Speedy way to grow business

Forget speed dating - women in Shropshire have been speed networking.

More than 70 enterprising women gathered earlier this month for WiRE’s (Women in Rural Enterprise) conference to celebrate Women’s Enterprise Day.

Part of the free Opening Doors project, to encourage women into business, the theme of the day was ‘Get Connected’; how to connect with your customers and other business women to grow your business.

And part of the event included an afternoon of speed networking.

Each participant met five other people and talked about their business in two minutes. Everyone agreed that it was a great way to meet other people and introduce them to your business.

The day itself started with an insightful talk from Julie Grant of Plinkfizz on marketing in the 21st century. Guiding attendees through the six steps of writing a marketing plan, she stressed how important it was to keep abreast of current technology and trends when planning how to promote a business.

Dr. Garry Homer from the e-innovation centre in Telford picked up Julie’s theme of technology and explained the different broadband services available and how important security is for the small business.

The second workshop of the day saw Mo Trudel of Mo Trudel Associates talking about how essential it is to have branding and how the right brand can revolutionise your company.

The day ended with an inspiring and informative talk by England’s most famous cricketer, Rachel Heyhoe-Flint MBE, who had the audience in stitches with amusing anecdotes from her long and varied career. Admitting that cricket had opened many doors for her, she went on to say that persistence and resilience had been the keywords throughout her life. She said:

“As a woman in business you’ve got to push yourself. Never let ‘no’ be the answer; always try things and believe that you can do them.”

Margaret Lokier of Old Oak Safety, based in Shrewsbury, said:

“It was a great opportunity to meet old friends and new. The website session was really useful and has given me some ideas on how to move forward with my own.”