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Background

"UK start-ups would rise by 50% if the start-up rate amongst women matched that of men. So that is why we must encourage more women to start and grow their own businesses." Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer.

In this speech, made in 2001, Gordon Brown went to highlight examples of best practice in women's enterprise development in the UK, and it's no coincidence that the initiatives he mentioned are founder members of Prowess.

Although a number of organisations have been working for many years to support women's enterprise development in the UK, the environment has only recently been created to bring these issues to the fore. In 1999/2000, women's enterprise practitioners and researchers were brought together for the first time in events organised by the Women's Unit (now the Women & Equality Unit) and the DTi. These included consultation meetings around the development of the DTi's Small Business Service (SBS). By sharing knowledge and experience, it became clear that provision of support for the start-up and development of women's businesses was evolving in a patchy and non-strategic manner. The need for a structured network to help share and develop good practice and to promote a coherent web of support structures for women's enterprise in the UK was identified.

A national consultation exercise was carried out in May 2001 and the feedback showed that there was strong support for a UK-wide "umbrella" organisation. The original name proposed for the network was NAPWE - the National Association for the Promotion of Women's Enterprise. But 'PROWESS' emerged as a more appropriate - and user-friendly - name, and after a successful bid to the DTi's Phoenix Development Fund in the autumn of 2001, a steering committee representing the founder members was formed. The company was formally constituted as a Company Limited by Guarantee and the steering members became interim directors.

Prowess can look back with some satisfaction at the organisation's achievements since its official launch in October 2002, with the first member of staff taking up post in January of that year, the launch team in place by May and membership opened in June. With now more than 120 members, all committed to providing quality business support for women, Prowess has access to more experience and expertise in women's enterprise than any other UK body.

It has influenced Government policy, particularly in the development of the Women's Enterprise Strategic Framework. Prowess's Development Adviser was seconded into the DTi Small Business Service to assist in the development of the Strategic Framework. Launched in May 2003, the Framework has provided a template for the development of women's enterprise in the UK. Its implementation on a regional basis remains a key priority for Prowess.

The organisation quickly achieved a high profile and good relations with key stakeholders: exemplified by the decision of (then) Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Patricia Hewitt, to be the keynote speaker at the Prowess launch. Demand from members has far outstripped our expectations and to date membership targets have been exceeded by over 100%.

In terms of what were identified as 'critical success factors' in its Business Plan Prowess has:

• Exceeded membership targets by over 100%
• Indirectly, through members, reached 55% more business women than planned.
• Implemented a rigorous and tested membership 'Quality Mark' and Delivery Standards a year ahead of schedule.
• Exceeded income generation targets.

Other key achievements include:

• Prowess has also been documented as a 'best practice' example in Europe.
• Prowess has developed a popular national training programme for business support intermediaries and valued information resources such as a monthly ezine, bi-annual newsletter and user-friendly website.
• Our First Annual Conference, held in Brighton in November 2003, included high level speakers from across Government, the Business world and national and international best practice organizations. The Conference was sold out.
• We have produced two important research and policy reports: 'Restricted Access: Women-owned business in profile' in partnership with Strathclyde University and the Federation of Small Business) and 'Who Benefits: Women, Unemployment and Self-employment' (in partnership with New Economics Foundation and DeMontfort University).

For more information on Prowess, read its aims and objectives.