The importance of networking and how to network
In the business world, networking is a very important tool. But what does networking mean and why does it matter? And more importantly, how do you get started?
Resources
Resources
Whether you are starting, growing or scaling your business, we want to equip you with the resources you need to make your business a success. Here you’ll find tips from experts on developing yourself as a business leader, expanding your network, building a board and much more!
Resources for business
While 'investment' is usually taken to mean finance, investing in your own skills, resilience and wellbeing is equally important. These articles and the section below on incubators and accelerators provide an overview of the many resources for business on offer, from formal courses such as Help to Grow, to supportive coaching and mentoring from one of the UK's many accelerator programmes.
Do I need a business coach or a business mentor?
Coaching and mentoring are two terms often used interchangeably, but they actually refer to different types of relationships and approaches.
Developing yourself with Help to Grow
Help to Grow: Management is an intensive leadership and management training programme that helps entrepreneurs to develop their leadership, strategy and management skills, equipping them to seize investment opportunities and grow their business.
Getting the best from your coach, advisor or mentor
Investing your time, energy and resources in the right support has the potential to really make a difference, providing significant short-cuts to getting where you want to go. Julia Elliott Brown shares more about getting the best from your coach, advisor or mentor.
Build your business
Whatever your business idea, there are some well-established factors that will make the business itself more resilient and likely to succeed. These include a well-designed financial plan, external expertise on your board, investor-friendly legal structure and good market intelligence. Many successful founders have benefited from taking part in an incubator or accelerator programme. These typically last 3-4 months and offer connections with legal, finance and marketing experts. Some incubators offer built-in equity finance for participants, for a pre-agreed stake in the business.
Guide to Incubators and Accelerators
Discover the difference between an Accelerator and Incubator and how you might use these programmes to grow your business.
Grow your network
Running your own business can be lonely, both personally (there isn't ready access to your peer group, as there would be in a large organisation) and professionally. A helpful resource to meet this need can be business networks, with some offering comprehensive e-learning and coaching opportunities on all aspects of business development. Others such as the UK-wide Women in Business Network focus on more informal, local groups with guest speakers and events. Finding the right network is very much about your own needs and the stage you have reached in your business journey.
Finding the right finance for your business
Finding the right finance is just one aspect of business success. Our database of finance providers is unique because of its focus on services offered to women-led businesses and the commitment that providers have made to support women, through the Investing in Women Code. We have also teamed up with the British Business Bank's Finance Hub to ensure that you can find illustrations and examples of the different types of finance offered and when they are most suitable.
Guide to finance providers
The database of finance providers is at the heart of the Invest in Women Hub. This short introduction will help you get the most from it.
Finance jargon explainer
Business finance can be confusing, so here is a handy jargon buster to demystify those technical terms, from Advance Assurance to Zero-based budgeting! Please let us know if you find one we've missed, using the contact form.
What are the different stages of equity finance?
Equity Finance has different stages of funding - Pre-seed, seed, Series A and Series B. But what do these funding labels really mean?
What is private equity and when is your business ready for it?
Private equity (PE) is a type of financing that involves using capital from private investors to purchase or invest in businesses.
The Investing in Women Code
The Investing in Women Code is a commitment to support women-led businesses in the UK. All signatories commit to improving their offer to women entrepreneurs and to collecting data on their performance.
Connect with mentors tailored to your business needs
Mentoring can be invaluable when it comes to starting, growing, and scaling your business. Our Find a Mentor platform is designed to help you with your entrepreneurial journey by connecting you with mentors and unlimited 1:1 conversations tailored to your needs, completely free of charge. Whether you are facing a challenge in your business, need advice on a certain topic, or simply just need to talk to someone who has done it before, mentoring can be a huge advantage. From finance, to marketing, sustainability, and strategy you can find the mentor you need.
Inspiring stories from women business leaders
These case studies cover every stage of business growth and every sector imaginable, from food and drink to fintech to consumer services. Whatever challenge you are facing, there is a strong chance that other women in business have been there before and found a way through. Where possible we have linked each case study to the network or finance provider involved, so that you can connect with them and find out more. Each case study is linked to a business growth stage, so that you can quickly find those most relevant to you.
