Encouraging Female Entrepreneurs SETsquared

The Women Entrepreneur’s Workout was devised in association with SETsquared to give female founders of start-ups the ability to focus on how to lay solid foundations for a profitable and successful business. Attendees over the two day event benefited from dedicated time, practical tools and expert coaching from Sarah Stables, Aleksandra Love and Tim Doidge in an open, supportive environment. 

Feedback on the format has been extremely positive. One attendee said that the event was “absolutely brilliant! I loved being able to learn about the business model canvas and the networking has been priceless.” Another commented, “it was incredibly thought provoking and I made great contacts”. And another, “I felt more inclined to apply because it was a women-only event – it felt like a safe space to share.” 

SETsquared coach, Sarah Stables, reflected on how empowering the event was for all involved. She commented, “I was glad to see the feedback echoed the feel of the room, which was welcoming, warm, fun and relaxed and I’m not sure this would have happened so quickly or perhaps to such an extent in a mixed cohort. Most importantly, it’s clear that participants left feeling inspired with a plan for their future growth. Barriers to female entrepreneurship surfaced quite quickly and these need to be acknowledged and addressed to enable growth. Tailored events like this are a very positive step forward.” 

Southampton Science Park’s Lucinda Lamont concurred. “From the outset, I knew this event would be different from the other business events that we run, with several attendees needing to juggle family responsibilities and find childcare support before committing to be involved,” she said. “While some ladies applied because it was female only (noting that the sectors they work in are very male dominated), others did not initially see this as a motivator, but retrospectively appreciated the different vibe in the room which was supportive, considered and empowering. One participant told me that they simply enjoyed it more than other events that they’d attended because it was female-only.” 

This event is part of a comprehensive programme of business support available at Southampton Science Park, which ranges from a varied events programme to formal coaching and membership programmes like Enterprise M3 LEP Growth Clinics, Catalyst and SETsquared.  

Applications for our next Catalyst programme are open until 16th July.