Traditional barriers trumping recession |
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| Economy | |
| Written by Gary Howes and Business Link | |
| Tuesday, 21 April 2009 | |
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Women entrepreneurs say that traditional barriers in business are more of a concern than the recession. According to a survey of women business leaders, around one in five (22%) women entrepreneurs are still committed to developing their businesses including starting another new venture in the next five years. The figure rises to one in four in London. This is despite the ongoing recession and the various hurdles women business leaders think they face.Conducted by Business Link in London, the study found that many women feel that they still need to try harder than men to prove themselves as business leaders. The research found that despite the deepening recession, it is the more traditional barriers that are making it harder for women to start and grow their business. Fran Currie, Chief Operating Officer at Business Link in London, said: “If we are to make a speedy recovery from the recession, we need all sectors of the economy contributing. Approximately 16% of UK small businesses are women owned so this is clearly a sector which provides a significant contribution to the UK economy.” “But it is clear that women are still not on a level playing field with men – gender stereotypes continue to be a barrier and far too many women entrepreneurs face an uphill battle as they develop and grow their business,” she said. Balancing family life with the demands of work was also a key barrier with over half of all businesses surveyed reporting difficulties in maintaining a healthy family / work life balance. The overwhelming majority of women business owners want to see gender stereotypes tackled and be taken more seriously in the business world. Barbara Whiting of Tag Hairdressing, recently took over the business from her daughter after being made redundant last year. She has spent the past year consolidating the business and getting it fit for future growth and she now employs 14 staff in two salons in New Eltham and Bexley in London. “It certainly hasn’t been easy managing a small business. As a woman, I did have to confront gender stereotypes which meant I had to be even more committed to developing this business. “Thanks to the support services of Business Link in London, I’ve been able to fine tune my business model so that I can capitalise on new business growth opportunities,” she said. Currie said that the research was a timely reminder of the importance of having business support services tailored to individual needs. “To help provide a better environment for women entrepreneurs, support services like Business Link in London are geared towards ensuring they have the same opportunity to succeed. Our Business Advisers provide expert on the ground advice and we hold several workshops and seminars across the country for women entrepreneurs.” “The encouraging thing about these figures is that there is still a healthy appetite amongst women business leaders. It seems the recession has done little to curb their enthusiasm and many remain focussed on ambitious growth plans," Currie said.
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