BBV is one of eight business support organisations across
the Northwest that have been awarded a new quality standard for women’s enterprise.
The Women’s Business Centre (WBC) Standard, funded by the Northwest
Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and developed by Prowess, the independent
voice of women’s enterprise in the UK, has been developed as a framework
for providing world-class support services to budding and established female
entrepreneurs.
Organisations which have achieved the WBC Standard have been officially
recognised as putting women’s business support requirements at the
forefront of their service. They understand and embed the needs and aspirations
of their women clients into the very fabric of their organisation; focusing
on establishing and maintaining a long-term relationship with their client
and providing support through the whole lifecycle of their business journey.
Pictured left is Jenny Matthews collecting the award at the Northwest
Women in Business Awards 2010 on the 29th January at Ribby Hall, Lancashire.
Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, said:
Women are currently significantly under-represented in business in
the Northwest and the UK and it is vital that we work to address this imbalance – it
has been estimated that if women started businesses at the same rate as
men, the UK would see 150,000 more businesses per annum.
It is therefore vital that the right business support, advice and guidance
are available to ensure female entrepreneurs can achieve their potential.
The WBC standard is a clear symbol of the quality of female-targeted business
support offered by organisations in the Northwest, which we hope will create
a step change in the number of women accessing support and ultimately starting
up their own businesses.
For further information about the WBC standard visit www.wbcinternational.org
Information on the many events and workshops run by Bolton Business Ventures,
including Women's Business Centre Workshops can be found by clicking
here.
