Visa reminds Mayo's women business owners to enter the She’s Next grant programme
With less than a month left to go, Visa is reminding women business owners in Mayo to enter the She’s Next grant programme.
She’s Next, now in its third year in Ireland, offers the chance to win one of five €10,000 grants in addition to a year of business coaching.
Applications are open until July 21 at www.ifundwomen.com/visaireland.
Findings from a recent report by Visa found that the main challenge faced by women business owners when it comes to business operations is access to capital (47%), while for men it is marketing and lead generation (43%).
The report also found that 93% of men feel very or completely confident when it comes to evolving their business against 71% of women surveyed.
Mandy Lamb, managing director UK & Ireland, Visa, stated: “It is clear there is more to be done to address the barriers that women-led businesses face and it shows why campaigns like She’s Next are so important. We want to empower women by providing funding, expertise and coaching to go towards achieving their growth inspirations.
“We’ve had considerable interest already in the programme this year and some fantastic submissions, but there is still plenty of time to apply so we strongly encourage women entrepreneurs to put a little time aside and get their entries in – the process is very straightforward.”
The She’s Next grant programme, in partnership with IFundWomen, is open to small businesses and organisations in the Republic of Ireland that are majority owned by women, operating across all industries and sectors, through a simple application process. It is designed to be an inclusive programme to appeal to a diverse range of applicants from different backgrounds. Applicants in previous years who were not selected as winners are invited to reapply.
To enter, applicants are asked to submit details about their business and online presence at www.ifundwomen.com/visaireland. The closing date is July 21. Terms and conditions apply.
Applications are invited under five different categories. There are general awards for micro businesses (sole proprietorships or microbusinesses with no more than two employees), early-stage businesses (businesses founded and incorporated within the last 24 months that must have been operating for at least six months) and small businesses (any small business with fewer than 50 employees), plus an additional two categories for changemakers (social enterprises or community-based enterprises or businesses that show recognisable achievements in sustainability efforts) and innovation and technology (businesses in science, fintech, technology, engineering or medicine, or a business that has used technology to grow).