Harnessing the power of female rural entrepreneurs in Argyll

The W-Power Female Entrepreneurs Online Network is an international empowerment programme for women entrepreneurs in sparsely populated areas across northern and arctic communities. Stretching from Ireland to Lapland, W-Power was introduced to Argyll in 2018 as a three-year project supported by HIE.

When Cara Gelati set up the adventure company Wilder Ways with her wife Nikki in 2015 she had no background in entrepreneurship. But following a week spent on Islay trekking with Nikki’s two ponies, the pair decided to leave their previous roles to set up a company offering guided horse-riding expeditions, trail-riding holidays and tailor-made outdoor adventures.

As they developed the business from its base in Campbeltown, Cara had positive encounters with a number of start-up and entrepreneurship support services, including the SJ Noble Trust, but had shied away from groups specifically targeted at women entrepreneurs. Then, in 2019, Cara and Wilder Ways applied for, and won, an innovation award from W-Power. Presenting her idea for the exciting new activity of horseback archery, Cara was impressed by the detailed training and support available to the businesswomen in preparing their pitches. They won one of five prizes awarded to help support female-led businesses across the international network. During a debrief with project leader Cathy Higginson from HIE, Cara agreed to join the leadership committee of the Argyll W-Power network. Now chair of the committee, Cara sees her role as helping to ‘pay it forward’ – reaching out to other successful businesswomen in the region to secure speakers and support, helping members move to the next level on their own entrepreneurial journey. In spring last year, as businesses were impacted by COVID-19 measures, Cara and the committee began reaching out to member businesses to see how the network could offer support. That call came at just the right time for Karen Lindsey, who had launched her craft beer store The Oban Beer Seller the weekend prior to lockdown.

“I didn’t realise how much I needed some extra help,” says Karen. “I knew what I had to do but in the face of the pandemic I didn’t have the motivation to get started. Speaking to Cara and having the friendly encouragement of the network gave me the confidence I needed – it came at the exact right moment.”

Having launched a bricks and mortar retail business, Karen lost her only route to market overnight when lockdown was implemented. With support from other members of W-Power, Karen pivoted her new business, setting up an e-commerce online offering. “I’d never worked in retail before so there was a lot I didn’t know, but the network was so generous. Nobody was gatekeeping the information, and people really helped me with the specifics,” Karen explains. With an online delivery model that pre-empted the pandemic, collaboration is common among W-Power members despite their wide geographic spread. From formal video-based training sessions to informal drop-in online chats, members can pick and choose the topics and type of support to suit their circumstances. For both Cara and Karen, discussions online were important signposts to sources of information on eligibility for pandemic support. Discussing shared challenges with fellow entrepreneurs in other rural communities also offered valuable social support during a worrying time. “I still haven’t met any of the other W-Power network members in person,” says Karen, “but I felt like we were all friends by the end.”

The W-Power network has also delivered new business opportunities for members. Having worked to help members develop their sales and pitching skills, the Argyll network now offers a social selling opportunity every two months where members can showcase their businesses to fellow members. Capitalising on advice from the group on how to take The Oban Beer Seller online, Karen used one such occasion to run an online beer tasting event. Her in-depth knowledge of her products and skill in running the online tasting impressed fellow W-Power member Rachel MacNeill of the Islay Whisky Academy, so much so that Karen and Rachel are now hoping to work together to deliver ‘half and half’ tastings both online and in person. Despite having built a thriving business, offering whisky education and tours on Islay, Rachel had never considered herself an entrepreneur until she joined W-Power. “I thought of that word as being for people like Duncan Bannantyne or Richard Branson,” says Rachel. “It’s been really beneficial to reclaim that term for myself – it’s an empowering label.”

Rachel had been invited to join W-Power by Cathy Higginson. In contrast to her previous experience with business advisers who took her less seriously despite recognising her sound plans, Rachel felt for the first time that she was respected for both her ideas and her business acumen.

Finding a home among fellow entrepreneurial women living and working in rural communities played a big role in Rachel’s change of mindset and embracing her identity as an entrepreneur. Membership of the network has brought other benefits, too. Following an online workshop with a brand storytelling trainer from South Africa, Rachel has been connected to a professional copywriter and is completely revamping her website and online presence.

Rachel MacNeill “That was the most valuable training session I ever had,” recalls Rachel. “It was the first time I’d ever been contacted in advance so that the training could be tailored to my needs, there was no waffle – it was all usable information. And it was all thanks to W-Power.”

Just like Karen, Rachel feels more confident in her entrepreneurship thanks to W-Power, and is keen for more women to claim this identity for themselves. “I would love to say to young girls that ‘entrepreneur’ can be a career choice, and that equally it is a term that can apply to creative people too. I think the economic models used in the past have largely failed the world, particularly women and rural communities, because they told us we didn’t fit into a particular box. Now I have the confidence to say I’m good at this – it’s the box that’s wrong.” With the three-year project timeframe drawing to a close in early 2021, both the committee and the members were keen to ensure the valuable support continued into the future. “I have to give a lot of credit to Cathy Higginson of HIE and Pamela Looper of Tuminds,” says Cara. “They made it their mission to make sure the momentum wasn’t lost. They managed to extend our funding by four months to make sure the network was there to support our members while they reopened their businesses after lockdown.” With the committee now taking over the running of the group to ensure its continued success, Cara is optimistic about the future of W-Power in Argyll. “I’ve seen how important the network is to our members and I think we have a great opportunity to build on the progress so far. We’re here to help our members dare to believe.”