The latest news from the network, our members and more.

As we adapt to the new normal of being further away from our customers, social media offers us a powerful solution to bring us closer and to keeping our channels of communication open - here are six tips on how you can can use social media to help your business during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It's an unprecedented time for leaders and employees. No one has really encountered the current crisis before in their careers and we are all feeling our way through. It's important that leaders know how to support their teams right now.

Do you know what your core values are? Could you list your top 5 if you were asked? Or has the epidemic of Covid19 made you reflect on who you really are and what makes you tick?

In the current modern world of work, the requirement for managers of teams to increase their coaching skills and adapt their leadership styles have never been more important. Especially where we have multiple generations working together and teams being more often remote, being able to build and sustain high trust environments is a top skill. Having a growth mindset will support managers and leadership to adapt to the continuously changing circumstance they are functioning within.

Do you ever feel like you're going to be "found out"? That your clients will realise that you're not really any good and won't want to work with you? You could be suffering from imposter syndrome, a psychological concept that affects 70% of people at some stage in their life.

Everyone has experienced a time when all you can see is a rough time ahead. Out of these experiences we learn the most valuable lessons. And, out of these lessons ideas.

Tips for how to make the most of your WIN membership

Becoming a powerful communicator empowers your marketing.

Looking for gifts of self-care this season? Tune in to the great gift that we already give ourselves about 25,000 times a day. Learn 3 key elements to enhancing this gift and how you can reduce stress, increase productivity and your mood.

5 Ways that Sole Traders can minimise their Income Tax Liability

Lots of people ask me how to use Twitter lists so here's how I use them and why they are useful

If you're not growing then your dying. As you begin to thrive you ignite an energy right at the centre of your being that expands into the space around you. This is your growing edge. When you expand into this space you begin to experience all of the MAGIC of life.

We asked our members to tell us honestly the realities behind the scenes of being a Female Entrepreneur - Suggested solutions by Samantha Kelly.

People have been asking me why Women 's Inspire Network is so special .....well here are the reasons why...

VAT..The letters than can strike the fear of God into business owners. Value Added Tax, a complex subject. I will endeavour to simplify the if, when and how of registering your business for VAT.

Have you struggled with attracting a steady stream of clients with social media? Or maybe you’ve heard that LinkedIn is useful for lead generation, but you haven’t had much success with it. You are not alone. This is a problem faced by many people and businesses. There are a few things you can do quickly and easily to start to attract more leads and clients on LinkedIn.

Yay! You've started a Business. First of all, well done! It takes courage to take the leap. It ain't gonna be easy ...bit of a Roller Coaster actually....but it's sooooo worth it!

Do you want to be paid on time for all of your hard work? Do you want a set of guidelines to assist you when things go wrong with a customer? Do you want clarity for you and your customers as to what service you are providing and under what conditions?

I have watched in the dedicated Women’s Inspire Facebook forum the growth of businesses and women overcoming all sorts of issues and problems. The problems have ranged from unsupportive partners to problem with suppliers. With well over 6,000 women and a few men in the group now, you can draw from a huge wealth of experience and knowledge.

Here's a little intro to what Shopify is, I hope you find it useful.

Expert travel planner, who helps tailor and book your perfect holiday ensuring that you have a stress free holiday and lasting holiday memories.

Now is a time for Deep Listening. If there was ever a time to STOP, a time to take notice of what is really going on for ourselves and in the world at large, it is NOW!. A time to reflect and take the opportunity to go inward and tune into ourselves to see how best we can move forward. Ironically, to retreat is often the best way to move forward in this life full of paradoxes!. I have a gift of a beautiful healing relaxation to help you with this, from my heart to yours.

As a parent and a business owner who is passionate about children's clothing, I want to share why I love handknits and handmade items. I feel privileged whenever a handmade item comes into stock and pass it on with joy and love to become a treasured possession for its new owner.

What it means to be a member, what I've learned, how this uniquely supportive community has helped me in business, and make friends with like-minded women.

A time of transition is never easy, and it can cause us to lose our focus. When life is challenging we need a symbol that signposts our way, to help us successfully navigate a major change. Author and Transformational Coach Val Mullally shares about her beloved ‘travel companion’ who powerfully reminds her of who she is called to be.

