Small business grants for women are a hot topic right now. Particularly in the UK and Ireland. Small businesses are starting up at a fast pace all over the world, especially in the UK, US, and Australia. However, most of these are made by men. The local powers that be on many of these continents are well aware of the imbalance and are doing something about it. As a result, many female business owners are successfully applying for and getting small business grants for women.
If you’re a woman-owned business, it’s worth taking some time to strategize about applying for funding. For example, what exactly would be the best use of your resource? Who could you get it for? What will give you the best return on your investment? All logical questions that, sometimes, as businesswomen, we don’t always remember to get the answer, or at least have them clear in our minds.
A beautiful website could be very nice. However, if you don’t have marketing and sales skills or at least access to advice, you could become a drag on your neck. The result is something nice and expensive that adds nothing to your cash flow or bottom line.
However, suppose you are different and have a clear and well-defined strategy. So what’s next? If you live in the UK, one of your first ports of call should be your local authority and trade link advisor for your area.
There are many sources of financing available. From leadership development to marketing, training and website development. In the North West of England, there are even funds available to help you improve your marketing and sales skills, which is vital for new business owners.
The key is not to make assumptions, decide first what you want, and then find out if it’s available. Join some local networking groups. As women entrepreneurs, we love to share our resources and help. The other top tip is to head over to Google and type in exactly what you’re looking for, perhaps with a local spin on the term depending on where you live. That’s probably how you found this article anyway. So, in summary, what are your best first steps?
Decide what you want and need and why
Research what is available from all your trusted sources
Build your strategy on how you will approach different organizations.
Find out the exact criteria, for example, if you apply and get funding X now, does that mean funding Y you’ll need next year won’t be able to apply?
At the end of the day, small business owners want to grow their business. Think about how available financing can help you do this. The saying about teaching a man to fish is very relevant. If you can access financing. Focus on building his skills, as this is a profitable way that reaps rewards long after your new printer.
