Dungannon Enterprise; nspire to Innovate #MakeItHappen event

‘Amazing’, ‘Inspiring’, ‘Energising’, ‘Illuminating’… Just some of the words used to describe the event organised by Dungannon Enterprise Centre last week to celebrate female entrepreneurship.

Friday 26 July 2019

Dungannon Enterprise; nspire to Innovate #MakeItHappen event

‘Amazing’, ‘Inspiring’, ‘Energising’, ‘Illuminating’… Just some of the words used to describe the event organised by Dungannon Enterprise Centre last week to celebrate female entrepreneurship.

The Inspire to Innovate #MakeItHappen event, celebrated the successful completion of the Inspire to Innovate programme which was funded through the Ulster Bank Skills and Opportunities Fund, supported by CavanaghKelly Chartered Accountants and delivered by Dungannon Enterprise Centre.

The programme took a group of women from Mid Ulster on a journey of personal growth while developing their business skills, and the team in Dungannon Enterprise Centre are proud of the ladies who all made tremendous strides in starting and growing their businesses.

The open event brought together over 60 women who wanted the inspiration and motivation to take their business ideas. Guests heard from 4 fantastic speakers including Joanne Kearney (Glow Metrics), Kaja Choma (Kaja Choma Wellbeing Trainer), Claire O’Hanlon (Leap for Luke) and Vivian McKinnon (Hydro Ease), who taught the ladies to think of their business as bigger than it is, to not be afraid to fail, to ask themselves what they would do if they weren’t afraid and to recognise that they have the power to overcome the challenges they face. They were also invited to attend break out sessions that encouraged them to ‘be extraordinary’ and to ‘know more so they could do more’.

Denise Murtagh of Dungannon Enterprise Centre said ‘the Inspire to Innovate Programme Started in January with 20 women who had an idea for a business. We designed the programme so that participants would develop key business skills while also benefiting from personal development. As well as hosting business masterclasses, we took the women on ‘Inspire Me Site Visits’, brought in guest speakers to share their experiences and created an online group for the ladies to support each other.

The Inspire to Innovate Programme has been one of our most successful initiatives with all the ladies who started the programme now having started their businesses or found work in their chosen fields. It has been awe-inspiring to watch the ladies grow in self-confidence throughout the programme.

We wanted to celebrate their achievements and to inspire other women to follow in their footsteps and so the #MakeItHappen event was born. Participants showcased their businesses, took family and friends to celebrate their success and celebrated with their new-found friends who all understand the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs.

We are delighted that over 60 women left feeling inspired and motivated to take the next steps in their entrepreneurial journeys and we look forward to meeting attendees who have booked in to come see us about their business ideas’.

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