1. Emma Parry, Work Psychologist
Blended Learning for Business Development: A Case Study of Women-Owned SMEs
Emma Parry, Work Psychologist

2. Accelerator Growth Programme
For women running businesses in South Yorkshire (1-5 years)
Funded by Business Link (South Yorkshire)
Four learning sets – 5 women in each group matched by Inova

4. Hard skills modules: Business Strategy Marketing Employment Law
The Blend- Part 1
Hard skills modules:
Business Strategy
Marketing
Employment Law
Finance and Accountancy

5. One to one in-depth sessions:
The Blend- Part 2
One to one in-depth sessions:
Business strategy
Employment law
Finance & Accountancy

6. Personality Profiling
The Blend- Part 3
Personality Profiling
Individual psychometric personality profiling
Relationships with others
Thinking styles
Emotional involvement and reactions to stress & pressure

7. Mentoring Circles™ Running in between hard skills sessions
The Blend – Part 4
Mentoring Circles™
Running in between hard skills sessions
Strengthening learning outcomes
Encouraging self-reflection and building confidence with developing the business

8. Hard Skills modules: Feedback
“Brilliant day because it was predominantly discursive and very supportive”
“It was much better (than I expected)”
“It’s been totally positive and more fulfilling than I imagined.”
“It has bettered them (my expectations) as I didn’t really have any but it was very informative and great fun”

9. Examples of Learning Outcomes
Understanding USP (unique selling points) of your business
Viewing the business as an outsider- gaining a more objective perspective
Thinking of your business from a customers’ viewpoint
How to work smarter not harder
Importance of taking time out to develop your business strategy further
Reflecting on business development to date
Importance of maximising your strengths in business
Importance of believing/having confidence in your product/yourself
Importance of asking others for opinions and learning from others’ experiences
Working towards developing a clear business strategy
Other women in business have similar issues and it is very helpful to talk through these issues together
Participants also benefited from self reflection, realising for example that they already have the answers they need, that they are still passionate about their business, that they work better with tight deadlines, or that being busy does not necessarily equal being stressed.

10. Overall Key learning outcomes
Need to delegate and get help from others in order to grow the business
New insights into planning and time management
Progress made on areas such as refining business focus and pitching
Many beneficiaries realised they had achieved more than they had previously thought

11. Overall Feedback from participants
 “Fantastic group dynamics – inspiring, energising, lots of good business advice. Helps enormously to keep the momentum going”
“Very encouraging talking to everyone”
“We are all experiencing the same problems / setbacks and are all eager to make what we are doing work better.”
“Some incredibly frank and open discussions. Great relationships are developing”
“I like the small number. I feel like I’m really sharing and learning from other journeys”
“ Lovely group of ladies – very open and constructive”

12. The value of women-only provision.
Lessons Learned
The value of women-only provision.
Multiple methods increase learning opportunities & outcomes.
Importance of tapping into ‘experts’ who can bring business development topics ‘to life’
Resource intensive to organise a bespoke programme for individuals but the benefits are more sustainable

13. Summary: Benefits of a Blended Approach
Peer learning through Mentoring Circles™
Mentor learning from an experienced woman in business
Learning from experts in business ‘hard skills’ in group workshops
Receiving intensive and individualised support

14. Hear What the Women Say about Mentoring Circles™...
For more information on Inova’s projects and services for women starting up or developing a business: