A group of female founders are making their mark on the international business scene after completing an independently funded trade mission to New York.
The Voices of Seven, a group of mainly Tyrone and Fermanagh-based entrepreneurs, led a delegation of 20 women to the United States earlier this month.
The visit, which grew out of a ‘fireside chat’ in Carrickmore last year, has now established new links for businesses in the north, with visitors from the US expected to make the return journey in the coming months.
Speaking as plans get under way for a new trade mission to Dubai next year, Omagh woman Sharon McNulty said the New York trip has inspired courage and ambition in businesswomen, some of whom had never conceived of working internationally.
“There were woman at different stages of business. Some were testing the waters internationally.”
The Co Tyrone woman, who spent 31 years as a midwife and health visitor before founding her business, Joyful Spaces, was one of seven co-authors of a book project, driven by Co Fermanagh woman Emma Weaver.
The idea for the trade mission grew out of a conversation when the authors met around a table last year.
“We were all literally sitting around a table and talked about opportunities for business and barriers to going international,” said Fermanagh woman Emma Weaver.
“We recognised there were barriers for people, so we decided there and then we were going to run an event in New York and it was going to be the Voices of Seven.
“We initially only thought it was going to be the seven of us, but there was huge interest and we were fortunate enough to get funding from Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and Women in Business.”
Along with Sharon and Emma, the seven include Michelle Donnelly, Rosie Keaney, Sinead Welsh and Karen Weaver.
Their idea was to offer a seventh voice to a person from the trade mission destination.
For the New York trip, the seventh place was taken by Co Derry native Cliona O’Hara, CEO of personal development company The Napoleon Hill Institute.
Along with business meetings and events in New York, the group met with Invest NI’s Americas team and the Irish Business Organization of New York.
Participants also arranged their own business meetings.
“It was because we went as a group of women that they had the courage to create their own meetings whenever we were over there,” said Sharon.
“We wanted to open the lines of business between ourselves in Northern Ireland and New York.”
Based in Enniskillen, Emma Weaver spent 25 years managing mental health services before founding Mental Wealth International in 2021.
She is also the CEO of CynestX incubator and consultancy.
“For me personally, it has reignited that fervour of female entrepreneurship all over again,” she said.
“But it has shown the need and the drive people from here have to go international with their business, but we need to support them.
“Some of those women would never have done this independently.”
The Fermanagh entrepreneur said The Voices of Seven was embraced by businesses in New York.
“We want to empower other business owners to have the coverage to do business wherever they want,” added Sharon.
“We’ll take somewhere specific each year and open the doors for them.
“It’s not just about us going on the trade mission. The contacts we make in all these places, whenever they come over here, we will host them and introduce them to the people we do business with.”