One of the perks of working from home is having no commute. But commuting has its benefits. It helps make the separation between work and home. Read on to learn about the benefit of creating a "Commute" while Working from Home.

Mentoring plays a vital role in so many journeys, but whilst 75% of professionals want a mentor, just over half that have one. Mantra Strategy explores the importance of mentoring from a personal perspective.

Helpful list of ways of coping, when everything seems to be getting too much.

Quick read - Motivation is one of the keys to success. Here's a handy list.

Here are a few suggestions to add into your daily meal planning to power up your energy and feeling fabulous so you can go out and conquer the world like you know you can!

4 Tips to help you improve your mobile phone photos.

Here is how I filter out noise and operate more effectively as a business owner.

Do you have a book in you that you would love to publish but have no clue how to make this happen? Are stumbling blocks and information overload slowing you down? I am an author now turned publisher, and I can help you plan, proof, edit and perfect your book in a stress-free way. Here is my workaround!

An overview of the job interview process and common mistakes interviewers make with it. Did you know that asking "Are you married?" or "Do you have children?" in an interview could land you in trouble in Ireland? Have you ever offered someone a job during an interview or compared candidates to each other? If yes then this post is for you my friend. Read on....

Whether you are only starting out or have started writing and are in need of a creative nudge to Motivation Station, Tamara's 6 steps to blogging success will help you as you carve out your content development journey.

What do you do when someone breaks your heart? Do you cry and spend time obsessing over him? How about dusting yourself off and taking responsibility for your actions? How about reclaiming your power? If you don't want to spend time crying over someone who doesn't deserve your tears then this is the article for you.

How to keep going even when you don't feel like it! It's really important to take time out from running your business. But what if you can't? What if there are bills to pay and you need to get business in. Sometimes this is the reality of the small business owner.

Here are a few tips about essential oil usage to take the guess work out of natural solutions.

When considering stepping into the world of self-employment and running your own business, there is so much to consider. From “being scared to get started” to acknowledging that “it’s OK not to be perfect”, here are 5 things I wish I had known before getting started.

The title of this blog sums up my reason for founding the SMBN - it is with great conviction that I speak to help raise awareness of the issues surrounding us to do my bit to minimise difficulty for others.

After the death of my son, my life changed. My world turned upside down.

We all know that SEO can be a bit of a dark art, what with search engine algorithms changing regularly, the millions being spend on paid search results and so on. That said, there are some basic steps that all website owners can take to ensure their site is optimised for search engines, to increase the chances of a visitor landing on their site. The first of these is keywords and this is what I will cover in this blogpost.

Some tips for remaining motivated as an entrepreneur, using the three universal psychological needs.

Bet you’ve never heard of “food jagging” before? Well, if you have a fussy or picky eater, you are more than likely to have experienced it. Food jagging is when a child has a very limited diet.

Taking your brand to the next level with professional photographs that tell the story of your brand.

Since joining the Women's Inspire Network it has helped me on my journey through business and here are the top 5 things I have learned along the way!

Signs that you're ready to start delegating work to a Virtual Assistant

Use just 3 healing crystals to open up your heart chakra and invite love in.

A short article with tips to help you make 2019 your most productive year yet!

Get strong! The one question you need to ask yourself....

Coworking has been growing steadily over the last decade because many people now recognise the benefits to working in this type of environment. Demand for shared office space and meeting room space in Newry has risen so much that we’ve opened two more coworking sites here since our original coworking space in St Colmans Park opened its doors back in 2012. We now have shared office spaces in Abbey Yard and Margaret Street in the city as well, and other providers have followed suit as well – outside of Belfast, coworking enthusiasts in the city of Newry are leading the way in coworking!

2018 really was the year of content marketing and video creation. That trend is only set to grow in 2019 but what else is happening in the marketing world that we should be aware of? In no particular order, here are the top 10 marketing trends that I have observed for 2019:

Decluttering is the first of my happy habits, so start 2019 by getting rid of the things that no longer serve you.

