Entrepreneurship is an important contributor to economic growth, and women seem to be left out of it. Women own only about a third of all businesses and startups inside the EU. But this is only half the picture of the problems female entrepreneurs seem to face in the EU.

On top of the fact that women are more reluctant to become entrepreneurs, they also face problems getting credit, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality.

The FIT Trainers Manual (you can find it here) we produced with our partners in the FIT project wants to solve all of the above through proper training.

Let’s find out what this FIT Trainers Manual is all about. But before we go deeper into the Manual, let’s remind ourselves of the FIT project.

What is the FIT Project?

FIT is an Erasmus+ project with the sole purpose of getting more women into entrepreneurship. Secondly, to support women entrepreneurs who have already built their businesses but are struggling to keep them afloat. In all these situations, these businesswomen and the wanna-be female entrepreneurs need training to acquire useful skills and knowledge to help them succeed.

To achieve this we have developed an innovative training program to increase their skills and competencies. This training program focuses on 3 main areas, which are finance, the circular economy, and leadership skills. To make this training as accessible as possible we made it digital and interactive for the best results.

You can find the rest of the products that we have developed for FIT here.

What is the FIT Trainers Manual?

The FIT Trainers Manual was created to assist trainers, coaches and business consultants in teaching the FIT Training Programme. It helps them familiarize themselves with the material and find the best way to train women entrepreneurs. Specifically, the FIT Trainers Manual provides practitioners with the following benefits:

• A better understanding of the barriers and obstacles women entrepreneurs still face (e.g. glass ceiling);
• Learn how to organise and implement the multi-mentor support and professional coaching, and how to network at the local and international level;
• Understand the innovative financing tools that can help women get credit easier, cheaper, and faster;
• Have a deeper understanding of the new business models like the gig economy, opportunities for SMEs, the circular economy, and the supply chain analysis;
• Learn how to foster peer-to-peer learning and support through the network, mentoring, skills development, networking, and transversal upskilling

Generally, the Fit Trainers Manual offers tips and suggestions on mentoring/coaching others and how to get proactive in self-improvement.

Further, it focuses on the importance of multi-mentoring and coaching support by local businesses and other female entrepreneurs. They can cover different specializations, like marketing or finance, and provide various approaches to work-life balance or even help them develop their business plan. No one is expert enough to advise about everything in a business. That’s why seeking the right information from the right person is key.

What was the need for the FIT Trainers Manual?

The FIT Training Program that we have co-developed is the perfect training material for women entrepreneurs. But who is going to teach it to them if not mentors and coaches?

Yes, entrepreneurs can have access to it whenever they feel like learning something new as it is freely available. But we thought that if we trained the trainers, mentors and coaches on how to use the FIT Training Program, that would be ideal and more impactful for the women entrepreneurs. The FIT Trainers Manual fulfils this purpose.

As it happens with the rest of the FIT products developed by the project, you can find them on the project’s website.

Please stay tuned and to not miss out on any important updates of this project.