Ready for Business: Announcing our bold new strategy

The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women has launched a new landmark organisational strategy. ‘Ready for Business’ will see us significantly scale up our work to revolutionise business opportunities for one million more women entrepreneurs in low and middle income countries by 2030—the end point of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals—and rapidly accelerate progress for women across the world.

Launched to mark International Women’s Day, this ambitious new strategy will guide our work from 2023 to 2026, building on the success of our last strategy that saw us support over 100,00 women in just four years.

In order to reach one million women entrepreneurs and support them to start and grow successful businesses and drastically shift business ecosystems so they are fair and inclusive we will:

• Develop and deliver digital, women-centred services so more women are able to be successful entrepreneurs.
• Grow a network of delivery partners delivering our flexible range of services for women entrepreneurs.
• Host a thriving community of expertise in women’s entrepreneurship: sharing, learning, advocating for change and challenging the barriers facing women.
• Lead global advocacy to challenge the systems and structures holding women back from success.
• Create a membership community committed to funding our work so that women have the opportunities to fulfil their potential as entrepreneurs.

The Ready for Business strategy is underpinned by our new research on the experiences of over 700 women entrepreneurs in nearly 80 low and middle income countries. The Resilience and Determination in the Face of Global Challenges report finds that women continue to battle multiple challenges and need a far more supportive business environment.

Difficulties in accessing finance, the cost of living crisis, ongoing fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, violence against women and girls, gender stereotypes and discrimination, and unpaid care work all present key challenges. With nine out of 10 women reporting to us that the costs of living crisis and high inflation has negatively impacted their businesses, our strategy will enable us to provide timely support when it’s needed most.

In the wake of the global pandemic and current economic crises there has never been a more important time to invest in the power of women entrepreneurs.