Shropshire’s entrepreneurial women set to benefit from new business training opportunities with WiRE

Business support group Women in Rural Enterprise (WiRE) is hosting a three-day ‘Opening Doors’ business start-up course at the Harper Adams University College in Newport, starting on October 18.

WiRE business adviser Sarah Roberts said: “We take a friendly, informal approach to giving you all the help you need to launch your own business. Whether you need help with making sure you have a product that will have a demand, how to find your customers, keeping on top of the finances, or what you need to do to comply with legislation, this is the course for you.”

The intensive programme aims to give women the confidence to get started with their own business by offering a comprehensive training package on setting up and growing a successful enterprise.

It will cover all aspects of running a new enterprise, including marketing, sales, internet and finance as well as dealing with the pitfalls of running a small business and offering advice on how to avoid them.

Katie Bourne of Katie Bourne Interiors, which specialises in producing beautiful wallpapers for children, said she was very impressed with the community and support she received at WiRE.

She said: “I wanted to go on the business start-up course. I just really felt like I was missing some key areas of my skill base and it seemed to cover absolutely everything you need to know about starting your own business.

“There were so many questions I needed to ask. It was totally priceless especially the information on the copyright and intellectual property.”

“The template business plan was brilliant, I still use it today!”

After launching in the summer, Katie’s business is now receiving interest from many international companies as well as London –based stockists.

The three classroom sessions offer business training and the opportunity to network with like-minded rural business owners.

Participants will have access to the on-line Learning Resources Centre, allowing them to continue to network, share skills and experiences and pick up useful hints and information in the future.

Mrs Roberts added: “The course will help you to use all your skills and knowledge to produce a professional business plan which will provide a strong foundation for your business.

“The business plan will be assessed as part of the academic requirements. It is pass or fail only, but you will receive so much support that we promise you, you will not fail!”

The course, which costs £99, runs from 9.30am to 3pm at Harper Adams University College. For more details visit www.wireuk.org or call (01952) 815338 or email info@wireuk.org