My name is Sharon Thompson and my second crime novel ‘The Healer’ is out on January 22nd 2019. My debut crime novel 'The Abandoned' launched as a number 1 Best-seller in January 2018. I've learned a great deal by starting to write and getting published with a leading digital publisher. Listen, learn and let yourself write is important. Build your writing life with these tips and more on my online writing group www.Indulgeinwriting.com

How to learn to be more self-confident

Do YOU get the fear factor when you hear you’ve been called for a Competency based Interview? It puts the shivers up and down most candidates’ spines. Here is a summary of how I take the fear factor out of the equation resulting in an outstanding interview performance.

When was the last time you disconnected from your business 100%? When was the last time you switched your phone off or left it at home?

The challenge is to understand what you should be saying, to who you should be talking to, how should you say it and how and where to deliver your message. For that, you first need to start listening to your target audience and communicating in a language and style that they do, saying what they want to hear – not what you want to say! If you don’t do this right, all the content and marketing in the world won’t help you.

How to transform your perceived enemy into your best friend. Through love, forgiveness, and gratitude you can heal any relationship, even your relationship with food, your home – whatever your struggling with in your life. Heal the anger or hurt your holding onto. Open to the energy of your compassionate heart and feel unconditional love through forgiveness.

A Case study of a GP Practice

When was the last time you felt 100%? Are you fed up of feeling tired all the time? The stresses and pressures of modern life have left many of us feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and with little time or energy to take care of ourselves. Now our bodies are beginning to pay the price. Sure, that chocolate bar or cappuccino might make you feel great for, ooh about five minutes, but after that quick high wears off, you’ll crash and burn and feel even more drained. So what’s the secret to long lasting energy and keeping sluggishness at bay? Simply follow my 7 fatigue fighters to put a spring back into your step.

Trade marks, logo & designs,, copyright, infringement issues and all other intellectual property areas.

Are you an entrepreneur? How many hats do you wear in a day? Work-life balance – a popular topic amongst entrepreneurs that can be incredibly difficult to accomplish. But self-care for entrepreneurs seems impossible when you wake up early after spending hours and hours in front of the computer the day before. You drink too much coffee, forget about eating healthy and haven’t worked out in while…sound familiar?

It's International Yoga Day this Thursday 21st June. Living with anxiety can seriously contract your universe. You may find basic social activities in life can suddenly become a big ordeal. Learning to live with anxiety is an option, learning ways to transform it is the key to getting your life back. Make a choice today to create a positive shift and change your state of anxiety to a place of calm.

Many congratulations first off!! What a super exciting time for you both! Family and friends will be over the moon for you and want to mark the occasion no doubt or meet up with you to celebrate. Make sure to enjoy these precious moments informing people of your news and beaming from ear to ear – it’s a fantastic feeling isn’t it?!?!

Remote working, and why we should take advantage of it!

Empowerment comes via responsibility. By taking ownership and being fully accountable in our lives, can we be, do and achieve anything our heart desires.

This is a fast paced digital world we live in. Perhaps we should bring it back to basics by taking a queue from our favourite MadMen Ad exec. Don Draper says “Advertising is based on one thing: Happiness."

Maybe you took time out from your career to raise a family or care for an elderly parent. Maybe you wanted to travel, or for whatever reason were unable to commit to a full time position. It can be a daunting prospect returning to the workplace after an extended career break, but according to Anne-Marie Taylor of Career Returners, companies are starting to turn to those who have taken time out to fill vital talent gaps. She speaks to The Daily Slog about how to rebuild your confidence and sharpen your skills to get back out there.

I have a little caravan on a private beach on the edge of a farm. My family have been fortunate and privileged to have been using this spot for over 75 years. It is my soul place. It’s where I go to completely unwind and get away from the stresses of life, television, wifi, housework, weeds….. I am sure you get where I am coming from.

The more I talk to business owners the more I realise that most of them, regardless of industry sector, are working in the dark when it comes to pricing their product or particularly their service. They seem to adopt a finger in the air and hope for the best approach, or they price themselves just a little bit lower than their nearest competitor in the hopes of attracting business. Well, there is a good chance that that competitor is just as clueless about pricing as they are! There has to be a better way..for me I believe it’s all about pricing based on value delivered, but that value must be demonstrated to the potential customer, don’t assume that they understand everything that you are delivering.

The AIDA model is very simple and extremely effective when you understand it. In this post, we are going to walk you through the funnel and show you how to apply it to your sales and marketing efforts. At the end of this article, you will know how to generate better leads, how to build and nurture relationships, and how to accompany those leads all the way to purchase.

