‘Don’t be afraid to fail’ women told at enterprise conference

Research continuously, nurture "good people" and don't be afraid to fail – was the advice given by women to women at the National Women's Enterprise Day conference in Galway on Thursday.

About 13,450 women are initiating new businesses annually, or over 1,100 every month, according to the State's Local Enterprise Offices (LEO) network which hosted the two-day event.

However, just one in three women have a positive view of their personal entrepreneurial capabilities, according to last year's (2013) Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report for Ireland.

Addressing some 300 participants who attended the two-day event, Siobhán Lawless of The Foods of Athenry company said that women “tend to be more self-critical than men” and “take failure in business more personally”.

“Failure is not the problem – it’s how you deal with it,” Ms Lawless said, recalling how the business that she and her farming husband had founded in Co Galway recovered from a serious fire in 2011.

Their company has won 38 taste awards and is selling nationwide and in Britain and Europe.

Ms Lawless advised women “not to be afraid to fail”, to “research, enlist help, invest in and nurture good people” and “know that ‘no’ is often a good answer”.

She also counselled against “burning any bridges”, and advised entrepreneurs to “watch the money”, as most businesses failed due to over-trading.

Clarification after meetings was also important, she said – as in confirming details with a follow-up email.

“I have a sign on my desk – assumption is the mother of all f***-ups,”she noted, to laughter.

Successful recruiting is "not always about the most qualified curriculum vitae," Radio Kerry chief executive Fiona Stack said in her keynote address.

“Find someone who fits in, who won’t let you or their colleagues down, who isn’t a clock watcher and who is as passionate about your product as you are,” Ms Stack advised.

She outlined how her career had progressed from a researcher on Radio Kerry to working in communications with Intel to becoming deputy editor of Newstalk before she was headhunted by her first employer again.

Local radio has to be more “answerable” than the national media, tends to be more resourceful, and reinforces a “sense of place”, she said.

Radio Kerry’s strong commitment to current affairs, documentaries, drama and sport meant that it commanded 72 per cent of all radio listeners in Co Kerry, and enjoyed a market share of 52.3 per cent, compared to 16.8 per cent for RTE radio 1, she noted.

Ms Stack said that she had learned that the two most important things in a workplace could be “laughter and a good kettle”.

Also addressing the conference were Stateside Solutions chief executive and founder Mary Rodgers and City Analysts chief executive and founder Miriam Byrne.

They were participants, along with Ms Lawless, in an expert panel discussion which was chaired by Cara Group managing director Ramona Nicholas who is a "dragon" on the RTE television series, Dragon's Den .

The event, organised by the Local Enterprise Offices, was supported by the European Social Fund and the Department of Justice and Equality’s “equality for women” initiative.