Success story: Social media for small businesses – Nicola, Founder of Power of Pants
I can’t believe more people aren’t doing it. Everybody should be using Digital Boost With an extensive business background, Nicola was looking for support to grow the social media for her new sustainable small business. Thanks to Meta’s She Means Business programme, she found Digital Boost’s free mentoring and her business has since gone from strength to...
How mentoring helped Thalia’s business grow
After struggling to find beautiful lights for her home during a house renovation, Thalia noticed a gap in the market and took the leap to start building Sparkle Lighting. Sparkle Lighting has become a destination for beautiful and unique lighting. It’s loved by interior accounts across the country and it’s thriving thanks to Thalia’s hard work!...
Value your business and make sure you only give it to people that share your vision and will support your journey
Can you tell us more about Inicio AI and what inspired you to start your business and begin the journey as an entrepreneur? Inicio AI enables businesses to understand what their customers can afford. We use conversational AI and modern tech such as open banking to enable end consumers to self-serve to complete detailed affordability...
Rachel Curtis
What is great about receiving a NO is having the opportunity to understand why it was a NO and make it a YES in the future!
Nina Briance, Founder and CEO at Cult Mia shares her inspirational journey as an entrepreneur. Nina discusses the opportunities and challenges Cult Mia has faced, what is next to the tops tips when preparing for investment to how to nail the pitching process.
Nina Briance
“Be ready for it to take longer than you think/want. But persevere! It is worth it”
Can you tell us more about Perse and what inspired you to start your business and begin the journey as an entrepreneur? Perse is my second startup. The first was Labrador which is a smart energy comparison and switching service. I was first inspired to create an energy startup out of frustration as a customer...
Jane Lucy
Video library
Our videos have been selected to offer one of three things: a deep dive on a specific topic, bringing to life a founder's story, or insights and reflections from women business leaders on their growth journey. We have linked to a business growth stage although many of them are of interest to all. There is a small selection below, but for more, search the full library.
Four UK founders share their stories, lessons and advice for women looking to start and grow a business
My Help to Grow experience, by Amanda Townsend
Raising investment for impact-driven businesses
365 Finance #SheLeads: Celebrating Trailblazing Women in Business, Kathryn Strachan – Founder of Copy House
365 Finance #SheLeads: Celebrating Trailblazing Women in Business: Katie Cope – CEO of Keppel Leopard Creative
365 Finance #SheLeads: Celebrating Trailblazing Women in Business: Karolina Ba – Founder of THEENK TEA
365 Finance #SheLeads: Celebrating Trailblazing Women in Business: Bridget Greenwood and Dr. Amber Ghaddar – Co-Founders of The 200 Billion Club (PART 1)
365 Finance #SheLeads: Celebrating Trailblazing Women in Business: Bridget Greenwood and Dr. Amber Ghaddar – Co-Founders of The 200 Billion Club (PART 2)
Knowledgebase
The Invest in Women Hub focuses on helping you access the finance you need. You may also want to access a range of other resources for business so here we’ve collected some trusted sources covering business support, enabling entrepreneurship and data on women-led businesses in the UK. These should be helpful resources for business on topics not covered by the Hub.
Women-led businesses: what is the data telling us?
The Gender Index is the world's first national gender disaggregated database. In this article, John Cushing of data provider mnAI draws out lessons from the 2023 data.
Making the most of your Intellectual Property
Every business will create some kind of intellectual property (IP) as part of what it does and the customers it serves. Whatever new thing you create in your business that gives you an advantage over a competitor, could be seen as potential intellectual property.
Enabling Entrepreneurship
Female entrepreneurs represent huge economic potential for the UK. £250 billion could be added to the UK economy if women matched men in starting and scaling businesses. To unlock this potential, it’s important to support and champion current entrepreneurs as well as inspire future ones.