Exciting news – Isle of Man Women in Business is to become part of Forward Ladies this May!

The move follows months of consultation as to what WiB members want from their network and research into existing successful groups.  Dr Gloria Miller , lecturer in Strategic Management at the International Business School had compiled research as to Best Practice for women’s business networks.  This set the framework for how we would go forward to develop our netw0rk.

Hitting the top of the “wish list” for what WiB members want are: more events at different times, online access to other members, raised profile for themselves and their businesses, promotional opportunities, mentorship and personal development opportunities.

All of this was a pretty tall order for an organisation without funding and reliant on kindly volunteers! So, we made a plan.

We’ll achieve all this and more by becoming part of Forward Ladies, one of the largest and fastest growing Women’s business network in the British Isles.

We’re having a special, final meeting of Women in Business on Thursday 13th May, 6pm, at Amber Lounge.  If you have not already registered for the event, please do so at the following link http://event.pingg.com/ThinkingOfJoiningF .  You can find out about membership benefits and hear from Steering Committee members and Etta Cohen, founder of Forward Ladies.

Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.  Thanks go to Amber Lounge and Sleepwell for sponsoring our event.

Come along on 13th May and check out www.forwardladies.com for more info.

A big thank you to all the sponsors, members, facilitators and The Courthouse and of course the Steering Committee for their support of Women in Business.

We’ve truly valued the input we’ve had to create a better business network for women on the Isle of Man.

Kate

Third Tuesday is almost here again and we have a “Simply Networking” evening planned for Tuesday 20^th April 2010 6pm – 8pm at The Courthouse Club.

No speaker, no topic, no agenda- just call in to The Courthouse Club between 6-8pm.

It is a  free, informal meeting, open to all business women from the local area and a chance to mix and mingle with like minded people; just bring business cards and a sense of humour! Drinks are available to buy from the bar, either upstairs or downstairs.  Feel free to bring friends, colleagues or prospects.

Women in Business meet on the Third Tuesday of each month, 6-8pm at The Courthouse.  The date for the May meeting is Tuesday 18th May 2010.

Posted April 18th, 2010 by Kate No Comments »

Women in Business learned about a major UK business support network at January’s Third Tuesday event (19th Jan 2010 at The Courthouse) which was sponsored by Paragon.

Over 40 attendees heard about the development of Forward Ladies from founder Etta Cohen.

Nine years ago, Forward Ladies started as a couple of ladies meeting every 6 months for lunch.  It’s now one of the fastest growing business networks in the UK, with over 7000 members and new groups in Manchester and very soon, Liverpool.

We heard about Business Breaks to Monaco and Florence, member discounts and events, success stories, Female Emerging Entrepreneur groups, Member Directories and Mentorship. 

I first met Etta in Leeds last year.  I’d hoped to get the benefit of her experience to help develop the group here to better meet members’ needs.  Etta kindly agreed to visit the Isle of Man, to meet our group and talk about how we can work together. The response here was extremely positive.  Etta was impressed and inspired by the women she met on the Isle of Man and about how our group had progressed in such a short time (especially with no money and only volunteers!).

The event also attracted interest from some new faces and young women who are just starting out in business. 

WiB steering committee members met the following day to discuss how to move things forward with our group.

Thanks to Etta, Paragon and to everyone who attended the event . . . some pics below!

Etta Cohen speaking to WiB members

The recession is helping to kick-start a home-based business economy. A third of those questioned in the latest Home Business Survey said they started their home-based business within the last year, highlighting the entrepreneurial spirit that has emerged from the downturn.

The increase of 300,000 home-based businesses means there are now 2.8m businesses operating full time from home, contributing £284 billion each year to the UK economy.

At the UK Business Incubation Conference in December, I met Emma Jones, founder of Enterprisenation.com , a free resource to help you start and grow your business at home.  I’d heard about Enterprise Nation through Twitter and Global Entrepreneurship Week (they had a Home Enterprise Day).

Emma gave a talk to incubation professionals about how incubators can support homeworkers – since not all will want (or need) to take up actual residency in the incubator.  Emma’s talk and energy really inspired me; it’s so relevant to how we live and work now. Plus she’s actually an experienced entrepreneur (she set up her first business at the age of 27 and sold it 15 months later).  We heard about the growing culture of “5 to 9″ ers people who work a full time job and run an additional business at home, of an evening.   Some do this as a hobby or to unleash their creative talents – many don’t aim to give up the day job.  Truly enterprising.

Homeworkers are often underrepresented in economic statistics as home businesses commonly outsource rather than employ.  Family commitments, personal preference, cost, lifestyle, location and the environment are all reasons why people might run a business from home.

Whatever the reason, if you are running a business from home, take a look at Enterprisenation.com .  It has great resources and links to help home businesses start up and grow.  I’ve already recommended it to a few homeworkers I work with.  When the weather is this snowy, there are more reasons than just bootstrapping for working from home!

The Home Business Report from November 2009 makes interesting reading.  Homeworkers should be celebrated.  I wonder how many we have on the Isle of Man and where their customers are? I’d love to meet some tech start-ups who are currently working from home.

Business incubators can help home workers in different ways.  The need for professional, physical office space and face-to-face networking is still (if not more important) even though the majority of work is done at home.  Business planning support and advice is relevant regardless of where you’re working.

