Women need to 'unlock' their entrepreneurial skills

A senior commission official says more needs to be done to help "unlock" the entrepreneurial skills of women.

Addressing a Brussels seminar on Tuesday, Joanna Drake called for specific action to provide "mentoring" skills and "support systems" in order to encourage more women to become entrepreneurs.

Drake, a director in the commission for the promotion of SMEs' competitiveness said, "Women have great creativity, but a lot of this remains locked inside them.

"That is why we need to encourage more women to come forward and become entrepreneurs. At present, many could be deterred from doing so because of the obvious demands of trying to balance a career with family life."

What she called "psychological support" could help give women the extra push that was often needed to get them into the world of business.

"This is where the EU comes in by helping to provide the necessary support networks."

Drake, speaking at a smallbusinesseurope event, also voiced concern at "stagnation" in the number of entrepreneurs in Europe, both men and women.

"Latest polls suggest this figure remains pretty stagnant at about 45 per cent," she said.

The event, "Female entrepreneurs: taking business to the next level," was organised ahead of the commission's review of the Small Business Act, expected to start next month.

The role of women entrepreneurs will, said, Drake, form part of the review which is expected to lead to a new commission initiative in the autumn.

Addressing the same event, Sophie Howe, who heads up a UK-based company providing technical and legal translation, spoke of what it takes to become an entrepreneur.

She said, "The key point about running your own business is about having the hunger and determination to pull through, to keep going.

"But it is not always easy to keep that momentum up. And that is where external support comes in."

She added, "Networking is the key although, at times, this can be a very daunting task."

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