Illuminate Programme for Female Entrepreneurs
23rd November 2016
Alison Cowzer of East Coast Bakehouse and Dragon’s Den, recently launched the Boyne Valley / M1 ‘Illuminate’ Female Entrepreneurship Programme at The Mill Enterprise Hub in Drogheda. The programme is delivered by the DCU Ryan Academy and is a Fetac-accredited course aimed at entrepreneurs seeking to develop their business. Guest speakers at the launch also included Bronagh Conlon of Network Louth, and Jill Stout of CooKit Kids who participated in the first Illuminate programme.
Alison Cowzer is a Co-founder of East Coast Bakehouse, the new large scale food manufacturing business based in Drogheda who are producing a range of cookies and biscuits for the Irish, UK and European markets. Alison outlined the high points of listening to 53 pitches on Dragon’s Den “the most successful companies have to be adaptable and continually listen to their customers. It’s critical that you also know all the relevant financial figures. A common issue for females is that they don’t ask for the correct amount of money that is needed to deliver their vision. You need to be confident that you can deliver on your promises, and having the right resources is integral to that challenge”.
The Illuminate programme was created by The Mill Enterprise Hub, with assistance from DKIT and DCU Ryan Academy, to empower early stage female entrepreneurs to develop and expand their business. The programme is supported by Coca-Cola International Services, AIB, and the Louth & Meath Local Enterprise Offices. Applications are now open, with the closing date of 16th December. http://themilldrogheda.ie/