If you are setting up an enterprise or have an innovative idea or invention,  contact the Isle of Man Business & Innovation Centre -  you could work at home, from our offices or both and receive business support and more. Support is free upon successful application.  Pre-start ups and aspiring entrepreneurs, or those looking for a collaborative venture are very welcome.  +44(0)1624 820930 .

Tonight was Women In Business’s Tuesday Club meeting and the focus was on ’speed networking’. Think line dancing meets speeds dating meets networking.  Fifty business women showed up and we each got a chance to chat to ten individuals one on one.  Here’s some video clips of some of the participants, and the two women who organised the evening.

It was a really fun, and fruitful evening.  We won’t be meeting in December, because everyone is busy enough.  But watch this space for what’s going on in January.

Pam Neill

Julie Fraser

Other women in business

prepared by Pam Neill and Julie Fraser

Speed Networking is a fun, energetic and dynamic way to build relationships and develop a thriving, successful word-of-mouth network

How does it work?

You will have a few minutes with each person to introduce yourself, your business/company, what you do and what you want from the evening.

At the end there will be time for you to connect with anyone you missed or to extend the conversations with those of your choice.

How do I prepare?

1. It is important to think about what you want to get out of the evening.  Some examples are:

• You need contacts within an organisation to get a job or promote a product or service you have
• You are wanting to generate publicity for an event
• You want to widen your circle of business / personal contacts
• You want to mix with like minded people

2. Have a well prepared USP or ‘elevator speech’.  Very simply this is :

• Your name
• Your company/business name
• What you/your company does
• What you want to get out of the evening

3. Make it engaging as you will be desperate to hear something entertaining and memorable by the time you get to the last person – and so will they!

4. Bring plenty of business cards or note cards with your contact info on.  Also bring extra flyers or promotional material along for those that want more information.

5. Take notes.  This will help you remember important facts about that person, their interests and goals.

6. Challenge yourself to help at least one person that you meet.  If everyone does this the impact of this event could be huge.

What happens after the event?

The real magic starts to happen when you build and continue the relationships outside of the event. So, visit the websites of the people that attended, send them an email, phone them and suggest another meeting with the intention of becoming better acquainted and finding out how you can both help each other.

Just over a year ago, the Women in Business Network was only an idea.  None of those involved knew each other that well but research, discussion and sharing ideas has worked. Now we engage with nearly 250 women on the Isle of Man with 78 Fans on Facebook and 85 members of our Linked-In Group.

In line with the theme of connecting women in business on the Isle of Man, our November Tuesday Club event is a Speed Networking Evening.

WiB members Julie Fraser and Pam Neill, who came up with the idea will be organising the event.  We’ll be seeking to create more connections at The Courthouse Club, 6pm Tuesday 17th November 2009.  Visit and register at the event page here .

Regardless of what you’re communicating, speed networking is an increasingly popular way to get your message across and meet many people in a short space of time.  Tips on getting the most out of a speed networking are found in this article by Dr Ivan Misner.   Misner is the Founder & Chairman of Business Networking International, the world’s largest business networking organization.

The Speed Networking Event will be the last Tuesday Club of 2009.  See this post for how to promote events, offers and engage with WiB online.

If your organisation would like to host, organise or sponsor an event for WiB members, please e-mail info<at>iombic.im or telephone 01624 820930.

The next Women in Business Tuesday Club on Tuesday 20^th October 2009 should be fantastic.

Be there: 6pm – 8pm at The Courthouse Club, Athol Street, Douglas, IM1 1LD.

Talking Topic: Making Time for Your Retail Therapy

Shopiom.com is sponsoring the event and Beatriz Bolton, UK Director of Carlisle, a private fashion collection from New York, will be starting the conversation.

www.shopiom.com – Shopping heaven, twenty four seven!  Come along and find out about the DTI assisted scheme and meet the local retailers who are now selling online.

Be there at 6pm for a complimentary drink.  Hope you can make it!  Please RSVP to info@iombic.im

Posted October 16th, 2009 by Kate No Comments »

Since starting, WiB has been contacted about a variety of events and offers from outside the business world –  social and charity -ranging from sports to fashion.

How can you get your message out through the WiB network?  The best, easiest and most effective way to share something you’re involved in that may of interest to WiB members is to post a comment or event on the Women in Business Linked In Group (we’re at 67 members) and also on the Facebook group page (56 fans).  These are the most effective ways for you to get your message across and connect with others. Plus, it raises the profile of what you’re doing and helps members have a more direct and informative connection with each other.

If you have a short article on a subject you can also submit it for inclusion on this blog site.  See this post for guidelines.  It would be fabulous to have photos included with your articles too.

In addition, you can also communicate and interact by posting comments on the blog site – this is open to anyone and can be done at a few click of a button.

Don’t forget, you can also raise questions and discussion points and provide help and advice by any of these methods also.

So, share what you’re involved in with the wider network and enjoy making new connections through WiB.

Kate

Our 2^nd meeting was another great success.  On an August evening that was only fit for Ducks and Fish to venture out we had over 50 people turn up at The Courthouse.  Most of whom didn’t know each other at all, but judging by the noise levels became friends very quickly.  Just about every industry group was represented from Beauticians to Bankers, Film professionals to Therapists.  Apart from a lot of fun a lot of business was done as well.  I made some great new contacts for BigFish.   Like I said at the Launch Party ‘Women we make it happen!”  Roll on September is all I can say!

Debs Gwinnell