Sharing information about Enterprise in Place.
- Jul 10
- 2 min read
Here in Dunoon we have a distinct ecosystem of organisations and opportunities for people starting and growing businesses and social enterprises. Some, like Business Gateway offer advice and grants, others offer support in more subtle ways. For example, the What’s On Dunoon platform can be used by businesses to post-up and promote events linked to their business development.
Like all small towns in rural Scotland, Dunoon also has a set of distinct barriers that people have to overcome to develop new businesses. These include: poor access to flexible childcare, people struggling to get back into work due to ill health, poor transport connectivity, a lack of flexible finance, lower footfall on shopping streets. These factors create a unique context that impact on the trajectory of the businesses and the experience and wellbeing of the person running the business.
The value of place-based knowledge
Place-based knowledge networks are an essential ingredient of enterprise support, particularly for women returning to work after a period of ill health or caring responsibilities. We know from our own experience here at the POP shop that setting up businesses around family and care responsibilities can be isolating. Support for new and growing businesses comes in all forms and the Pathways: A new approach for women in entrepreneurship report outlines how enterprise support needs to be flexible and delivered in new ways to tackle the inequity female entrepreneurs face.
Working from the People Of Place shop or POP shop, in partnership with Dunoon Community Development Trust we have place-based insights in abundance. Therefore, we were delighted to team up with the Melting Pot, First Port, Elevator and other members of the Connected Hubs network to deliver Enterprise in Place - a short programme of flexible support for women considering entrepreneurship in our community.
Over the course of 6 months we worked with a range of stakeholders to put on events, meet with people and provide training and networking opportunities in Dunoon for 30+ women based in the Dunoon area. This pilot has generated a range of insights that have been collated into resources. We know that inclusive enterprise support means taking the time to build relationships and networks around people and hope that this approach, which links national agencies to local people can be replicated in the future.
What we found out
Hear from programme participants and the organisations delivering Enterprise in Place.
Find out how to deliver Enterprise in Place in your community.
How the findings of Enterprise in Place could be used to improve policy.
