The Women’s Organisation is encouraging budding entrepreneurs to explore their business ideas and gain inspiration from others who have successfully started a business during the pandemic, with a free webinar event.
‘Starting a Business During A Pandemic’ is taking place on Thursday 29th April at 11am via Zoom. Part of the Launchpad series, the 90-minute session is aimed at men and women who wants to explore a business idea but feels the timing may not be right, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Having successfully adapted training courses, business advice and workshops to go digital, The Women’s Organisation has seen first-hand the incredible resilience and ingenuity shown by women across the Liverpool City Region. Many have juggled incredible stresses and taken on extra responsibilities including home schooling. Despite this, lots of women have also monetised new hobbies or worked with business advisors to realise their potential and move into self-employment and business ownership with confidence.
With the lifting of restrictions as part of the government road map, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. The Women’s Organisation is encouraging women within the LCR region to explore their business ideas and take inspiration from a panel of guests who have done exactly that.
Offering their real-life insight into starting a business during a pandemic are Melanie and Bianca Skeete who launched their social media support company, My Sister Social Ltd, in March 2020. Melanie has a corporate project management background at Unilever and Seadrill, while Bianca is the social media lead at online fashion company ‘I Saw It first’ which she also co-founded.
Keeping it in the family, sisters, Anouska and Alex also joined the venture to take on an incredibly challenging first year. My Sister Social Ltd focuses its services on empowering women and offers social media support, event management, PR, graphic and digital design and more. Following a revamp and relaunch earlier this month, My Sister Social Ltd has also launched its first product which is helping clients to manage their own personal and business goals.
Bianca said: “We are so proud of our first product, The 90-Day Self Improvement Planner. The idea cam organically as we wanted to create a way of sharing our message and take women on a mindful journey to becoming their highest self. As four sisters we have trialed many planners, diaries and self-help books. We have designed and manufactured our own product and it’s proving to be hugely popular.
“When it comes to start up, our advice is never start a business just to make money. Start a business to make a difference.”
Also joining the guest panel is master NLP, yoga teacher and best-selling author Claire Morton is one of the UK’s most sought-after transformational well-being coaches. A high-performance coach with over 20 years experience in the corporate world, Claire specialises in helping high achievers “sort their heads and hearts out” with her unique blend of science-based education.
Claire said: “There’s never any right time to start a business yet so many entrepreneurs have taken advantage of the global online market, swapping face to face business with digital. There’s more than 5bn people on the internet now and if you can tap into even a small percentage of that, you can be successful.
“Now is a pivotal time for people to focus on what their passions and purposes are and what better way to channel that than through a business idea? Now more than ever, build our own empire and never look back especially when you have the support of business advisors at The Women’s Organisation.”
Led by The Women’s Organisation in partnership with BIPC Liverpool this event is part of our Enterprise Hub programme, part funded by European Regional Development Fund and offering FREE advice and guidance to those living in the Liverpool City Region thinking of starting a business.
Jenny Wallwork, training coordinator at The Women’s Organisation and host of the webinar said: “Come along and be inspired by our fantastic panel, who have not only started a business but also relaunched and re-branded during a pandemic! Find out why they started a business and how? What hurdles have they overcome, what are their top tips and be inspired to think about making your business dreams a reality.”
Enterprise Hub support is available to individuals looking to start a business within the Liverpool City Region, or businesses under 42 months looking to grow in the Liverpool City Region.
The webinar will take place on zoom. Please register via Eventbrite here.
