New programme for women in Mayo to develop their business
Ambitious women entrepreneurs across the county are being called on to apply for a free programme which pairs them with some of Ireland’s leading businesswomen as mentors.
The programme, called Going for Growth, has worked with more than 300 businesswomen since it was set up in 2008.
According to the latest figures from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD ), Irish women are two-and-a-half times less likely to start a business than their male counterparts.
Paula Fitzsimons, the national director and founder of Going for Growth, said Irish women should be playing a larger role in the entrepreneurial economy and job creation.
“Going for Growth is designed to support women to fully exploit their entrepreneurial talent and to achieve growth in sales, employment, and profitability,” she said.
“The fifth cycle of Going for Growth saw two of every three participants grow their turnover by an average of 17 per cent.”
Some of the mentors involved in this year’s Going for Growth include Mary McKenna, managing director of Tour America, Lulu O’Sullivan, founder and CEO of Giftsdirect.com, Colette Twomey, CEO of Clonakilty Black Pudding, and Fiona O’Carroll, director of Independent News & Media, Digital Division.
Going for Growth 2014 gets under way in February.
Women who are the owner-manager of a business, who have been trading for two years or more, and who are serious about developing their company, can apply for Going for Growth 2014 at www.goingforgrowth.com
Application closing date is January 24.
