You can become a successful woman entrepreneur with the right support, good planning and the will to succeed.
There are some support initiatives specifically designed for women.
Women in Business is Northern Ireland's largest and fastest-growing network for business women and entrepreneurs. They have over 3,000 members and offer events aimed at helping women develop both personally and professionally, make connections and ultimately grow their business.
Building Futures Programme aims to help women turn their creative ideas into a small business.
They also have a mentoring programme with almost 150 mentors providing business support and guidance to network members.
Women in Business offers a variety of free marketing benefits to all members including publication of their news articles in a bi-annual magazine and a monthly ezine, as well as their Members Monday promotions.
Councils and local enterprise agencies run specific initiatives for female entrepreneurs.
The Invest in Women Hub helps female entrepreneurs access finance to start, grow, or scale their business.
The Hub is run by the Council for Investing in Female Entrepreneurs (CfIFE). It offers access to practical resources, tools, news, and events to help women in business.
It also includes a ‘Find a Finance Provider’ tool for entrepreneurs to find finance partners for every growth stage, including business incubators, accelerators, and venture capital.
The Northern Ireland Business Support Finder is a searchable database that can help you find publicly-funded and not-for-profit sources of assistance you may be eligible to apply for. Support may be available in a number of forms, including financial assistance and free or subsidised advice services.
My New Business is a free online service that covers everything you need to plan, start and run a business. It has videos and tools, plus other learning resources - like tutorials and case studies. All of them are aimed at helping you get your business started.
It also includes checklists that cover everything from coming up with a strong business idea and developing it to identifying and reaching your customers to turn that idea into a successful business - see My New Business.