Many people say that they struggle with confidence and would love to believe in themselves more and as a result, they stop themselves from following their dreams because they are afraid to fail. In this simple how to article you will learn that it is possible to take charge of your own life and improve your own self-confidence.

Being self-employed isn’t so much a job as a way of life, chances are you’ll be doing the work that you love but is it all a bed of roses and does it really bring continuity family life? Working for yourself clearly depends on your profession, your situation (where you’re based relative to home, family, friends support network, ages of children, are you juggling childcare in the school holidays), in fact there’s a whole host of things it can depend on!

Helena Gilhooly and Jacinta Dempsey have been selected for the inaugural Women's Inspire Network Marie Collins Award!

Here’s a few things I recommend to have in place before you get started with PR, as you know, it’s so much easier to be as prepared as possible right?

Check out these 10 reasons why you should come to our clinic regarding osteoporosis.

How the Tweetinggoddess worked her magic on my confidence and bank balance.

We are confronted by these on a monthly basis hopefully, yet which ones would you pursue?

Hi, my name is Catherine, and I'm writing this blog post to explain to you, the reader, the Top Five Reasons Businesses need to become Video Savvy in 2018.

Auckland is the gateway to the North Island of New Zealand. It is surrounded by water and the Hauraki. The Hauraki Gulf is dotted with Islands and if you fly in on a clear day the view of this part of our beautiful New Zealand is stunningly gorgeous. So let me tell you how to find it. Grab your OBR MERINO travel wrap and come with me.

Social media is not just a marketing tool. It's a great way to build relationships with your customers and peers. Here are some tips to make sure you are using it correctly, how to deal with negativity and how to always have something to say.

You’ve probably seen a lot of acronyms, abbreviations and random words that might be going over your head. I’m here to take away the mystery from a few.

My Biggest Lesson was when I had the Hardest Knock! For one of my first speach contests, I developed and delivered my speech, even tried it out in front of my unsuspecting family -it got the Thumbs up!! Most speech contests had a maxmimum time of 7 minutes and my speech came in at 6:45. However, I found out that this particular contest had a maximum time of just 5 minutes!! I found out this vital detail, a day before the contest.

This month brings the anniversary of my first year in the business. I should have been celebrating this fantastic milestone but the month started with me feeling deflated and finding it hard to get time to work, and to motivate myself when I was working. I half wanted to just let the occasion pass me by, and then I thought back to all the amazing experiences last year and the valuable lessons learnt.

Six Myths of Solicitors

Preparing for tomorrow helps you bring a much better long term future both personally and professionally. Find out how.

Simple steps that everyone can apply to take care of their skin in winter.

Are you work ready for 2018? Here are 7 points to help you.

Taking Control Of the Triggers that are Fuelling Your Dreams

How I found out about the amazing products ASEA has to offer and how it helped my husband.

A little write up about my dream jobs and what I have learned along the way. I'm a professional Equine and Animal Portrait Artist...this is how I got there.

Let me introduce you to my website www.carrieonlife.ie . Carrie on life is a lifestyle blog trying to capture how life is for women at the mid-section of their lives. Its a website for women to share, share their passions, their thoughts and their experiences.

I ask do you wake up in the morning full of excitement and enthusiasm about your day or do you dread going to work? If your job is sapping the life out of you then its time to re-assess your life and your work.

I thought you might want to share in some of the great takeaways and ideas I noted during the morning sessions from four of my favourite sessions at the Women's Inspire Network Annual Event in Dublin on 10th October 2017. I’m still buzzing from all the energy and ideas!

The latest Women’s Inspire Network event took place on Tuesday 10th October at the Radisson Blu Hotel at Dublin Airport. Over 200 women (and a few brave men) arrived to listen to over 20 wonderful speakers and enjoy some networking over tea, coffee and lunch. There was even a chance to buy some gifts and talk to experts in their fields, and a few lucky ladies got therapy treatments including reflexology and hand massage. Here are some of the main takeaways at #WIN17Dublin from people who were there…

15 years ago when I discovered New Zealand merino it was like magic. For the first time in my life I could wear wool next to my skin. No itching! For years I have been in the fashion industry and have travelled the world extensively. (We have to travel so far to see the world from New Zealand!) So now I have put 1+1 together. NZ MERINO WOOL + TRAVEL= MERINO TRAVEL WRAPS.....with style.

