Small changes can combine to a big shift for female entrepreneurs

At a recent Prosper event the new Cabinet Secretary for the Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy reaffirmed her commitment to support for businesses starting and scaling in Scotland and to supporting more female entrepreneurs as part of that process.

For the past four years Peer Works, Scotland’s only productivity-focussed business and third sector network, has had the great joy of working with many of these businesses at our monthly events around the country.

We created the network to address a gap in the productivity of the 99% of Scottish businesses that are small or medium-sized. Often smaller organisations lack the knowledge of where to start and sometimes the capacity to put ideas into practice. They often do not have a network of people to help and this can be particularly true for female entrepreneurs.

We designed the model to fill this gap and the research shows that for smaller organisations, learning from your peers is effective. It also builds on the evidence of the many ways that organisations can increase their efficiency from adopting new technology, to changing job structures, to increasing flexible working and improving processes.

It is a model that has proved popular with female entrepreneurs who currently make up just one in five of Scotland’s business owners. 97% of surveyed respondents view the club as an inclusive space and there is close to gender balance with women making up 42% of speakers and attendees.

“Being a female entrepreneur can be challenging and stressful. Having a solid baseline for support can make a huge difference. Peer Works has allowed me to meet like-minded individuals to discuss wider issues that affect my businesses. The regular events and opportunities also help to provide a break from my office space and develop my own continuing personal development as much as to network.”

Victoria Erasmus, Director and owner of Glen Mhor Hotel and Uile-bheist Distillery in Inverness

All these small changes add up to a big impact for companies, third sector employers and Scotland’s economy but also we hope to support female-led businesses to thrive in Scotland.

Clare Reid is Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Prosper (SCDI), Scotland’s most influential network and home of Peer Works.