Wincanton women who want to start their own business are being offered the opportunity of attending a free women’s enterprise programme led by sustainable entrepreneur and legendary PR guru Lynne Franks.
Supported by The Balsam Centre’s Lottery-funded Good Stuff project, the six-week fully-funded course is based on Lynne Franks’ SEED (Sustainable Enterprise and Empowerment Dynamics) Programme and will give local women the tools to work collaboratively in small groups, or Pods, to develop their own purpose-led business. The emphasis of the course is on helping women to identify their personal strengths and talents, and on sharing them with the group to support individual or collective business aims that have the potential to benefit the wider community.
Lynne Franks, who lives in Wincanton, has a long history of mentoring women and girls, and has worked with major corporates including McDonald’s, Tesco and HSBC. In 2020, she celebrated the 20th anniversary of her global bestseller, The SEED Handbook: The Feminine Way to Create Business. Speaking about the new free programme for local women, she said: “I am so delighted to be partnering with The Balsam Centre on this project. I have mentored and taught women how to find their confidence and reach their potential as social entrepreneurs and community leaders in many countries around the world and it makes very good sense to be working with women in Wincanton, which has been my home for the last seven years.”
Sue Place, CEO of The Balsam Centre, added: “The central aim of the Good Stuff project is to create a better connected, healthier, more sustainable and socially inclusive community. By drawing on Lynne’s expertise in mentoring, we hope to inspire local women to create businesses with social purpose that will make a real contribution to the Wincanton community.”
Women who are interested in finding out more about the Wincanton Women’s Enterprise Programme are invited to come along to the Seed Café at 3 Market Place, Wincanton at 11am on Friday 9 February for an introductory meeting (register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wincanton-womens-enterprise-programme-information-morning-tickets-815369481067?aff=oddtdtcreator). The course itself will take place on Fridays from 9.30am to 12.30pm and runs for six weeks starting from 16 February. You must be able to commit to the full course to be eligible for a funded place.