1 Birute Miskiniene Project Team leader Final project conference 1October, 2010 Tbilisi Supporting women entreprenuership in Georgia in the framework of EU

I 2010 European Year for combating poverty and social exclusion II Supporting women entrepreneurship providing knowledge and skills through training III Developing mentors network with self-help mission 2 Project goals

3 MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday EU support for SME’s Networking and women entrepreneurship Ms.Birute Miskiniene Support for Small business in Georgia Mr. Boris Lezgava Taxes and exemptions in Georgia Mr. Levan Gogoladze Final project conference Metechi Palace Hotel * special conference programme Coffee break Introduction: Defining the vision and aligning personal and business goals Ms. Birute Miskiniene, Ms.Erika Vaiginiene Self presentation: business ideas Ms.Erika Vaiginiene Legal Small business environment in : Marketing and sales. Mr. Boris Lezgava Accounting essentials for small business in Georgia Mr. Levan Gogoladze Lunch Gender and leadership Ms.Birute Miskiniene Business plan essentials Ms.Laima Urbsiene Legal Small business environment in Georgia Mr. Akaki Kheladze Business plan presentation Georgian experts Coffee break Work and family balance Ms.Erika Vaiginiene Business plan development consultancy. Ms. Laima Urbsiene Business plan development consultancy Mr. Akahi Kheladze Business plan presentation Georgian and Lithuanian experts Training programme and International conference, 27 September – 1 October, 2010 Tbilisi

4 Why still so few women entrepreneurs? ???

5 TOP 5 Barriers to women’s advancement Stereotypes and preconceptions of women’s roles and abilities (3K ) Lack of senior, visibly successful female role models Lack of significant general management experience Commitment to family, personal responsibilities Lack of mentoring

6 Leadership courage “Don’t fail. Let someone else take the risk. Be careful. Don’t make mistakes” such a philosophy is no longer beneficial……... Courage- is ability to step forward through fear. Courage doesn’t mean the absence of doubt or fear, but the ability to act in spite of them.

A challenge How are Women entrepreneurs different from Men Women seem to have less « capital », which affects negatively their entrepreneurial propensity and performance Financial capital Human capital : education; work experience Social capital: business contacts, networks, family social capital

Networking Women need to develop their own ‘ clubs ” for networking and support Personal Marketing Strategies to be become know for skills and achievements Women supporting women in their endeavors and financially Always behave as if you are in line for a new job or promotion-updated resume, visibility

Mentorship Women who had mentors are almost twice as likely as other women to mentor someone 94% of women owning small businesses who have had mentors say that the experience was crucial to their success There is significantly more mentoring of women in senior management than in small business

Women entrepreneurship in Europe Women’s employment rates are getting close to those of men (58% vs 65% in 2007) Yet only a third of the entrepreneurs are women, a proportion maintained over the last years that seems unlikely to change in the near future

Room for change? Recent Statistics in Europe 59% of university graduates are women 80% of students in business administration are women What consequences for women entrepreneurship ?

THE WAY TO IMPROVEMENT Systematic intervention should tackle: - Contextual obstacles (i.e. running informative events and providing entrepreneurship training in schools and universities, challenging stereotypes by raising awareness on women’s contribution in entrepreneurship.) - Economic obstacles (i.e. access to capital to develop and growth their business ideas) - Soft obstacles: lack of access to business networks, lack of business training, role models and entrepreneurship skills.

France: The Guarantee Fund for Women Fund’s aim Give women entrepreneurs access to bank financing without engaging their personal funds « Your project is very interesting,Mrs Dupont, if only Mr Dupont were here… »

EU women entrepreneurship issues I In the economics of EU countries and especially in the regional policy small and medium business plays an essential role The possibility to combine professional and family roles is very important both for women and men because it enhances flexibility in labour force, improves quality of life Improvement of the system of social services is very important to combine professional and family life

EU women entrepreneurship issues II Every woman-etrepreneur contributes to the reduction of unemployment by creating new work places for women and men However women’s business enterprises are behind from enterprises conducted by men Gender equality –still need to be more considered EU financial support need to be more accessible for women

Women Entrepreneurship: Conclusions It appears that women who are employed and have built a social network of entrepreneurs are more likely to become entrepreneurs and to succeed in their business The social and economic benefits of working are driving women’s entrepreneurship more than increased education or household income Women’s level of optimism and self-confidence in starting a business is highly influenced by the culture and social norms of their native countries

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18 We already have examples to follow

Good luck for your business ideas

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