Her Biz 2022 confirmed!
Support for Women’s Start Up Business programme ‘Her Biz’ is confirmed for another year
NatWest, the funding partner behind the Her Biz support programme contract, which was due to end Spring 2022, has confirmed that they will fund the initiative for another year.
The free programme, delivered by Let’s Do Business Group for women in East Sussex and Kent, has successfully run twenty rounds of workshops since it’s introduction, helping over 200 women in the South East on their journey to start their own businesses.
The latest winners of the Her Biz business plan competition, Bethany Hayes and Chloe Thornley from Secret Host, said:
“The ‘Her Biz’ workshops have provided us with the tools to allow us to put our creativity into practical, achievable steps to form a viable business with the potential for real success.
The comprehensive slides have been a source of knowledge which we have frequently revisited when needing to further understand an element of our new business which had previously felt daunting. The 1:1 support and guidance from those running the sessions has been invaluable in allowing us to ask questions, gain ideas and fine tune our business.
With their extensive knowledge, reassurance and well thought out sessions, the team at Her Biz have been invaluable in providing us the much-needed support with starting our business and we cannot thank them enough.”
The latest winners, the women from Secret Host, working on their new business
The launch of the programme in 2019 was spurred on from NatWest’s Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship, which identified that £250bn of new value could be added to the UK economy if women started and scaled new businesses at the same rate as men, and laid out a road map of how to support female entrepreneurship across the country in the years following.
The latest renewal of the Rose Review for 2022 identifies key steps forward continue the support to women-led businesses, including renewed funding for workshops like Her Biz and their equivalent by other business support programmes across the UK.
“With fresh thinking, swift action and a redoubled effort, we can continue to work together to achieve our ambitions and unleash the untapped potential of female-led businesses to drive our economic recovery.”
Her Biz aims to continue it’s success, with workshops open to women across East Sussex and Kent frequently hosted throughout the year online, via four 2 x 2.5 hour workshops over Zoom, delivered by expert business coaches Lisa Young and Helena Joyce on behalf of Let’s Do Business Group. In addition to the workshop content and support from the coaches, participants can also enter their business plan into a competition for the chance to win £500 towards their start up costs for their business idea.
To date, the programme has supported female entrepreneurs with business ideas ranging from luxury hampers, top quality leather goods, handmade jewellery and sustainable children’s toys, who all join together to learn the key skills and knowledge they need to get their businesses off the ground.
![her biz1 (2)[44758].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f31383570e4715755830e14/1647533347222-JB85U2UD5HA2Y4DE53E6/her+biz1+%282%29%5B44758%5D.jpg)
The renewal of the programme ensures that more women who want to start their own business can get the support and guidance they need, in an encouraging and confidence building environment.
“We are delighted that the Her Biz programme will continue for a further 12 months, the workshops provide invaluable advise and support to the female business founders that participate. It is great to see the support that each group provides to each other, and we have seen some fantastic new businesses launched over the past few years. I thoroughly enjoy delivering the workshops alongside Helena and getting to know all the ladies that take part.”
Registrations for the Her Biz programme are open throughout 2022.
