Aspiring entrepreneurs need to grasp the supports available

EVEN the most successful entrepreneurs need a platform to advance their ideas and skills. Nothing is worse than wasted ideas, which is why if you feel the entrepreneurial world is at your feet you need to act.

Many local business groups such as Wexford Business Women’s Network, ‘New Frontiers’ with Enterprise Ireland and support forums from Local Authorities can help you find direction.

‘Going for Growth’ is another national initiative set up to support female entrepreneurs who have been trading for at least two years and are strongly focused on growth.

Going for Growth has a team experts in every area of business with first-hand knowledge and life experience in tackling business dilemmas during the growing phase. Being part of round table discussions aimed at exploring new initiatives that are designed to address the challenges you face is key to success.

This is the environment you need to be in. The most important thing to avoid is inactivity and thinking advice will come to you.

You must be prepared to act and take the lead in your own future. Use the supports available to you.

IT’S important that we mark International Women’s Day this year - in whatever way possible - because it is a long-running event which has been built up over 100 years.

Indeed, the worldwide celebration we have witnessed in recent years represents major progress on the importance of issues involving gender equality and celebrating women’s achievements.

Celebrated since the early 1900s, International Women’s Day draws its origins from a march of some 15,000 women through the streets of New York City when they demanded shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote.

Following on from this, the first National Women’s Day was observed the following year, in 1909, on the last day in February. The celebration continued on this day for the following four years.

Some European countries marked the occasion for the first time in 1911 on March 19th, with Norway and Denmark among those to witness events taking place.

Some 60 years later, in 1975, the adoption by the United Nations of International Women’s Day marked a big moment in its development.

Two years later, in 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed my member states on any day of the year of their choosing, in accordance with their own traditions.

By the turn of the millennium, however, there was little in the way of activity for International Women’s Day. It was revitalised by the establishment of a website, internationalwomensday. com, which helped create more of a sense of celebration and drum up interest in the occasion.

By 2011, the 100th anniversary of the first time the day was marked in Europe, International Women’s Day had once again become a significant date in the calendar across the world, and attracted significant attention in Europe, the United States and beyond.

The increase in prominence of the internet and social media has also helped stimulate interest and awareness of International Women’s Day in recent years.

LIKE so many other things in life right now, it is just not possible or practical to gather in large groups - but that still does not mean we can’t have a meaningful and worthwhile International Women’s Day in our own unique way.

We can all make an effort to mark the occasion, whether it be in our own homes through online means, which everything seems to be these days!

And, it doesn’t have to be just for the day - we could implement real and substantive goals in our homes, workplaces or voluntary organisations that capture the ideals of International Women’s Day and will leave a lasting and positive impact in the years to come.

For example, why not celebrate the achievement of women in your home or your workplace on International Women’s Day? Sometimes, we don’t take the time to mark our achievements, but International Women’s Day offers the perfect opportunity to pause and reflect on all that we have achieved and offers a chance to celebrate that.

You can also raise awareness of International Women’s Day. While we are all online, if you are active on social media, why not put up a post with your hand raised and the hashtag #choosetochallenge (check out internationalwomensday. com for more details) to show your support and also raise awareness amongst your friends and followers.

Another way to mark the day, and perhaps extend it over a longer period, is to fundraise through a campaign for a female-focused charity. This will not only help in a financial sense, but also raise their visibility and amplify awareness of their efforts. Last year, International Women’s Day saw a massive sum into the six figures raised for charities.

There are a whole load of other ideas for International Women’s Day in 2021 available on www.internationalwomensday.com.