Only a day remains for ambitious female entrepreneurs to send in their applications for the 17th cycle of Going for Growth, the award-winning business development programme.
Supported by Enterprise Ireland and KPMG, Going for Growth aids female business owners as they seek to increase revenue, create employment, and export into new markets.
The programme is for female entrepreneurs in any sector across the country who are serious about growing their business. There is no charge for those selected to participate.
The 17th cycle will mark a major milestone for Going for Growth with the programme set to accept its 1,000th female entrepreneur since its launch in 2008. Some 60 places are available for the new six-month cycle, which is due to begin with a one-day Launch Forum on January 14, 2025.
The deadline for applications for the Going for Growth is midnight tomorrow Friday, November 15. Application forms can be requested from the website – www.GoingforGrowth.com
The programme brings together female entrepreneurs — past participants include Aimee Connolly of Sculpted by Aimee; Shauna Delaney of Liberty HomeCare and Margaret Rae of Konree Innovation — for monthly peer-to-peer roundtable discussions.
These discussions are facilitated by successful businesswomen, known as Lead Entrepreneurs, whose participation is completely voluntary and is done in a spirit of altruism. An incredible EIGHT of this year’s 11 Lead Entrepreneurs themselves are former participants of Going for Growth.
They are: Anne Cusack, formerly Critical Healthcare; Chupi Sweetman-Durney,Chupi; Hannah Wrixon, of Kella and formerly WrkWrk; Jeananne O’Brien, Artizan Food Co.; Leonora O’Brien, formerly Pharmapod; Marissa Carter, Carter Beauty; Oonagh O’Hagan, Meaghers Pharmacy Group; and Tara Beattie, Prepsheets.com The other three highly successful Lead Entrepreneurs are: Fidelma McGuirk, Payslip; Monica Flood, formerly Olas IT and Susan Spence, formerly SoftCo.
Going for Growth has been repeatedly recognised by the EU, OECD, and European Institute of Gender Equality as a key initiative in helping to foster greater ambition among female entrepreneurs and to support their growth aspirations.
Between Going for Growth (54 ) and Starting Strong (28 ), 82 participants were involved in the 16th cycle. In total, their combined turnover increased from €95.2 million to €105.4 million over the six month cycle. This represents an increase of €10.2 million (10.7% ). They also grew their number of employees by 132 (79 full time, 53 part-time ) to 792 (566 full time, 226 part time ) over the six months.
An end of cycle survey of participants from the 16th cycle of Going for Growth, including Starting Strong, revealed that 93% said that the programme met their expectations and 91% said that they felt nearer to achieving their growth ambitions. All participants reported that they would recommend the programme to others and planned to stay in contact with others from the programme.
The support provided does not end on completion of the six-month cycle, with most past participants becoming part of the Going for Growth community. Going for Growth alumni can apply to participate in the Continuing the Momentum programme, which offers Lead Entrepreneur-facilitated roundtables to those looking to continue their growth journey, with the aid of peer support, focused goals, and milestones. Lead Entrepreneurs Aine Denn, formerly Altify, and Fiona O’Carroll, The Digital Mindset, will facilitate the round tables for Continuing the Momentum.
CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Leo Clancy, said Enterprise Ireland is committed to increasing opportunities for women entrepreneurs and supporting them at every stage of their entrepreneurial journey. We strongly believe that key to Ireland’s economic success is a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem which utilises the skills, ambition, and talent of a diverse population. Our partnership with Going for Growth is an important element in fostering a supportive ecosystem, as this programme provides excellent support to our incredible women entrepreneurs and leaders on their business journey, as they scale and grow and work to achieve their global ambition. With the excellent resources, learning and networking opportunities, we would encourage anyone considering this opportunity to engage and wish the next cycle a fruitful and rewarding experience.”
