The next Business Bootcamp we run to help women founders grow, thrive and achieve greater success will take place in September 2023. Women founders face unique challenges, which is why our Business Bootcamp is the best place to start. Surrounded by up to 20 other women in your group, you will have the support from others to help you succeed and feel supported at the same time.
All of our experts are currently growing their own five or six figure businesses and have learnt many lessons on the way. The best way is to learn from others’ mistakes, and talking to an expert before you commit to high costs can mean the difference in ‘success or failure’.
In general over 80% of businesses FAIL within their first year but currently over 80% of businesses who have taken part in our Business Bootcamp are still open and understand their business much more after this intensive 8 week course.
Why Women In Business?
Incubation Nation recognised that female entrepreneurs are constantly faced with gender bias as well as the other hurdles that all founders face. Amongst other evidence, this statistic says a lot: For every £1 of venture capital investment in the UK, all-female founder teams get less than 1p, all-male founder teams get 89p, and mixed-gender teams 10p (British Business Bank VC female founders report). We also established that many women in Milton Keynes are building businesses from their kitchen tables rather than returning to work as it is more flexible!
This program was designed to give women entrepreneurs the tools they need to overcome the challenges they face as entrepreneurs. We start at the beginning and work through all the basics to create a 12 month plan that is viable and achievable!
Who is it for?
Our fully funded spaces are for women in business who have a business under 2 years old – or if slightly over 2 years, your turnover needs to be under £85,000.
Does fully funded mean FREE? Yes this course & follow up support (worth over £1000 per business) is free to businesses who qualify.
We have a ‘non funded option’ for all businesses and this is run over 12 months at a reduced rate of just £49 per month for 12 events, 12 coaching sessions and access to the drop in sessions and training events. Please contact us for information on these sessions – sam@incubation-nation.co.uk
What’s the time commitment? Is it possible to do this alongside a full time job?
The initial programme runs for 8 weeks, including regular workshops on a weekly basis. The programme is collaborative, so we’d expect lots of engagement between speakers and participants. We’ve partnered with different experts who will be available for 121s and advice, plus the Incubation Nation team offers a range of support where we can dive deep into your business and strategy. The sessions are a mix of online and in person, plus we host them in the evening so everyone has the best chance of attending as we are aware that childcare can be an issue for many.
They start on: 19th Jan – 20th April and the 7th of September 2023.
We understand that people have commitments, but to ensure you get the most out of the programme, as a minimum, we’d expect you to commit to attending all of the initial 8 sessions. These are a mix of online and in person and sessions and they are in the evening so that they are accessible to all.
What happens after the Business Bootcamp ends?
After the 8 week bootcamp you can then continue your journey with us for 12 months – this gives you FREE access to our weekly sessions which are based at MK:U or online coaching sessions.
We focus a lot on getting your business plan complete and your business in its best shape to survive initially, but we engage with you far beyond the end of the programme. We will be around to support you with any questions you have for as long as you need. Once we build a relationship with you it makes it easier to introduce you to other courses and support which may benefit you. We love staying in touch with all members from our programmes and seeing them grow!
Dates for all workshops can be found @ https://incubation-nation.co.uk/events/
Could you give an example of the sorts of businesses you’ve supported previously?
We have a very diverse range of businesses that we’ve supported. The areas they work in range from food and beverage, to retail products, or business services for example. We can take you from just an idea, to building the vision or increasing sales and profitability for existing businesses.
What are the main requirements in your selection process ?
The basic requirement is to operate in, or benefit the area of Milton Keynes. You’ll also need to be over 18 years old. The funded programme is only for women founders. We welcome transgender womxn, non-binary and genderfluid individuals to apply.
We are looking to offer this service to our surrounding counties but do not have funding for businesses outside of Milton Keynes at this time. You can however pay privately and join our sessions as a paying customer.
Is there access to a co-working space?
We choose set co-working days for people on the cohort so that they can work alongside one another, get to know each other and their business, and act as peer support. We do not have our own business centres so we use the MK:U co-working space that is ideal for this. We are usually there on a Friday but MK:U is an amazing facility for local business owners 5 days a week. https://cranfield.shorthandstories.com/mku-innovation-hub/index.html
If you’d like to come in on another day you can use the MK:U co-working space for FREE and if you want to use their other amazing facilities you can also upgrade to their amazing value membership for just £80 pm.
I am still unsure about what programme to apply for. Can I organise a call to speak about my current situation?
Yes! Drop us an email on sam@incubation-nation.co.uk and we can arrange a time that suits.
Where can I find more information?
You can read all about our Business Bootcamp programme for founders here: https://incubation-nation.co.uk/our-programme/
The programme is due to launch 19th January and the deadline for applications is 12th January 2023.
You can also reserve a space on the April or September intake on the same email as above.