News

Radical downsizing of Small Business Service

Sharp drop in women in British boardrooms

£4.4 billion contribution of kitchen-table tycoons

Yorkshire Forward tackles region's enterprise gender gap

Coalition calls for cross-government action to tackle enterprise exclusion

Greater incentive for local authorities to promote enterprise

Linking minority businesses and corporate Britain

Countdown to Enterprise Week

Prowess member's news

Rachel Elnaugh joins Enterprise North East Trust

Power of Google used to promote female entrepreneurs

Promoting the lessons of the Phoenix Development Fund

Call for research papers

Enterprise Enfield business adviser scoops national award

Events/Awards/
Research/Vacancies/New Members

News

Radical downsizing of Small Business Service A major streamlining of the Small Business Service (SBS) announced by Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling will see the organisation reduced to a core team of just 50 staff, with an additional flexible resource of 50 people for time limited projects. The SBS will focus on policy development and will have a stronger cross-government influencing role. It is expected to link in more closely with the Treasury. Decisions on how the senior staff team will be structured are currently being made. Senior officials assure that women's enterprise will remain a priority cross-cutting policy area (albeit with limited central resources) but that it may not have its own team in the future.

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Sharp drop in women in British boardrooms There are just 12 women holding executive director roles at FTSE 100 companies compared with 20 a year ago. According to the Guardian's Annual Survey in 2003 there were 15 female executive directors, rising to 17 in 2004 and 20 last year. The fall wipes out the small but steady gains made over the last few years. A broader survey of the FTSE 350 published recently by the accountancy firm Deloitte supports the findings showing that the number of executive director jobs held by women was stuck at 3%. For more information see: http://money.guardian.co.uk/discrimination/story/0,,1885583,00.html

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£4.4 billion contribution of kitchen-table tycoons Mothers who have started businesses from home contribute £4.4 billion to the UK economy according to new research conducted by the London School of Economics (LSE) for Yellow Pages. Whilst many women are motivated by the need for flexible hours the research also suggests that motherhood itself is often the impetus behind a particular business idea. Tim Leunig of LSE says "It is the act of having and raising children which makes mothers so well placed to identify gaps in the market". Over half of the mothers surveyed were running businesses relating to children's services or products, home-friendly businesses such as web design and marketing were also common. A quarter started a business because they were frustrated working for someone else and 38% said business ownership allowed them to pursue a career and motherhood. http://www.bizmums.co.uk/research.html

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Yorkshire Forward tackles region's enterprise gender gap £8 million will be invested by Yorkshire Forward (YF) in providing business support to under-represented groups including women in West Yorkshire. The 'West Yorkshire enterprise, culture and diversity programme' is expected to create 200 businesses and support a further 2,000 businesses. In West Yorkshire men are three times more likely to be self-employed than women and the area accounts for 70% of Yorkshire's ethnic minority groups. The funding will be used to improve the capacity of the business support infrastructure, provide more specialist support and transform enterprise activity in schools. Announcing the programme Alex McWhirter, Head of Enterprise at YF said "We want to create a cultural change - with this programme we can address some of the barriers that restrict take up of mainstream business support services". For more information see: http://www.wyep.co.uk/

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Coalition calls for cross-government action to tackle enterprise exclusion Gender, age, ethnicity, finance and location are still massive barriers to enterprise says a new report from the Enterprise for All Coalition (EfAC). The report has been launched ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review, widely expected to result in big public sector spending cuts. Calling for a specific ‘enterprise for all’ Minister within the DTI and a cross-government working group on the subject, the report urges policy-makers to recognise the potential adverse impact of budget cuts and the Business Support Simplification Programme. The report emphasises that a narrow focus on GDP growth fails to recognise the massive economic and social benefits of an inclusive enterprise agenda. The Treasury has issued a statement welcoming the report and is considering its recommendations. The Coalition provides a single voice into government on behalf of groups who are underrepresented in enterprise. Its members are: BTEG, CDFA, NFEA, PRIME, Prowess and SEC. 'Enterprise for all: progressing the agenda' can be downloaded at: http://www.prowess.org.uk/publications.htm

