On November 16, as part of Female Entrepreneurship Week, an event will be held on the topic of self-employment and starting a business as a career perspective for women. This is a cooperation between Pro Exzellenzia plus and Startup Port. Here is a short interview with Dr. Nina Feltz (Project Manager at Pro Exzellenzia plus*), who will moderate the event, and Tatjana Timoschenko (Senior Network Manager at Startup Port), who will help organize the workshop.
What specific barriers and challenges do women typically face on the path to self-employment, and how can these be successfully overcome?
Nina: Pro Exzellenzia plus participants or scholarship holders who are pursuing the idea of self-employment have a scientific background and, if they do, would like to start out as freelancers with their idea, depending on their specialist background. They often want a combination of permanent employment and self-employment because they fear the financial challenges and need a safety net to fulfill other life aspirations, often the desire to have children. In my view, the desire for compatibility is also one of the biggest challenges here. They can overcome these challenges through timely and good advice from projects such as Startup Port and through targeted structural and financial support.
What can networks and mentoring programs such as Startup Port and Pro Exzellenzia offer women who want to pursue a career in self-employment or starting a business, and how can women be effectively integrated into such networks?
Nina: We generally offer a community that helps people to move into positions of responsibility – in other words, to move forward. This happens through our various program lines and the networks that go hand in hand with them, through our cooperation partnerships, to which we refer, where we “send”, such as to the Startup Port breakfast for female founders, which takes place centrally and regularly on the premises of the UHH Transfer Agency. And through events like the one on 16.11. Diversity among women* is also important to us. A 46-year-old computer scientist with a migration background probably needs different networks and different support than a 29-year-old musicologist of German origin who has just completed her doctorate. Which is not to say that both of them operate in some of the same networks as we do.
Tatjana: We always try to introduce our target groups to role models and bring them into contact with women who may also be able to provide long-term support. These can be female founders, but also female business angels and VC investors who are aware of the specific challenges women face because they have also experienced some of them.
How can freelance women and female founders overcome the challenges of balancing family and career, especially in the early stages of setting up a business?
Tatjana: Apart from the support that women should seek from outside on specific topics by making targeted use of the support services in their own regional environment or ecosystem, it is important to make a realistic plan. Coaching can help here, for example, to clearly define when I have time for what, that I stick to it and define achievable goals. If these are set too high or for the short term, it can quickly become frustrating. However, the same applies to every start-up: Nothing, no plan is set in stone, I just have to be aware that I am also constantly adapting it to current developments, challenges and opportunities. Because for my start-up project, I am the boss.
Is there any specific advice for women who want to start their own business in terms of access to finance and investment, especially in areas traditionally dominated by men?
Tatjana: Fortunately, there are more and more female business angels and VC investors. Women should be on the lookout for them and talk to them. It’s not always just about money, but also about their feedback on your own idea and the next steps. In addition, there are currently some funding programs, such as EXIST Women, which explicitly support women. The consultants at Startup Port are always up to date and can provide targeted help. Simply arrange your next consultation at startupport.de.
Have you noticed any differences in approaches or successes between male and female founders, and how can female founders use these differences to their advantage?
Nina: We will certainly discuss this with the guests on November 16. listen! I come back to the first question: enabling structures, being a founder and being able to combine work-life balance with caring responsibilities must be supported much more structurally (and also financially). Everyone benefits from this!
Why should women definitely attend your event on November 16?
Nina: To be shown the steps that need to be taken in the workshop and to feel the support from Startup Port and each other. And to compare their own ideas about opportunities and challenges with a reality check of the people with experience in the subsequent discussion.
Tatjana: To network with like-minded people, to get impulses for the further development of your own start-up ideas and thoughts and to be encouraged and motivated to advance your own start-up with the help of a plan of concrete next steps.
Information about the event:
“Being your own boss? Freelancing and start-ups as career prospects!”
A joint event by Pro Exzellenzia plus and Startup Port:
Workshop and panel discussion on 16.11.2023: 2 pm to 7 pm.
https://startupport.de/events/die-eigene-chefin-sein/
https://pro-exzellenzia.de/event/freiberuflichkeit-und-gruendung/
Information on Pro Exzellenzia plus:
With an innovative concept, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg has been successfully qualifying women for management positions with this project for over 10 years. Pro Exzellenzia plus is funded by the European Social Fund Hamburg and the Hamburg Ministry of Science, Research, Equality and Districts (BWFGB). The project sponsor is Hamburg Innovation GmbH, a knowledge transfer service company.
