Discover an all-island initiative supporting women-led entrepreneurship

Friday 22 August 2025

As featured in the Irish Independant | 21st August 2025.

For many entrepreneurs, running a business is a daunting experience. Such was the case for Donna McNeill, CEO of Archie Loyd’s Hair Extensions. She had built her business from scratch in Northern Ireland five years ago, but had reached a point where she felt stuck, unsure how to take her company to the next level.

“I never thought I would be a businesswoman,” Donna explained. “This time last year, I was struggling massively and felt like I was winging it and didn’t have a great deal of confidence.”

Then she came across the Grow It All-Island programme — a joint initiative between Women in Business Northern Ireland and Network Ireland. She was accepted, but on the day of the first session, doubts crept in.

“I sat in the car, and I was like, ‘No, can’t do it.’ I was on the phone with one of my best friends saying, ‘I’m out of my depth here.’ Imposter syndrome had kicked in,” she recalled. After some encouragement, she walked in and “never looked back”.

For Donna, the impact was transformative.

“We now have customers in the US, we’ve launched aftercare products and training kits, and we’re constantly growing. Never did I think I’d be in this position,” she said.

Beyond the growth, Donna says the programme gave her back her confidence: “Honestly, it was make or break for me, and the programme has improved my business and me personally as a businesswoman.”

The missing middle

Donna’s story highlights the gap that the Grow It All-Island programme set out to address.

One of the programme founders, Roisin McDermott (Women in Business), has spent over two decades supporting entrepreneurship. Over time, she noticed a recurring issue.

“Women had start-up supports, but there was this middle piece where they weren’t eligible for any other support,” Roisin explained. “They could access bits of mentoring, but there was no programme to carry them.”

Funded by the Shared Island Programme through InterTradeIreland, Grow It brings together 30 women founders, 15 from Northern Ireland and 15 from the Republic, who are ready to scale but need guidance.

Programme coordinator Emma Early Murphy (Network Ireland), an award-winning entrepreneur and qualified business consultant, described it as an “opportunity for women who are at a growth stage in their business, but a little bit stuck and not sure where to go for the next step.”

“We focus on leadership, strategy, exports, connections, cross-border trade,” she explained. “The concept is to bring together all the areas of experience that a leader needs to take their business to the next level.”

One of Grow It All Island's unique strengths is its all-island approach. “From a cross-border perspective, the programme offers our members more support and more opportunities for export, collaboration, and connections,” Emma explained.

Together, Women in Business and Network Ireland bring more than 60 years of combined experience supporting women entrepreneurs. Over the years, they have created a paid membership network of over 4,000 women entrepreneur members across the island.

What it offers

The programme blends expert learning with peer support. Its most recent cycle included:

Three in-person all-island events, including an overnight residential
Four regional masterclasses with expert facilitators
One-to-one business consultancy and action planning
Peer mastermind sessions with champion entrepreneurs

Beyond the structured content, what stands out is the trust and connection that forms between participants. Roisin noted this kind of connection is what makes the programme valuable, stating that “the camaraderie and the relationships created on the programme live long beyond it.”

Finding community

For Cork-based entrepreneur Enrika Moore, the programme came at a turning point. She discovered Grow It through a Network Ireland newsletter just as her tech business, Viska Systems, was entering a new phase.

She credits the sessions, mentors, and planning for helping her “really be able to delve into the issues that I needed to solve in my business.”

As a leader in a male-dominated industry, Enrika shared how she did not meet many other women leaders in the engineering and tech field that she could connect with. A real standout for her was the community she was able to find during the programme. “There was so much openness in the group,” Enrika said.

“It’s lovely being able to be vulnerable in the group and knowing somebody is there to listen and help. On a personal level, it’s great just having that support network behind you…My group became my little tribe.”

Real Results

An independent evaluation of the most recent Grow It All-Island programme revealed just how impactful the programme has been:

100% of participants rated the programme “very good” or “excellent”
Forecast turnover growth from 2024–2025 was around 61%
27% of participants expect to increase both European and international sales
19% anticipate up to 25% of revenue coming from cross-border trade
95% of participants reported improved skills and confidence in strategy and business planning

More than a programme

For Donna and Enrika, the Grow It All island programme has proven impactful on both a professional and personal level, with both leaders highly recommending the programme to other entrepreneurs.

“It’ll empower you to look at your business in a way you've never looked at it before to make real changes,” Emma said.

Roisin added, “It offers an amazing personal and business journey that you would not regret. It is a commitment of time, but for many, it's been a game-changer. For some, it's also been a life changer, and they would quote that.”

As Donna summed it up: “It was probably one of the best things to happen for me and my business.”

The Grow It: All-Island Programme is delivered in partnership by Women in Business NI and Network Ireland – two organisations dedicated to fostering women-led entrepreneurship across the island. It is supported through the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme, developed by InterTrade Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland, and Enterprise Ireland.

Keep an eye on the Women in Business and Network Ireland entrepreneur support pages for future programmes and initiatives.

For cross-border support, visit InterTradeIreland.

Photo credit: Jill O’Meara Photography.