Organised by Eve Calderbank, Principal Economic Growth Officer, at Essex County Council, and held at Gridserve in Braintree, the evening saw 40 women in business from across the county meet together for an energetic networking event.
Ann Scott, Development Manager (Essex) at the FSB, said:
“The vision of ‘Ambitious Women in Essex’ is to support all things related to renewal, ambition, and equality of the Essex economy for local women in business. This is very much akin to the mission of the FSB in helping smaller businesses to achieve their big ambitions. We were therefore delighted to be able to sponsor and support this event at Gridserve – a venue that is keen to shine a light on the small businesses which power our economy”.
She continued:
“Many of the businesses we spoke to highlighted their challenges in recruiting and retaining staff, alongside the pressures of managing increasing energy costs. They were pleased to learn about our free Skills Hub and also the campaigning we have done on the Energy Bill support”.
The group heard first from Eve Calderbank about why she set up the network and what she gets from it. They then heard from Michele Smith, Membership Advisor at the FSB, about how the FSB can support business owners through these challenging times and Cllr Lesley Wagland about what Essex County Council are doing to support businesses.
If that wasn’t enough of a treat, Linda Blanchette from Consciously Clothed brought her mobile boutique of pre-loved clothes. From shoes to dresses, from scarves to trousers – Linda had it all!
To find out about upcoming FSB events across Essex, please visit our events page.
