Interactive Catalogue

Unlocking Female Potential: The "Everything is Possible" Entrepreneurship Program

Best Practice

Promoter Information:

Name: The Estonian Business and Professional Women Association (BPW Estonia)

Email: kommunikatsioon@bpw-estonia.ee

Website: https://bpw-estonia.ee/

Abstract:

The "Everything is Possible" project is dedicated to empowering women globally by enhancing their professional activities, increasing their presence in leadership roles, and fostering entrepreneurship among them. Addressing the challenge of gender equality and maximizing the economic contributions of both genders, the project has evolved through phases focusing initially on business startup strategies in 2018-2019 and shifting towards business growth in 2019-2020. Despite the progress, female entrepreneurs continue to face significant barriers, including limited access to capital, technology, networking opportunities, and essential knowledge for business development. Furthermore, there's a pressing need for inspiration and support to help women realize their ambitious business visions. The GEDI Female Entrepreneurship Index highlights an increase in global female entrepreneurship from 8% in 2014-2016 to 12% in 2018. Yet, in Estonia, only a third of entrepreneurs are women, mainly running small, locally-focused businesses in sectors like social services and retail, with limited prospects for growth and export. Most of these female entrepreneurs (70%) work alone, facing challenges in scaling their businesses. Despite the availability of educational and financial support programs for startups and established businesses, Estonian female entrepreneurs specifically lack targeted resources and assistance to expand their enterprises, pointing to a significant gap in the entrepreneurial support system for women.

Keywords:

Women Empowerment, Entrepreneurship, Gender Equality, Professional Activity, Leadership

Dates:

June 1, 2018 - June 1, 2020

Source Specificity:

Initiative/Practice/Project/Programme/Case Studies

Website:

https://www.smeunited.eu/admin/storage/smeunited/12022021-smeu-best-practices-to-support-we.pdf

Power Domains:

Economic

Methods Tools:

Gender Training, Competence development, Awareness-raising, Monitoring, Networking

Country:

EE

City:

Tallinn

Implementation Scale:

national

Language:

English

Other Links:

https://www.smeunited.eu/admin/storage/smeunited/12022021-smeu-best-practices-to-support-we.pdf (page 4-5); https://bpw-estonia.ee/