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Greater incentive for local authorities to promote enterprise John Healey, Financial Secretary to the Treasury has announced a three-fold increase in the rewards available under the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive Scheme (LABGII). The increase was announced to mark the start of the second year of the three year scheme. The extra funds will aim to reward councils whose business base is growing and to promote stronger partnership working with the private sector. Rewards will be delivered in February 2007 for growth achieved during 2006. Local authorities themselves can decide how the additional money is distributed. For further details see: http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/labgi.htm Additionally the Government has recently published its map of Assisted Areas showing the zones where businesses can apply for regional aid for the next seven years. See: http://www.dti.gov.uk/regional/index.html

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Linking minority businesses and corporate Britain Minority Supplier Diversity UK (MSDUK) has been launched as a national organisation to develop procurement opportunities between corporate firms and ethnic minority businesses (EMBs). The organisers aim to establish a national supplier database of EMBs. Corporate firms and minority businesses can register at: http://www.msduk.org.uk/

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Countdown to Enterprise Week In the run up to National Enterprise Week 13 - 17 November, the Make your Mark campaign has launched the 'Fuelling Enterprise Culture' prospectus - a compact guide on encouraging an entrepreneurial mindset within your organisation. Download at: http://www.starttalkingideas.org/policy/enterpriseculture/ Women's Enterprise Day will be celebrated this year on 15 November. Promote your enterprise week events by registering them at: http://www.starttalkingideas.org/enterpriseweek/2006/ Prowess members can also add their events to our clickable map of the UK at: http://www.prowess.org.uk/members/memberlogin.asp

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Events

Rethink Pink! Marketing to Women Conference - London, Thursday 9th November 2006 at The New Connaught Rooms. Women are the most powerful buying influence in business and consumer markets today. This conference will introduce new ways of communicating and engaging women and the booming new market segments. Covering key growth trends in personalisation; the screaming need for Hi-TOUCH - lo-tech customer service; the shift from me to we and inclusivity; the inexorable strength of word of mouth marketing; the future feminisation of society; and finally the BOOMING boomer-women market ... the ultimate power consumers. An international line-up of speakers will feature Fara Warner, author of The Power of the Purse, and Mary Brown from Imago Creative, co-author of the new book BOOM. You can get more details at www.rethinkpink.com or contact Peter Frost or Phil Terry on 01932 784887 or email phil@rethinkpink.com

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Prowess 4th Annual International Conference 'Backing Winners: the dead cert for an enterprising nation' Brighton Racecourse, 7 - 8 February. Join key players in policy and practice for the leading event in the women's enterprise calendar. This year the conference promises to be bigger and better than ever before and confirmed speakers include: Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Minister for Industry and the Regions, Mmabatho Matiwane - Head: Gender and Women's Empowerment Unit – DTI, South Africa, Pam Alexander - Chief Executive: SEEDA, Dr Katherine Rake, Director, The Fawcett Society, Polly Toynbee - journalist, author and social commentator and many more! Conference booking opens shortly. For all attendence and marketing enquiries contact Ann Nicholls at a.nicholls@prowess.org.uk or call 01603 762355. http://www.prowess.org.uk/conference/Conference2007.htm

Legal Structures for Social Enterprise (two day training course) 6 & 7 December Sheffied Cost £200 for Prowess members £250 non-members. Click here for further details. Download booking form here.

Awards

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New Research

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Vacancies

Locally based Freelance Outreach Workers The Women's Business Development Agency (WBDA) are looking for freelance outreach workers to conduct grass roots outreach and publicity work in rural Objective 2 areas of Devon and across the West Midlands. For further information contact WBDA at admin@wbda.ac.uk CVs and covering letters should be sent to WBDA by 10 November. For further details about WBDA visit: www.wbda.co.uk

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