Connecting Cheshire provides £75k to boost support for female entrepreneurs

Connecting Cheshire has awarded business advisory firm Blue Orchid a £75k contract to deliver specialist support and events for female entrepreneurs.

The ‘Connecting Cheshire: Women in Business’ programme will give women-led businesses comprehensive and practical advice as well as faster broadband.

Connecting Cheshire is a partnership between BT and Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East, Halton and Warrington councils, which is bringing Superfast fibre broadband to 96 per cent of homes and businesses by the end of 2015.

One Cheshire based female entrepreneur who has already signed up to take advantage of the Connecting Cheshire: Women in Business programme is Emma Cornes.

Emma produces luxury handbags made of British tweed and first worked with Blue Orchid in March 2013 when she needed advice on business planning.

Her business has gone from strength to strength and she is now selling on-line to markets as far a field as New Zealand.

Emma said: “I’m keen to get to grips with the opportunities that new technology can bring. It isn’t just about working smarter – though that really helps – but it’s about being able to sell all round the world. We only sell online, so we’re completely dependent on the technology to build a profitable, sustainable business.”

Blue Orchid area manager, Kerry Hall, explains: “The Internet has made connecting with a global market much easier and faster; but knowing where to start and how to build a solid infrastructure to expand and enhance your business can be quite a daunting challenge.

“Over the next five months we will be delivering a series of free workshops and awareness sessions providing practical tips and advice to women-led businesses and female entrepreneurs in Cheshire to give them the knowledge and skills that will benefit their business.”