Some good things come to end, it is just something you can't help. When one door closes another opens. Being open to changes, accepting some things are out of your hands and learning from them are vital in order to be flexible with your business.

What does it mean to really own our life story? In a nutshell we are finding out what makes us take the actions we take every day. What makes us do the rituals we do daily? Why do we get up before the kids to get organised? Or why do we leave it to the last minute and feel behind for the rest of the day?

A startling number of Gen X professionals shy away from Social Media when they find themselves searching for a job. If this sounds like you, hold my hand, look me in the eye, and repeat after me: "It doesn't have to be that hard." Here are a few pointers to help shake the Social Media heebie-jeebies and get you started.

If you are using a different language or dialect to your tribe, how will they fully understand what you can do for them, when, where and more importantly why they should pick you? Finding the words that connect you and your tribe makes creating content for Facebook a breeze.

What is an SSL Certificate and Why Does Your Business Website Need One? In 2017 all business websites should have an SSL Certificate. Understand More Here.

You have noticed yourself ”borrowing from Peter to pay Paul”; stealing precious hours from your evenings and weekends to finish all these work-related items, trying desperately to keep up while failing to stay ahead. You wind up telling your kids they will just have to wait to spend time with you, only to wind up cancelling on them over and over again. If this sounds familiar, read on to find the solution.

I'm stressed... It's not uncommon to hear people say that on a daily basis dealing with day to day life troubles.. but could this excess stress be affecting our health and we're not aware of it?

Why should you go to the Women's Inspire Conference? Here are just 5 of the many reasons...

There are a few stats and tips that can give you a bit of a better understanding of SEO from Google's point of view as well as a quick introduction to the latest in site architecture for SEO: Pillars and Clusters.

SSL certificates are an extra step in online security, and not just for taking online payments. It also gives users a peace of mind when filling in their details on an site.

I absolutely love going on trips, deciding where to go who to see where I would like to visit, its magical. That’s all very well I hear you say. But what about when you have the kids in tow? Well this is where I can help…

Wednesday the 5th of April 2017 will go down in my life story as the day I completely stepped out of my comfort zone and into a new me. I nervously got on stage in front of 250 women and told my story.

There are good people all around us. But how do you know which ones there are? Try these simple methods to connect and build real relationships with people you admire.

We all need business right? But sometimes it's important to make sure you are getting the right clients for you and your business.

Sometimes being everything to everyone just simply gets too hard. Keeping yourself up to speed with the latest updates and developments in your field of expertise can get time consuming and expensive. Sometimes you just need to narrow your offering.

With the upcoming event focusing on self-care, I wanted to cover the subject of mindfulness. Guided mindfulness exercises are definitely a great starting point in self-care.

The secret about content marketing is well and truly out! Companies big and small are turning to content as a means of attracting and nurturing customer relationships. But while content marketing brings many benefits it also takes time and energy to get right. So if I have one bit of advice for you starting out it is to make sure you understand and implement a content marketing process.

I felt like a little kid when the plane landed. I was about to step onto Irish soil for the first time in my life! Just the previous year, I set up my first vision board, and in plain view, I glued “I-R-E-L-A-N-D” in big red letters. So I wouldn’t miss it.

Do you believe thoughts become things? There is so much about it in on social media now “thoughts become things”, “be careful what you wish for”, “manifest what you want”, “dream it believe it”. I believe dreams do come true.

At times, you can lose touch with why you do what you do in your business. You may have set stringent goals and timelines in January because you felt you had to. However, you may find that these goals and timelines don’t really fit into your life.

A Story of Social Day to speaking moment It’s not every day a white-knuckle ride through the streets of Birmingham leads to an International Speaking invitation!

"Each time you interact with someone, you have the opportunity to reflect what is special and precious about this person, to heal a wound, to co-create closeness, possibilities, and magic" - Mavis Tsai We all agree with what Mavis is saying here and we are all reading the top companies tips for everything and anything that will helps us in business (I am not alone in this right?) but how do we bridge this skills gap between our personal and professional interactions?