managing Director,Eurobase
  • Lulu O’Sullivan, Founder and CEO, Giftsdirect.com
  • Mary McKenna, Managing Director, Tour America
  • Monica Flood, Founder and former CEO, OLAS
  • Nikki Evans, Managing Director, Perfect Card Ltd.
  • Susan Spence, Executive Chairman and Co-founder, SoftCo

 

Commenting on the Going for Growth approach, Lead Entrepreneur, Lulu O’Sullivan, Founder and CEO of Giftsdirect.com, says:“I am delighted to be associated with Going for Growth, which is an excellent initiative. I have seen the participants in my group make real progress over our meetings and they are determined to continue to meet with each other as a group even when the cycle has formally finished. I believe that this initiative is highly relevant to the needs of women entrepreneurs focused on growth and I intend to continue to lend my support to it.”

 

Another Lead Entrepreneur, Monica Flood, says participants gain significant benefits from their involvement in the initiative:“The participants develop excellent personal relationships and some will not make mistakes that could otherwise be made if they did not have the opportunity of Going for Growth. I would have loved to have had the opportunity of such support myself when I started out in business!”

 

Paula Fitzsimons, the National Director and Founder of Going for Growth, says Irish women have the entrepreneurial talent and spirit required to succeed:

“Ireland needs all the entrepreneurial talent available to it and Irish women have a major role to play in delivering the economic benefits and job creation opportunities that successful entrepreneurship can bring. Going for Growth is designed to support women to fully exploit their entrepreneurial talent and potential. I am delighted that Bank of Ireland, as part of its commitment to supporting enterprise, is joining with the Equality for Women Measure 2010-2013, which is financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Department of Justice and Equality,and Enterprise Ireland in making Going for Growth available to ambitious women entrepreneurs in 2013.”

 

Female entrepreneurs interested in applying for the next Going for Growth programme can access information and download application forms at www.goingforgrowth.com.

 

The closing date for the receipt of applications is Wednesday 16th of January 2013.

 

 

 

These stories illustrate the range of businesses involved and their geographical spread throughout the country

 

  • ·         Going for Growth was included by the European Commission in the 2009 Selection of “Good Practices” and represented Ireland in the Investing in Skills category of the European Enterprise Awards 2011

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