Appreciation Post. Soppy but important & squeezed in just before Valentines Day

9 Feb

Several people told us when in New York on our first AwakenHub trade mission last week that they hoped we could take a minute to reflect on what we've achieved by building out this magnificent community over the last 2.5 years on a voluntary basis with extremely limited resources.

Sometimes, even as co-founders of a women founders community, we have to step back and do what we always tell the women in AwakenHub to do. Acknowledge the wins.

Team AwakenHub have done just that. After a group hug & a reminder that we do this as friends as well as co-founders Sinead Crowley Mary McKenna, MBE Mary Carty FRSA Clare McGee Denise McQuaid, our wonderful Head of Community Brìghde Barnes Global Diaspora Ambassador Mary Ann Pierce and this is what we've realised.

- If you believe it, build it and they will come. In our case to the tune of just under 3000 women who have subscribed to AwakenHub

- Do the work. Unfortunately there's no other way around it. You have to put in hours, days, weeks, months & in most cases, years of work to make your vision a reality

- Trust in good people. Our fab friend Kelly Hoey talks about networking being every single human interaction. AwakenHub is a community (not a network) on purpose with a purpose. We're driven by the desire to change the landscape for women founders for generations to come. Good people make that lighter work by a country mile. Know your allies, protect them and appreciate them always.

- Choose your partners with intent.
We're hugely fortunate to have had the initial support of Ulster Bank NI & Rethink Ireland (SED Fund) in 2021. This allowed us to trial the 1st & only all-island of Ireland accelerator lite for very early stage women founders SheGenerate. With the addition of Pulsar - Northern Ireland Women in STEM British Business Bank and Catalyst we onboarded 56 women in year one, despite our initial commitment to 30.

SheGen2.0 is currently underway with 30 women navigating their way through the early stages of building a business, thanks to Taylor Wessing as our lead sponsor Ulster Bank NI Catalyst British Business Bank Women in Business NI.

Our community sponsors AIB InterTradeIreland MAP Digital: MetaMeetings® QUBIS Ltd Donegal County Council are instrumental in keeping the AwakenHub show on the road with our online monthly community events, face to face meet ups, Showcases, #AwakenClub private online founders space and so much more

Let it be said at this most ‘loving’ time of the year that we appreciate you. Each and every one of you. With thanks always for your time, energy, commitment, allyship and belief in what we do.