An historic moment
The long-awaited announcement on a beautiful autumn Indian summer day of the election of Kamala Harris as the US Vice-President matched the mood of many of us who have been watching the elections and hoping for the best. This news was especially heartwarming for women, and the fact that she is both an Asian American and woman of colour is even more exceptional. Women from all backgrounds and ethnicities now have an extraordinary role model; a woman who has broken through a difficult barrier and who inspires us all to move forward. As stated in her victory speech, she may be the first woman VP, but she will not be the last! Congratulations to Vice President-elect Harris and to women around the world on this exceptional achievement!
An ‘embarrassment’ of choices
As we approach winter and the days get shorter, how encouraging it is to know that an array of informative web events awaits us – both through our own local networks and from abroad – helping us to connect almost effortlessly with other women entrepreneurs, inspiring us to both keep on learning, and supporting us with ways to grow our businesses. It seems that there are more opportunities than ever to stay informed, inspired and empowered on topics related to women’s entrepreneurship. With the rise of the webinar – a word that I hardly even knew just a few years ago – and our need to meet and stay in touch with each other, I am frequently faced with an abundance of webinars, to both attend and to participate in, that I would not normally have had in pre-Corona times.
In addition to our own stimulating WBII online Skills Sharing and Networking Events (coming up on November 12th and 26th), we are also organising the WBII Festive Lunch on Thursday, December 10 from 11 am to 2:00 pm! The lunch is taking a new turn this year and we will enjoy a seasonal cooking lesson, following by festive networking. The webinar is a great way to celebrate the season and connect with each other, which replaces our standard festive lunch in a restaurant. Please join us for this fun event! Here are a sevaral other upcoming webinars that may be of interest to you.
Facebook – WEP ‘Boost’ Community Conversation
On Thursday, November 19 from 10 – 11:15 am the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) is collaborating with Facebook to deliver a ‘Boost’ webinar. The focus is on the post-COVID challenges and opportunities of running an SME as a female entrepreneur. Topics include:
- Access to funding/finance
- Mentorship and networking
- Work-life balance
- Digital skills and training
- Policy recommendations
Speakers include: Amparo de San José, Director at IESE, Business School of the University of Navarra in Barcelona, and Manager of the Business Angels Network in Spain; Chupi Sweetman, Founder of Chupi Jewellery; and Rozina Spinnoy, Founder of BIDs Belgium. The anticipated 150 audience members, including many SMEs, can interact with the panel through chat or via voting on poll questions. For additional information and to register, please visit:
WEgate Summit
WEgate – the European platform and gateway for women entrepreneurs – is currently being updated and enhanced, and will soon be relaunched. Funded by the European Commission, the upcoming online WEgate Summit, to be held on Thursday, December 10, offers several free workshops that can be of interest to you. While it is possible to attend the entire Summit from 9 am – 5:00 pm, if your day is already busy, some practical workshops from 2 – 4:30 pm are of particular interest:
These workshops are a great opportunity to connect with women entrepreneurs from across Europe, and to learn about and discuss some important topics of mutual interest. For additional information on the full programme and to register, please go to this WEgate page (Please note that this link is still under construction, and will be up and running shortly).
Double booked!
The timing of our WBII Festive Lunch and the WEgate Summit Workshops means that you could do both if you can fit them in your schedule, for a full day of ‘food for thought’ about women’s entrepreneurship! It has happened a few times that I have been ‘double booked’ when webinars overlap. While this is not ideal, and certainly not recommended, it is possible to follow both if you have no other choice! But this also reflects the large number of choices that we have at our fingertips. Thank goodness for the fantastic digital technologies that help to keep us informed and on top of the news!
