The Women’s Business Club, the national organisation for female business owners, launches a Coffee & Co-Working initiative to bring more women entreprenuers together as the pandemic threat lessens.
The company hope to establish at least 1,000 Coffee & Co-Working groups across the UK and overseas to support more women who are or want to be self-employed. These spaces will allow women to connect with like-minded women, get support and form friendships as they start and develop their businesses or community interest companies. The first two groups will be launched in Cheltenham and Edinburgh.
Founder of the Women’s Business Club Angela De Souza said: “The pandemic and various lockdowns have had a greater negative effect on women in business.”
“Many women run businesses from home and had to shift their focus to home-schooling and caring for children. Many women also did not qualify for any kind of government funding or support, and therefore their business plans were put on ice or were stopped in their tracks from March 2020.
“It will take years for some women to get back to where they were, while some women have realised throughout the pandemic that they want a different career path. We believe collaboration is the key to this, and we want to bring these women together.”
Each Coffee & Co-Working session is free to attend. The sessions will last for three hours and will be held monthly. Participants will have to pay for any refreshments they wish to consume on the day. Ladies can come and work and speak with each other. Groups will be led by paid-up members of the Women’s Business Club.
Sarah Eddie, who lives in Falkirk, Scotland, will be running one of the founding groups.
“I started my own business as I felt I was being forced to choose between having a career and being a good parent. I felt that was unnecessary, and running my own business allowed me to have flexibility.
“However, when you make that choice, you don’t have the same connection with your former colleagues as they don’t understand the journey you are on. That’s what I love about the Women’s Business Club. We support each other, and it’s not competitive. It’s welcoming; it’s relaxed and supportive.”
The Coffee & Co-Working event is perfect for any woman in business, no matter her business goals or ambitions. They can be:
- Thinking about starting a business and wanting to find out more.
- Running a very small business from home and wanting to grow.
- Trying to recover after their business was impacted negatively by the pandemic.
- Feeling lonely and isolated and looking for support.
- Leading a small business and wanting to give back to other women.
Visit the Women’s Business Club website to learn about setting up and running a Coffee & Co-Working event.
