A programme to support aspiring businesswomen in Coventry and Warwickshire is returning this spring after proving to be a major success over the past 12 months.
The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce has opened applications for its 22in22 Women in Business Mentoring Programme after the success of 21in21 that began last March.
The Chamber is now looking for mentees to come forward to be paired with successful business leaders who can help them move up the career ladder or grow their own company.
Keely Hancox, Operations Manager at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber, said: “We took the decision a year ago to launch the 21in21 programme because, time and again, we heard from women who had gone on to be successful saying how they’d wished they’d had a mentor at an earlier stage in their career.
“The programme has exceeded all our expectations and the feedback we’ve had from both mentors and mentees has been amazing; 21in21 has made a genuine difference to people’s lives.
“For some, it has been about profile raising or boosting sales, for others it has been about offering support and confidence building.
“After such positive feedback, it is only right that the programme evolves into 22in22 and we look forward to hearing from more women who can benefit from the programme and seeing them benefit from our fabulous mentors who are handpicked from a range of sectors.”
Anne Simonsen, owner of Shape It Up Pilates in Rugby, has turned her business around despite losing half of her clients and almost closing the studio during the pandemic – and thanked her mentor Leigh Hunt, Regional Partnership Director for CityFibre, for providing advice and encouragement during a period of uncertainty.
Leigh, who spent 20 years working as an e-business advisor for Warwickshire County Council, first met Anne in search of relief for her back problems, but has since returned the favour by providing mentor support to her as part of the 21in21 programme.
The pair met once a month since the programme was launched.
Anne said: “Leigh’s advice has encouraged me to take more time to focus on what I want to achieve with my business rather than just fight to stay afloat, and since I have started to trust my own vision for the business more and day-to-day operations have improved dramatically.
“There was a lot of pressure to rely on corporate clients and take our classes online and, while this is something we offer, I didn’t want to lose the personal interactions and buzz that you get from face-to-face sessions.
“To have the encouragement to stick with that goal, take time to reflect, and have another perspective on how to move things forward has been crucial to the business and to my job satisfaction.”
Keely added: “We do provide guidelines for our Mentors and Mentees, setting expectations on time commitment, and what is and isn’t possible within the programme. But, really, we leave our mentors and mentees to set their own agenda so they can ensure it meets their needs.”
Applications are now open for Mentees for the Chamber’s 22in22 Mentoring Programme. For more information or to apply to be a mentee, go to www.cw-chamber.co.uk/membership/22in22.Applications are open until Wednesday 23rd March at 5pm