DOZENS of Inverclyde businesswomen have attended the launch of a new group which aims to provide support and networking opportunities for them.

The first meeting of the council’s Women in Business group was held at the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock yesterday morning.

Women from a range of entrepreneurial backgrounds attended the event, which was hosted by regeneration manager Jennifer Horn and business development team leader Anne McIntosh.

Greenock Telegraph:

The initiative has been launched using a share of the £3.5 million in Shared Prosperity Funding which has been allocated to Inverclyde Council by the UK Government.

Just under £750k was set aside by the council for projects supporting local businesses.

The Women in Business group aims to provide members with a ‘fun and relaxed’ environment in which they can network.

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It was inspired by figures from the Stewart Report - an independent review into Scottish entrepreneurship which was published in February.

The report found that while women make up half of the Scottish population, they account for just 20 per cent of the country’s entrepreneurs.

Councillor Lynne Quinn, Inverclyde Council’s Women’s Champion, said: “This is a positive venture by Inverclyde Council and I fully support it.

“Women make up 51 per cent of the population but only one in five of Scotland's entrepreneurs are female.

"With women led business start up receiving only two per cent of capital investment, we must do what we can here in Inverclyde to address this imbalance.

“Creating an Inverclyde Women In Business network will help female entrepreneurs meet others in similar situations to learn from each other, have support and make connections to grow and develop their businesses and ideas.

“It’s great that more than 60 women from across Inverclyde have shown an interest and I am sure this will continue to grow and develop.”

Greenock Telegraph:

Before launching the group, Inverclyde Council gathered views by carried out an online survey of local businesswomen, seeking to establish what they wanted to see from the scheme.

The meetings are set to alternate between in-person and online after two-thirds of respondents indicated that they would prefer a hybrid model.

Those answering the survey were asked to suggest topics they would like to discuss, with responses including HMRC requirements, business growth, social media, marketing and promotion and business grants.

It's hoped that the new group will help more women set up their own businesses and assist current entrepreneurs. 

The next meeting is due to be held at the end of November, with a date yet to be confirmed.