BUSINESS women in Kent had something to celebrate on International Women’s Day with the news that record numbers of women are setting up their own businesses.

There are now 165,000 female business owners in the South East which is an increase of 11,000 over the past year.

Six months ago Business Link Kent (BLK), in conjunction with SEEDA, PROWESS and the other five Business Links in the area, appointed a regional co-ordinator for women’s enterprise to stimulate and support women in business in the South East.

Irene Goh has already made an impact on business support for women in the region. A Strategic Framework for Women’s Enterprise in the South East will be launched later in the year, based on feedback gathered at a recent Stakeholders Forum.

Janice Sandwell, enterprise manager at BLK, said: "The feedback was loud and clear – no duplication, share best practice, and work in partnership to help overcome the barriers faced by women entrepreneurs. It was heartening to note that such excellent work was going on around the region.

"We now need to gather accurate data to determine the difference between the number of women thinking of starting a business and actually doing it. The collection and interpretation of such data will be a key aim of the Strategic Framework."

For further advice on the support available to women in business, contact Business Link Kent on 08457 226655, info@businesslinkkent.com or visit www.businesslinkkent.com.