Grant Funding Success for Tribe Member Nette Hargreaves of Empowered Human Design

If you come into the office regularly, I’m sure you will have had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Nette Hargreaves. Nette runs Empowered Human Design and her focus is on empowering women to be the energetic leaders of their everyday environment. She uses Human Design as the foundation of her work and helps people discover their own personal blueprint so that they can stop questioning what is and isn’t right for them.

Nette started her business in October 2021 and has been a regular user of our hot desks in Totnes. She was also our Entrepreneur in Residence earlier this year so we have had the pleasure of getting to know Nette really well as she has become an active and integral member of our coworking community.

Having had plenty of conversations with Nette about her vision for her business and how she wants to develop and grow it, I was well aware of the support she needs to do that. So when I saw that BIPC Devon had launched a grant funding opportunity, I knew that it would be a great fit for Nette.

‘She Started It’ is a grant for female business founders based in Devon which has been made possible through financial support by NatWest. The aim of the grant is to provide financial and business support packages that will kick-start 18 female-founded businesses across Devon.

The grant consists of £1000 worth of business resources or training along with 12 months of group coaching with Clare Palmer of Clarity Coaching.

I shared the grant funding opportunity on Instagram and later told Nette that she should apply as I thought it would be a great opportunity for her to get a website built for her business. She agreed and decided to go for it. All that was required was some extra signposting to the resources necessary to help her draw up her business plan.

Here is what Nette has to say about her successful grant funding application:

“I repeatedly heard Stacey and Claire talk about the BIPC and all the wonderful free resources they offer for small businesses. I’d also heard a lot about business funding while coworking at The Tribe, and even attended a workshop on how to apply. So when I saw a post about the “She Started It” grant from NatWest and the BIPC in Stacey’s Insta stories, I knew I had to go for it.

“I didn’t have the required business plan so I made it my priority to write one. It was a time-consuming process and to be honest, at times it felt quite intimidating. Even though I had tons of experience writing and reviewing business plans from my corporate career, writing one from scratch without a pre-existing template seemed daunting. Thankfully both the BIPC and Stacey quickly pointed me towards templates and online resources.

“Interestingly, what happened next went quite beyond the funding. Getting all my ideas into one document really connected me to the vision for my business on a new level. All of a sudden “I might do this someday” became more tangible and made me realise what a solid business concept I had already created. It gave me and my business a huge energy boost alongside a stream of new clients.

“I am also excited to say I did get the funding I applied for which is £1,000 for my empoweredhumandesign.com website as well as 12 months of group business coaching.

“I am super excited to have a dedicated website as it will allow clients to generate their own Human Design charts directly on my site rather than me redirecting them to third-party sites. It also means I can integrate their customer journey by generating customised free reports and pointing them towards the right services and resources.

“I would never have had the courage to apply for this funding if it hadn’t been for Stacey and her constant encouragement and advocacy for every woman who comes to The Tribe. I would likely never have found out about this opportunity on my own.

“I also know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my business wouldn’t be where it is without Stacey and all the other amazing women that make up the Tribe. Coworking really isn’t just about having a desk away from your home office. It’s about the support and inspiration of a community of like-minded women that comes with it, and I am forever grateful to be part of it.”

‘She Started It’ grant funding from BIPC Devon is open for applications on a rolling basis with the deadline at the end of each month. If you need some financial and business support to develop and grow your business, why not apply? You never know where it might take you. I am sure Nette would be happy to chat with you if you have any questions about the application process.

Stacey Sheppard

Stacey Sheppard is the founder of The Tribe, a small community-driven coworking space in Totnes that caters to creative, growth-oriented female entrepreneurs by providing an inspiring working environment designed to foster collaboration, connection and community.

thetribecoworking.co.uk/