Women Inspired: Supporting Entrepreneurship (WISE) will support existing women entrepreneurs by developing their skills in digital marketing and e-commerce through online training so women can grow their SME business, open up new markets and prosper in a global economy; it will provide a forum to build a community to network with other women entrepreneurs and to inspire women to set up a business. With the negative impact of COVID19 on the economy and how the pandemic has increased the use of e-commerce for buying and selling it is critical that women entrepreneurs build a strong online digital marketing and e-commerce strategy to engage with consumers and increase revenue by expanding their business beyond their local area. The WISE Learning and Community Platform evolved as a result of the professional experience of the project partners and their involvement in a number of Erasmus+ projects which identified women entrepreneurs as the specific target group requiring support. Women entrepreneurs tend to work alone, their businesses are generally small and their working hours are flexible for around family commitments. Over time they lack digital marketing and e-commerce skills to expand their business and require that learning opportunity to be flexible and accessible online. The WISE project will develop the skills of women entrepreneurs through KNOWLEDGE, TOOLS AND TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE: By developing an online learning course on digital marketing and e-commerce (01) - The course will include a series of modules to develop the knowledge and skills of women entrepreneurs to create an online identity for their business. - The content will be driven by both experts and learners tailored to both the beginner and the more experienced to develop new and advance existing skills as a self-paced course on Moodle (OERs, free to use). TOOLS: A Digital Toolbox and Online Handbook of Good Practice Examples of Women (02) - To create an ‘ideas bank’ with practical tutorials of the best digital tools, services, and frameworks used by women entrepreneurs to address the needs of women starting a new business, transforming the existing business to digital requirements, and expanding their business activities. - To gather a set of best practice examples and video testimonials of women entrepreneurs who use digital marketing and e-commerce to promote their business online to inspire and encourage other women to use these tools in their business SHARE: A Woman Entrepreneurs LEARNING and COMMUNITY PORTAL (03) - To bring together the online learning course (01) and digital toolbox and Handbook of good practice (02) on a Portal to share knowledge and tools to develop the skills of women entrepreneurs. - To create a place for cooperation, exchange of ideas and opinions for women entrepreneurs during the project and beyond to enable women to continually learn, share, and inspire each other. - Provide the opportunity to present the ongoing work of the project to target groups (women/entrepreneurs) in order to gather feedback and pre-evaluate the practical usefulness. The WISE project brings together partners with a range of experience: Community, NGOs, Training, European Networks and business providing a link across the world of work, business, training, and education with links to other stakeholders women entrepreneurs, women's networks, business enterprise agencies, business training within each partner region that support women entrepreneurs. The Women entrepreneurs Learning and Community Portal will foster access to continuing VET to women entrepreneurs who face challenges that are different to male entrepreneurs in the area of reconciling business and family responsibilities. The online learning course will add value to any other training which is provided to women entrepreneurs in their region to enable them to continue to improve their skills and abilities in adopting digital marketing and e-commerce. It will support the EU Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan to promote entrepreneurship through training and by reaching out to specific groups such as women entrepreneurs who are not reached by traditional business support. ENTREPRENEURSHIP 2020 ACTION PLAN http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0795:FIN:EN:PDF The WISE project will support the skills of women to build a strong online digital marketing and e-commerce strategy to expand their business and add to the economy to combat the impact of COVID on the economy and take advantage of the shift to e-commerce as a result of the pandemic which has accelerated the shift to e-commerce by 5 years which is projected to grow by nearly 20% YoY in 2020. https://techcrunch.com/2020/08/24/covid-19-pandemicaccelerated- shift-to-e-commerce-by-5-years-new-report-says
Our main goal was to enhance the digital skills of women entrepreneurs, equipping them with proficiency in areas such as digital marketing and e-commerce. Given the rapidly changing business landscape, especially accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, our project aimed to equip women entrepreneurs with tools to adapt and succeed in the digital era. In a broader global context, we sought to enhance the overall competitiveness of women entrepreneurs. Through the acquisition of digital skills, our intention was to empower them to stand out in the international business arena. This objective was aligned with our vision of fostering sustainable growth and long-term success for these entrepreneurs. Creating a sense of community and collaboration among women entrepreneurs was also a key goal of the project. We aimed to establish a supportive platform where women could come together to network, share experiences, and exchange valuable insights. This community-building aspect was crucial in providing a nurturing environment for growth and development. By showcasing successful case studies and providing a space for sharing stories, our objective was to encourage and uplift more women to take the entrepreneurial path.
The decision to apply for the "Women Inspired: Supporting Entrepreneurship (WISE)" project was based on the recognition of critical needs faced by women entrepreneurs. WISE aimed to empower women entrepreneurs by enhancing their proficiency in digital marketing and e-commerce through online training. The overarching objective was to enable women to not only expand their small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) but also to tap into new markets and thrive within the global economy. Additionally, the project sought to foster a collaborative community that facilitated networking among women entrepreneurs while also serving as an inspirational platform for aspiring businesswomen. In conclusion, the WISE project addressed the pressing need for women entrepreneurs to strengthen their digital marketing and e-commerce competencies, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact. By offering comprehensive knowledge, practical tools, and a collaborative community platform, WISE aimed to empower women to thrive in the evolving global business landscape while contributing to economic growth.