Helping female businesses to flourish through the Inspiration Space
It goes without saying, but COVID-19 has affected women pretty harshly. Although everyone is facing unprecedented challenges, women in particular are bearing the brunt of the economic and social fallout of the coronavirus. Often, they’ve taken on the bulk of childcare during lockdowns and usually more likely to run businesses in sectors most affected by the pandemic such as retail, hospitality and leisure.
So, starting a business without any limitations seems like a dream in these times of a global pandemic. This is the time when women in business need support, help and the confidence to make it a success when they are juggling so much in their lives
Thankfully help is at hand through the Inspiration Space. Created as a community and platform, the Inspiration Space uncovers untapped potential in entrepreneurs and has created an ecosystem of partners, giving individuals the best chance to succeed. It builds and delivers an educational programme, accelerating confidence in individuals as well as bringing clarity to their vision.
Inspiration Space is offering something different to entrepreneurs, regardless of what stage they are in their growth journey. At its core, it wants to help businesses to flourish by building relationships that last and help women to think like entrepreneurs.
Liane Fricker is the brains behind the Inspiration Space. She set up the business in 2018 after moving to Surrey from London and said: “I began interacting with many highly skilled women who wanted to work but were constrained by their personal circumstances or they didn’t know they could make a success of a business.
“Often, women don’t realise they have special attributes, passion, knowledge and experience they can use to produce products and services to a market that’s larger than they envisaged.”
Who can join the Inspiration Space?
Anyone serious about growing their business, who wants to be in an environment where they can make progress and learn will feel at home in the Inspiration Space - they are the only platform fully focused on growth.
So far, a diverse range of businesses have signed up including eCommerce, emerging technologies, photographers using virtual reality, food businesses moving from kitchen tables to catering and farm shops. Inspiration Space is moving from a regional to a national expansion.
New Beginnings
To help energise entrepreneurs, the Inspiration Space is relaunching a 90-day programme called New Beginnings. Developed by experienced entrepreneurs with backgrounds in industry and academia, this programme has been adapted from an MBA-level module on entrepreneurship. They’ve made the ‘lean startup’ methodology accessible and easily digestible thanks to interactive workshops and bitesize videos.
Over four phases, entrepreneurs can learn planning and execution skills to help shape their business from firing up your imagination to see what’s really possible to planning, understanding the top three needs of customers, tailoring your offering, right through to a Go to Market Plan.
“There really is something here for everyone,” said Liana. “By the end of the 90-day programme our entrepreneurs will have the confidence to shape their business how they want to shape it as well as a business model that’s validated by their customers.”
Those who’ve already been on the New Beginnings journey are impressed by what they’ve seen. Aga Kehinde, 41, Registered Nurse and Founder of Vucanav, added: “Before New Beginnings I never would have seen myself collaborating with a big company. Thanks to the new way of thinking and time saved by not focusing so much on social media, I have built a new programme aimed at big companies that I am trialling within the NHS now.”
Inspiration Space has seen a steady growth in its own journey. In 2019, they joined forces with ‘Growing Together,’ a Winchester-based Mastermind circle. Co-founded by Pam Iannotti, a retired Venture Capitalist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Winchester Business School, this partnership brought together the community spirit and camaraderie of Inspiration Space together with problem-solving group programmes created by an academic, investor and experienced entrepreneur.
Running a business can be tough and the Inspiration Space is committed to breaking down the barriers to progress - whether this is an individual mindset, a lack of experience or knowledge of the sector or getting in front of the right people. By using the power of creativity, they want to make things work for entrepreneurs.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the Inspiration Space or their 90-day New Beginnings Programme, you can find them here
