15 January 2019

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A ‘game changing’ toolkit to support female entrepreneurs in building their businesses launches on 17th January 2019.


The toolkit, built on research by Dr Isobel O’Neil, of the University’s Business School, is designed to help women define their own success in a move away from what Dr O’Neil calls the existing ‘rules of the game’.

She said:

"Through my research into issues of identities, authenticity and legitimacy within the female entrepreneurship landscape, I witnessed a refreshed way of being a woman in business and a strong rejection of “faking it until you make it” type approaches. I found many women keen to move away from the norms associated with the pale, male and stale version of being an entrepreneur."
Dr Isobel O’Neil
University of Nottingham Business School
"Women told us they initially felt the pressure as early-stage entrepreneurs to strive for things they didn’t necessarily want, without significant reflection about what would work for them. One example was an entrepreneur who told us how she thought success meant growing her business and taking on more staff but she came to realise that it was about making a living by owning a business she was passionate about i.e. doing it her way. By developing this toolkit we seek to support women to be confident about finding their way of being an entrepreneur - whatever that might look like."
Dr Isobel O’Neil
University of Nottingham Business School

Working with Nottingham-based entrepreneurs Alex Hardwick, Debbie Clarke and Sarah King, Dr O’Neil has co-created this toolkit to help women develop their own rules by engaging with a range of interactive tools to consider and evaluate the things that are important to them both professionally and personally.

They are hoping that this is the start of something important in the entrepreneur landscape. They've been told from feedback that they’re ‘on the brink of creating something really special!’