In a post COVID-19 world, it will be extremely important to attract and retain the best talent. In this weeks blog, we cover our upcoming event on building an open workplace for growth, alongside highlights from our members and updated guidance on the government’s support schemes.
Female Founders Forum 2020 Digital Events
In our next session tomorrow, Thursday 8 October 2020 from 10am - 11:30am, we will be discussing Attracting & Retaining Talent. You can still sign up for the event here.
We will be joined by Tugce Bulut, founder of technology company Streetbees which was recently named one of the Top 10 UK Startups. We will also hear from Aimee Bateman founder of Careercake with 15+ years of experience working in talent attraction and development as well as Eugenia Migliori, Principal Policy Adviser on Employment at the Confederation of British Industry.
As we mentioned in the last Newsletter, we will be running a series of events over the coming months:
Building Personal & Operational Business Resilience webinar: 10 am - 11.30 am, Thursday 5 November 2020 - sign up here
Cementing Your Story webinar - 10 am - 11.30 am, Tuesday 4 December 2020 - sign up here
Female Founder Highlights
Here is a quick round-up of this week’s news highlights, featuring some of our inspiring Members:
Tania Boler, founder of Elvie and member of the Female Founders Forum was featured in Vogue speaking about her revolutionary FemTech products. She spoke in the article about how the lack of studies conducted into women’s health and resulting lack of adequate products created with them in mind spurred her into action. Read the full article here
The Social Element, founded by our member Tamara Littleton, wrote a piece on what marketers should know when getting started with social media. The article discusses some key things marketers should consider when choosing which platforms to post content on and how effective engagement can lead to long term success. Read the blog post here
In order to support the hospitality sector during Covid-19, Criton, founded by our member Julie Grieve is offering hoteliers a guest app completely free of charge until 2021 and with no commitment. With their own branded app, hoteliers can reduce touchpoints and put guests' safety first. Find out more here
Government Support
Job Support Scheme
The government has announced a new Job Support Scheme which will be introduced from 1 November to protect viable jobs in businesses who are facing lower demand over winter months due to COVID-19. Under this scheme, which will run for 6 months, the government will continue to pay towards the wages of employees who are working fewer hours due to decreased demand.
In order to support viable jobs, employees must be working at least 33% of their usual hours. The grant will be calculated based on the usual salary of the employee and capped at £697.92 per month. The scheme will be open to businesses all around the UK, even if they have not previously claimed under the furlough scheme. Read more about the scheme here.
Self-employment income support scheme
The government will continue supporting millions of self-employed individuals through extending the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). An initial taxable grant will be provided to those currently eligible under the SEISS and who are continuing to actively trade but face decreased demand due to COVID-19.
There will be an initial lump sum payment made covering 3 months' worth of profits from the period of November to January next year. This is worth 20% of average monthly profits, up to a total of £1,875. An additional second grant, which may be adjusted to respond to changing circumstances, will be available for self-employed individuals to cover the period from February 2021 to the end of April. Read more about the extension of the SEISS here.
Tax cuts and deferrals
The temporary 15% VAT cut for the tourism and hospitality sectors will be extended until the end of March next year. In addition to this, businesses who have deferred their VAT bills will be given more breathing space through a New Payment Scheme, which gives businesses the option to pay back the VAT in smaller instatements.
Barclays Support and Opportunities
Barclays' first 'Investing in Women Code' commitment
Barclays is taking action to close the entrepreneurship gender gap, through a series of measures designed to boost the resources and financial support available to female founders. The first in a series of three-year commitments, launched last month, will see the next generation of female founders supported through the bank’s LifeSkills programme, helping them turn their plans into action. Hannah Bernard, Head of Barclays Business Banking, explains how the bank is backing women in business. You can read more about the first commitment here.
Eagle Labs Virtual Events
Barclays’ programme of virtual events covers a range of topics from cashflow management to building resilience to help entrepreneurs and start-ups navigate these uncertain times. Forthcoming events include a session on thinking differently about social media marketing and an event to demystify AI, machine learning, and machine intelligence. All events are free to attend and open to anyone. For more information visit the Eagle Lab event page.
Barclays Coronavirus Support Hub
The Barclays COVID-19 Support Hub provides the latest information, tools, and guidance to support businesses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This hub includes information about Barclays’ products, webinars, Facebook Live events, and more information on how to access government schemes. You can also download Barclays’ coronavirus checklist to support your business resilience planning throughout this period. There is also an updated FAQ section on this hub.
We want to inspire female entrepreneurs across the UK. Do you know any inspiring female entrepreneurs?
If so, please connect them directly to me at jess@tenentrepeneurs.org.