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Checklists

Use our checklists to help you get started in business, manage your finances, and recognise the signs of stress and burnout.

Become a member

Sign up for FREE and become a member of the Women’s Business Centre.

Gain access to business tools such as our business directory and series of webinars.

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What is the Women’s Business Centre?

The Women’s Business Centre is here to help you bring your business idea to life and flourish as a business owner.

It is run by Women’s Enterprise Scotland (WES), a research-led, not for profit Community Interest Company which has been championing women-led and women-owned businesses since 2011.

Get Started

Cover all the steps you need to start your business

Find Inspiration

Explore the journeys of our business role-models

Learn and Grow

Boost your business skills with expert advice and support

Join In

Connect with our women’s business community for help and sharing

Get Started

Find Inspiration

Learn and Grow

Join in

Get Started

Cover all the steps you need to start your business

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Cover all the basics

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Follow our definitive guide

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Build confidence to take the plunge

Start up!

Find inspiration

Explore the journeys of our business role-models

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Meet our Women's Enterprise Scotland Ambassadors

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Real stories, real businesses, real lives

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Learn from their challenges and successes

Be inspired!

Learn and Grow

Boost your business skills with expert advice and support

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Covering every aspect of running a business

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From the basic help to specialist guidance

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We're with you as you grow your business

Get advice!

Join in

Connect with our women’s business community for help and sharing

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Become a member for free access to all content

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Join the conversation on our Forum

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List your business in our Business Directory

Become a member!

Start-up Checklist

You want to start a business, but where DO you start? How do you know when you’re ready to take the plunge? Work through our Start-up Checklist and the Women’s Business Centre will be with you every step of the way. It’s your definitive guide to making sure you’ve covered all the basics before starting your own business venture.

A business idea

You’ve got skills, experience and the ambition to run your own business. What’s the big idea?

A plan

You might have heard of a business plan – what is it and what goes into it?

Find your advisors

At some stage in your business you’ll benefit from speaking to business advisors and professionals. Here’s where to start.

Know the law

Start up and run your business responsibly by understanding your legal obligations as a business owner.

Money matters

How will you fund your business and is it eligible for a grant or other financial support?

Sales and marketing

How are you going to make sales and how will your target customers find out about your business?

Digital skills

Being able to use online skills to run or support your business has never been more important.

Networking

Online or face-to-face, networking is easier and much less awkward than you might think!

Mentoring

A helpful way of gaining advice and support, from which you can benefit at various times during your business journey.

Our Latest Blog Articles

News, Business Tips, and Stories. Here’s the latest from our blog

The Hidden Cost of Delayed Decisions in Women’s Businesses

Over the years I've worked with hundreds of women business owners, from early-stage founders to established CEOs. One pattern has remained remarkably consistent. Women rarely struggle because they don't know what to do. They struggle because they delay committing to what they already know. Most...

New Partnership with Harper Macleod

New Partnership with Harper Macleod We're excited to announced a new strategic partnership with Harper Macleod, one of Scotland's leading full-service law firms, to deliver practical, targeted support to women-led businesses across Scotland. As part of the partnership, Harper Macleod becomes...

Be part of the the WES Awards 2026

WES Awards 2026 will shine a spotlight on Scotland's women-led businesses Entries are now open for the Women’s Enterprise Scotland Awards 2026, providing a platform for celebrating Scotland’s women-led businesses. Now marking its 15th year, Women’s Enterprise Scotland works to close the gender...

Women’s Enterprise Scotland 2026 Manifesto

Scottish Ambitions For Inclusive Economic Growth Under Threat Scotland's aspirations for inclusive economic growth face a critical challenge as recent data reveals an increasing threat to the sustainability of women's entrepreneurship that could cost the economy £17bn annually. We're stating...

Women’s Enterprise Scotland CEO, Carolyn Currie Awarded an MBE

We are delighted to announce that WES CEO, Carolyn Currie has been awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in His Majesty The King's New Year Honours List 2026. The honour is for services to Women's Entrepreneurship, Economic Empowerment, and Gender Equality. This recognition...

Is work working? Building Change from Lived Experience

Lynn Houmdi explains how her own lived experience inspired her to change the way work works. Is work working? Building Change from Lived Experience As women, many of us are running businesses informed by our lived experience and driven by our desire...

Time to celebrate the 2025 WES Award winners

Time to celebrate the 2025 WES Award winners! Women led businesses from across Scotland were recognised in front of a sell-out audience at the Women’s Enterprise Scotland Awards 2025. The Awards ceremony took place at Glasgow’s voco Grand Central Hotel, with established and emerging businesses...

Allyship in action

The ABI explores three key takeaways from allyship awareness training and how it can be a powerful tool for women-led businesses to help build inclusive teams and foster high-performing environments. A good workplace culture is one that empowers employees to bring their whole selves to work....

2025 WES Awards finalists unveiled

2025 Women's Enterprise Scotland Awards finalists unveiled! The WES Awards finalists have been announced, celebrating women-led businesses across Scotland. Judges faced the tough decision of narrowing down an exceptional calibre of entries to 53 finalists across 10 categories. Head to...

Scotland is Missing Out on a £17 Billion Opportunity

WES Calling for Urgent Action to Boost Women-Centric Business Support Women’s Enterprise Scotland (WES) has published their Survey of Women in Enterprise 2025 Research from the survey reveals an alarming attrition rate among women-led businesses in Scotland, with 54% of start-ups now women-led...

Spotlight on our Ambassadors

Mentoring doesn’t have to be face-to-face or one-to-one. We provide tips and advice from women in business. Here are a few examples:-

My story, like many others, starts with the first step.Not in the most glamorous of locations, I was living in an early 1990’s static caravan during a self-build project which my husband and I had only just begun.

Lesley Landels
Founder, Love Scottish

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When Anja’s husband Jan Jacob was offered a job as an estate manager in the Highlands back in 2000, it seemed like too good a chance to miss. The risks were small, the fish farm was sold, and the time was right for this adventurous couple and their three small children to up-sticks from Holland for a whole new life in Scotland.

Anja Baak
Co-Founder, Great Glen Charcuterie

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Ann-Maree Morrison set up the ecommerce business Labels4Kids in 2004 following a career break having worked as a Chartered Accountant and Management Consultant.

Ann-Mree Morrison MBE
Founder, Labels4Kids

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Member’s Business Directory

Here is a selection of the businesses we have in our Business Directory. Visit the full directory to see our member businesses from across Scotland.

Studio Lutalica

Studio Lutalica is a non-profit design studio empowering women and LGBTQ+ communities through innovative and empathetic design. We specialise in branding, web development, and content creation, focusing on social justice and gender equality.

Làmhan

Based in rural Callander, Làmhan is a new charity tackling the lack of affordable training in textiles and sewing. Rooted in Gaelic culture and sustainability, we provide accessible, community-based learning for people of all backgrounds, building local skills and opportunity while helping to halt the decline in Scottish heritage craft traditions.