A North West graphic and website designer is giving away almost £10,000 worth of branding and marketing services to female start-ups looking to pursue entrepreneurship.
Gemma Thirsk, 25, based at Pollard Yard in Ancoats, Manchester, won a £5,000 silver award in The Bring It 2020 contest run by Crowdfunder and NatWest bank after judges were impressed by her proposal to help women in business.
The £5,000 will be added to the £4,652 Gemma raised during the competition, which saw entrants compete in a Crowdfunding challenge.
Gemma said: “We have been giving away entire packages to female entrepreneurs where we’re doing everything from designing their website, looking at their branding, creating logos – and when the lockdown is lifted, offering a professional photoshoot too.
"Currently, we’re working with clients in York, Manchester, London, Grimsby, and Norwich.
"Offering a full online business package is a great way for us to give back to the business community whilst at the same time getting female start-ups prepared and ready for success for when businesses reopen.”
Gemma set up That’s Her Business in November of last year, a collective of several female entrepreneurs offering a range of services to start-ups.
She said her motivation for setting up the collective is to increase the number of female entrepreneurs in business.
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She added: “According to the Alison Rose Review 2019, only one in three 海角视频 entrepreneurs is female.
"This review suggests that up to £250bn could be added to the 海角视频 economy if women started and scaled business at the same rate as men.
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"The aim is not to bring men down, it is to bring women up and add value to the 海角视频 economy.”
Heather Waters, enterprise manager at NatWest, said: “Gemma is a real inspiration to other female entrepreneurs and women who are thinking about starting their own business in the North West.
"Her success is testament to all her hard work and its wonderful she is now looking to support other female start-up businesses in the region.
“At NatWest we want to see more female entrepreneur success stories like Gemma. The talent and ambition is there across the North and the rest of the 海角视频 and through opportunities like our Back Her Business campaign in partnership with Crowdfunder, we’re helping women access the funding and support they need to achieve their goals.”