NIME Belize Prepares Women Entrepreneurs for Business Growth
More than a hundred women entrepreneurs have completed the accelerator phase of a business development programme facilitated by NIME Belize, with mentorship and access to seed capital among the next steps in growing their businesses.
The graduation ceremony marked the completion of three months of training designed to help participants strengthen their businesses, improve financial management and develop strategies to promote and expand their products and services.
Katia Montenegro-Hoare, founder and president of NIME Belize, said the programme will move into mentorship and networking, with about 100 women targeted for the next phase.
“The next move is mentorship and networking, whereby women will be engaging in one-to-one mentorship,” Montenegro-Hoare said.
She said the programme also aims to build a supportive community where women at different stages of entrepreneurship can access resources, connect with organisations and collaborate with other business owners.
Dr Yassmin Andrews, the programme’s mentorship consultant, said participants will be matched with mentors based on the goods and services they offer.
Andrews said the mentorship phase will also help participants update their business plans and register their businesses, which she identified as important steps towards building viable enterprises. “I think where the limitation is access to capital and for them to have a viable business plan,” Andrews said, identifying these as areas the programme will address during the mentorship phase.
Benita Keme-Palacio, owner of Curves Royale, said the programme has helped her identify the steps needed to restructure her business.
“I’m trying to reform it, and this has definitely helped me know how or what are the steps to do that, as well as having guidance,” she said.
Keme-Palacio also described the connections among participants as one of the programme’s strengths. “The sisterhood in this program has been immensely beautiful. I’ve met so many wonderful women,” she said.
She explained that participants use a group chat to share their experiences, learn about one another and recommend each other’s businesses.
Benita encouraged other women to apply for similar programmes, saying they can gain valuable knowledge even if they do not complete the course.
“Even if you don’t finish the course, you will leave with so much information that you can look back on and use when you’re ready to try again. But you don’t lose anything by applying. You will learn so much,”she said.
As the graduates move into the next phase, the programme aims to help them strengthen their businesses, build professional networks and prepare for opportunities to access capital.