Sunday, 13 May 2007

be informed, inspired, involved!


This is the logo strapline, and the raison d'etre for WIRE, which stands for Women in Rural Enterprise. The website alone, www.wireuk.org should be enough to fire up even the most reluctant sole trader into some productive networking, planning and PR.


WIRE brings together an eclectic mix of women in business - from start-ups, to those moving on, from wannabe entrepreneurs, to self-made gurus. Any ladies out there, with a rural connection (however tenuous) should take a look - there is still plenty of grassroots activity, to give everyone a genuine say and the chance to shape what's on offer.


Dare I say, running your own business has become positively fashionable these days, with plenty of real-life case studies to be found in glossy coffee-table mags, and lifestyle media programmes. You know the ones - those women who seem to harness their natural creative flair, and design a unique artisan product, in between doing the school run and an evening out at the theatre. They engage in some apparently effortless business activity, in the same way as they might join a health spa, and hey-ho, their once comfortable lifestyle, is now sickeningly even more comfortable. And aren't they always immaculately turned out with manicured nails?


Not for them, a galloping business overdraft or hours of unproductive cold-calling, or working into the small hours after children are in bed, packed lunches done, and the ironing is down from crisis level (no clothes left to wear) to manageable (one change of clothes to wear.)


What these 'business accessorised' women are missing out on, are the many and varied network groups, that are quietly mushrooming, up and down the country. Whether they are WIRE networks, or other business support groups, they are worth a look, because getting involved, can keep you inspired.

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