BOOSTING FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SLOVAKIA

BOOSTING FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SLOVAKIA Stania Druskova (National Agency for Development of SMEs)

Project • call just for the members of Enterprise Europe Network – the largest network

supporting international cooperation of SMEs in the field of: • business • innovation • research

• 50 countries all over the world • www.enterprise-europe-network.sk • partners: • National Agency for Development of Small and Medium enterprises, • Regional Advisory and Information Centre in Presov and associated partners

Project • The origins of the project •

based on the call “European network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors" of the European Commission in spring 2009.

•

built upon the previous experience with the support and promotion of the business sector as well as female entrepreneurs through the national competition Businesswoman of Slovakia.

•

partners: National Agency for Development of Small and Medium enterprises, Regional Advisory and Information Centre in Presov and associated partners

The main goals: •

To support women’s entrepreneurship in Slovakia

•

To raise the amount of Slovak women setting up their own business

•

To motivate women on maternity leave, students, unemployed women or employed women who decided to take life in their own hands (the target group) to go for self-employment

Project milestones • August 2009: official launch of the project and project promotion • August – September 2009: call for applications and selection of Slovak Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors based on the selection criteria:

• •

at least 50% company ownership and 4 years in business in order to register for ambassador evaluation and selection of ambassadors by Evaluation Committee according to the specific economic and personal criteria

Evaluation Committee

Project milestones

Project milestones • September 2009 – selection of 9 Slovak Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors

• October 2009: opening ceremony of the European network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors in Stockholm

• November 2009: 9 Ambassadors officially introduced in Slovakia Trainings for ambassadors – presentation techniques, communication • skills, mentoring training

Project milestones • September 2009 – selection of 9 Slovak Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors

• October 2009: opening ceremony of the European network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors in Stockholm

• November 2009: 9 Ambassadors officially introduced in Slovakia

Opening ceremony of the European network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors in Stockholm (Oct 2009)

Project milestones • September 2009 – selection of 9 Slovak Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors

• October 2009: opening ceremony of the European network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors in Stockholm

• November 2009: 9 Ambassadors officially introduced in Slovakia

Slovak female entrepreneurship Ambassadors officially introduced to public in Bratislava, Slovakia (Nov 2009)

Project milestones • December 2009: first meetings with university students in Bratislava (179 participants – 5 meetings) • January – June 2010: 8 motivation seminars in all Slovakian regions (453 participants) for target group specialized on: - motivation and new business ideas - access to finance - how to set up a business - discussion with ambassadors • logo of entrepreneurship Ambassadors – specific group dedicated to project activities • Facebook www.facebook.com/ambasadorka • July 2010: project meeting – assessment of the first project period

Project milestones • www.ambasadorka.sk – project web site (Slovak& English version) • October 2010 – April 2011 – 8 specific seminars in all Slovak regions

(200 participants till present/7seminars) targeted specifically on womenentrepreneurs-to be: - business plan - financing/cash flow - marketing - ambassadors best practice and discussion

• May 2011 – Closing Conference • July 2011 – additional seminar and project report and overall assessment of the project

Other project activities • Activities outside the project milestones:

- meetings with unemployed women initialized by our ambassadors - face to face meetings between potential entrepreneur and women ambassadors (start up of a relationship mentor and mentee - club meetings (Top Centre of Entrepreneurs)

• Promotion – logo, website www.ambasadorka.sk, FB group,

advertisements, interviews for TV, radio, print media, promo and info material (leaflets, bulletins, notepads, pens, usb keys with project presentations)

The best of motivation and specific seminars • 17 seminars in all regions • registered: 861 • participated: 645, i.e. 74,9 % • average participation per seminar:

• •

57 during the first semester 28 during the second round

Seminars – feedback • Number of questionnaires received: 552 (85,6 %) • plan to start up: 98,5 % • 96% of participants expressed their high confidence with seminars • obstacles: • capital ........................ 40,4 % • courage ..................... 27,7 % • information ................ 15,3 % • beaurocracy .............. 10,3 % • other .......................... 6,3 %

3 Ak áno, aké prekážky Vám v tom bránia iné, uveďte 6% byrokracia 10%

odvaha 28%

informácie 15%

odvaha financie informácie byrokracia

financie 41%

iné, uveďte

8 motivation seminars – type of participants • Trainings for ambassadors – presentation techniques, communication skills, mentoring training • Activities outside the project milestones: - meetings with unemployed women initialized by our ambassadors - face to face meetings between potential entrepreneur and women ambassadors - club meetings (Top Centre of Entrepreneurs) – logo, website www.ambasadorka.sk, FB group, • Promotion advertisements, interviews for TV, radio, print media, promo and info material (leaflets, bulletins, notepads, pens, usb keys with project presentations)

8 specific seminars – type of participants 1. Ste (cieľová skupina)/You are (target group):

podnikateľka; 30; 18%

iné; 9; 5%

na materskej; 24; 14%

nezamestnaná; 42; 25%

študentka; 10; 6% zamestnaná; 53; 32%

Seminars – feedback 2. Účasť na m otivačnom sem inári (v 1. kole):

Participation on the motivation seminar (yes 45%/no 55%)

ano; 72; 45% ano nie nie; 88; 55%

Seminars – feedback 3. V akom štádiu je Vaša myšlienka podnikať:

zvažujem 31; 19%

40; 24%

14; 9%

som rozhodnutá, nemám nič pripravené som rozhodnutá, všetko premyslené vybavujem si živnosť

33; 20%

46; 28% podnikám

Your idea of starting up a business a) thinking about it b) decided but nothing prepared c) decided, everything prepared d) Working on the trade licence e) entrepreneur

HOW MANY WOMEN HAVE STARTED UP - Results?

•

participated on the seminars: 645 (74,2%), 451 ppts on motivation a 194 ppts (BA 12.7.2011 not incl.) on specific seminars

• female students: 179 • summary: 1048 addressed / 824 ppts Feedback: • 869 women registered for seminars addressed with feedback forms • 188 answers (169 out of it participated on the seminars - 11% from BA)

RESULTS • 73 (39%) out of 188 started their own business • Business fields: education, graphical design, presents, 3rd sector,

advisory services, prep school education, translation, foreign languages, eshops of jewelry…

• 93 job positions created

"Dear Madam, Thank you very much for the opportunity to attend your seminar. It was very inspiring indeed. One has forgotten about all the problems connected with running own business.

Have a lovely day. I am looking forward to following similarly successful events.“

Contact:

National Agency for Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (NADSME)

Stania Druskova druskova@nadsme.sk

&

Andrej Klimant klimant@nadsme.sk

MiletiÄ?ova 23, 821 09 Bratislava 2, Slovakia tel: +421 2 502 44 500 www.ambasadorka.sk, www.nadsme.sk, www.enterprise-europenetwork.sk