Yvonne Bignall, back row, right-hand side outside No. 10 Downing Street
It’s not every day you get invited to No. 10 Downing Street so when you do you have to maximise the opportunity!
Along with 8 amazing female entrepreneurs, I was invited to take part in a roundtable discussion for single parents in business; the challenges, the support or lack of it and ideas to help Government better serve this group.
It was an interesting afternoon listening to the other women’s stories and focusing on a way forward; we all have a part to play in the solution.
The key areas of discussion were:
- Coming off of benefits – how easy or hard is it to do currently
- Childcare – the need for easy to access childcare at a cost that is affordable
- Finance – accessing loans or grants that help launch or grow your business but that took a more empathetic view of your financial status
What we learnt was that there are schemes out there but they proved to be not well signposted or excluded the majority of us for one reason or another. Unfortunately, they serve little purpose if no one knows about them!
My key input was asking how Government can and will support women in business who have made it their goal to serve and work on supporting more women into business; it’s a route that could make a big difference as we are already engaging with the audience and building relationships.
The reality is if we truly want to see a change we have to be prepared to work together, to find common ground. And this is achievable.
So I, for one, will be pursuing the options and possibilities of making it easier and more fun to launch your own business!
Questions: What responsibility do you think the Government has in helping women into business? And what are your responsibilities in launching or growing your business? I’d love to know you thoughts so post away below…
Live Blissfully!
HOT OFF THE PRESS: Following my visit to No. 10 there have been a number of articles in the press highlighting the story; Somerset Guardian, Midsomer Norton Journal (page 7) and The Voice Online – read The Voice article here:
Businesswoman holds Downing Street talks to help single mums | The Voice Online.
I’ll be pressing on with my community to help more women transition confidently into business. If we can get the government to support our work so much the better. But… With or without!
What would it take to help you make the decision to start your own business? What is your biggest barrier? Leave a comment and let’s start creating solutions because if it is your dream to have your own business… You deserve to realise it!
Being Your Best You 