The Blue Book
A guide to developing women's business and entrepreneurial networks.
Overview
In October 2002, a group of Co-ordinators of WBN member networks took part in an exchange visit to Belgium to work with Co-ordinators of Women's Business Networks there. The result of this joint activity was the Blue Book - A Guide to Developing Networks.
The exchange was co-ordinated by Women's Business Network (North West) Ltd (WBN) as part of their Accelerating Women's Enterprise (AWE) activities and Centrum Voor Zeltstandig Ondernemende Vrouwen (CEZOV), as part of their Diane activities. Both organisations act as a network of Women In Business networks and are members of Women Entrepreneurs in Europe (WEE), the transnational EQUAL partnership.
The Partners
Across Europe, the transnational partnership brings together Development Partnerships as follows:
- Belgium: Diane Development Partnership
- Germany: Women's Way of Entrepreneurship (WWoE)
- Greece: Insular Confederacy - Equal Access Development Partnership
- Italy: RA.S.P.U.T.I.N. Development Partnership
- Spain: Regenta Development Partnership: Equality Creates Employment
- Sweden: Where are the Keys?
- The Netherlands: Project Stimulating Female Entrepreneurship in ICT
- The Netherlands: From Disadvantage To Self-employment
- United Kingdom: Accelerating Women's Enterprise
Contents
Why have business networks?
- History
- Barriers
- Value of being a network member
How to start your network?
How do you define your network?
- Number of members required
- Geographical boundaries
- Background of the different members
- Entrepreneurs & Co working partners
How to resource your network?
- Subscription fees
- Subsidies/sponsorship
- Cost of external speakers
Running your network
- Number of network meetings
- Address Book
- Responsibility of the members
- Structure/Format of meetings
- Location of meetings
- Dress codes
Meeting Ideas
- Topics of meetings
- Social networking
- Enterprise visits/Members' business presentations
Sustainability / Viability of your Network
- Benefit of new members
- Marketing
Issues to consider
- Time problems: lack of time/time management
- External speakers?
- Male speakers or female speakers
Final Thoughts
- Network responsibilities
- Female networking vs mixed networking
The Way Forward
This guide has been shared, as a working document, with all Development Partnerships in the EQUAL transnational partnership and their clients. As valuable contributions were collected throughout the lifetime of the EQUAL partnership, the Guide was adapted and improved.
For example, the AWE conference 2003, in the UK, saw the presentation of the Blue Book at a workshop. Everyone had a chance to have their say and all these valuable contributions have been added to the guide..
Download The Blue Book
We would like to thank all the Women in Business Network Co-ordinators from the UK and Belgium whose contributions gave birth to this guide.
You can download a copy of the Blue Book in PDF format (747k). Please note that this document requires Abobe Acrobat Reader.