Liverpool-based The Women’s Organisation is to deliver the two fully-funded Grow & Thrive masterclasses in October as part of the city region’s Enterprise Hub programme. Tony McDonough reports

Female entrepreneurs in the Liverpool city region who want to take their fledgling businesses to the next level are being invited to fully-funded masterclasses on business growth.

Liverpool-based The Women’s Organisation is to deliver the two Grow & Thrive masterclasses in October as part of the city region’s Enterprise Hub business support programme.

The Women’s Organisation is the managing agent and lead and accountable body of the Enterprise Hub programme. The sessions are aimed at female entrepreneurs running businesses that are less than 42 months old to help them accelerate their business growth.

The masterclasses are explicitly aimed at entrepreneurs who are ready to build their turnover as part of Enterprise Hub’s drive to help supercharge business growth across the region. Each of the two fully-funded sessions will provide expert support to enable business owners to take the next step on their journey to commercial success.

The sessions, on October 8 and 16, will cover taking on staff, and developing a sales and marketing strategy.Participants can attend one, or both of the events. The first session, on Tuesday, October 8, deals with When and How to Take on Staff, and is aimed at providing entrepreneurs with the skills and practical knowledge to do so.

Local entrepreneur Anna Slater, founder of North West Linen Services, will share her journey and experiences of taking on staff for the first time. From tackling imposter syndrome, the importance of mapping out affordability and strategy, to becoming the employer of 26 staff members.

Expert recruitment consultant, Elaine Courtney, founder of Courtney Recruitment, will explain the main stages of recruitment and how to find the right people for your team. And one of The Women’s Organisation’s business experts, Bernie Cox, will outline the legalities and practicalities of taking on staff, from liability insurance, to setting up a payroll and arranging new employee inductions.

The second session, Master Your Sales and Marketing Strategy, will take place on Wednesday, October 16, dealing with taking a business into an exciting new phase of growth. This emphasises the need for a watertight sales and marketing strategy which is vital to building valuable and lasting customer relationships which translate into sales.

Sue Kelbrick, from Wigwam Coffee Shop, will share her experience of developing her business story to achieve revenue growth, including establishing a unique brand. Experienced sales leader Claire Philliskirk – winner of European Women in Tech Sales, Europe 2016 – will outline how to set, and reach, sales goals.

People performance expert Nikki Cross will also share her advice on the importance of aligning strategic goals with the goals of your team, offering a “how to” guide to setting a people performance strategy which effectively develops your people and grows your business.

Francine Taylor, senior business advisor at The Women’s Organisation, said: “Entering a new phase of business growth can be equally exciting and daunting for entrepreneurs, many of whom may not have much previous experience of running a business single-handedly.

“That’s why it’s so important to get support and draw on the experience, resources and insight which is available to help you scale your business and become a commercial enterprise of real substance. Whether you’re looking to further grow your sales turnover, take on your first members of staff, or even expand into new markets, Enterprise Hub can support you.”

Both sessions will take place at The Women’s Organisation’s Liverpool headquarters, at 54 St James Street, between 10am and 1pm.

Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Enterprise Hub provides expertise and skills from a wide range of organisations within the Liverpool City Region. To date, Enterprise Hub has supported more than 6,000 residents from the Liverpool City Region to develop their enterprise skills, and it has helped launch in excess of 1,000 new businesses as a result.

To book onto any, or both, of these sessions, contact 0151 706 8113 or email enterprisehub@thewo.org.uk or click here for more information.