Gender export gap in Scotland: research

Appendix 8: Women non-exporters - illustrative quotes

Theme 4.2.2.1 Prevailing historical barriers

“My health was deteriorating because of my job, it was my friend who told me that I was being bullied, I hadn’t realised and was mentally drained so after I left that job, I decided to set up my own business which just launched this year” (Participant 26).

“I became a mother and realised the lack of flexibility in my job” (Participant 23).

“My career journey was delayed because of my family and then COVID interrupted life and my long-term plan but this allowed me to restructure my business and gave me time to re-train and learn more about the business I wanted” (Participant 20).

“There are no grants or funds available for my sector or size of business” (Participant 21).

“I don’t like owing anybody so would prefer not to borrow…I would prefer to grow organically where there is no financial jeopardy” (Participant 22).

“I have lots of access to grants and funding because where I am based is seen as a very deprived area” (Participant 17).

“I ended up finding my own networks through events” (Participant 21).

“XXX directed me to online workshops which were ok but I have made my own networks and developed some contacts that way” (Participant 20).

Theme 4.2.2.2 Challenges facing support

“No support for service providers…even now when I am growing there is very little support as I don’t have a ‘product’” (Participant 26).

“The XXX advisor to begin with wasn’t very good, they couldn’t understand my business idea… …but I will say that XXX offer good courses like the legal and accounts information…XXX was very difficult to engage with…XXX pointed me in the direction of a website” (Participant 26).

“XXX were my biggest cheerleaders and they sent me to XXX who gave me an interview and took me on as a ‘client’” (Participant 18).

“XXX did not help me, they sent me the most basic information and then sent me to Scottish Enterprise who said I wasn’t within their remit…I ended up paying for a lawyer to help me because I needed the advice” (Participant 23).

“XXX didn’t help, they were very basic in their support and help and I wasn’t established enough to be taken seriously with XXX” (Participant 20).

“There was no support from Business Gateway when I was setting up, they basically said to me ‘go back and ask for your job’” (Participant 24).

“Business advisors have no real experience and are often condescending to women” (Participant 24).

“Because women are likely to get bad support, women are then ore likely to set up rubbish businesses, setting women up to fail” (Participant 22).

“There is so much information out there that I need some handholding” (Participant 17).

“It was labour intensive wading through the information to start up my business and I ended paying for a lawyer because I needed a human being who know what they were talking about” (Participant 23).

“When I started 10 years ago, I didn’t know about the support landscape…if I had known sooner, I would have grew” (Participant 20).

Theme 4.2.2.3 Opportunities for growth and exporting

“I don’t want to employ people as I don’t want to manage a team and I want to work from home but I still want to grow as a business” (Participant 20).

“I am updating my website now and I want to grow but it’s been slow because I have had no processes or systems in place” (Participant 21).

“My main market is Scotland and then the UK, I would like to think when we grow it would be internationally in places like Canada, USA, UAE but only after the business has been established in the UK” (Participant 19).

“At the moment my business is only Scotland based with clients from Scotland because there is potential growth in Scotland and there is an opportunity to widen the scope in Scotland then England and then the UK…but Australia and New Zealand are going similar work to us and there is potential option there which would be commercial” (Participant 23).

“I will be growing Scotland-wide as there is more innovation funding here but my business and its service can easily be transported globally given the technology” (Participant 22).

“Not actively looking to export but if the opportunity arose then I would seriously consider it” (Participant 17).

Theme 4.2.2.4 The support requested to achieve growth and exporting

“How to help people export, about tax, company structures in different contexts, the legal implications…there is so much that I need to know but don’t know where to look…I don’t want to dip my toe in until I have real knowledge [re. exporting]” (Participant 20).

“Growth has been organic, and the business has evolved but there is a gap in ‘I don’t know how much more I can achieve’ – this is where I think I need a mentor” (Participant 24).

“Female founders just don’t get enough support, we need sustainable support which is ongoing and not these short bursts of courses and support here and there” (Participant 19).

“For internationalisation, my worry is the language and cultural barriers, who do I ask for help?” (Participant 24).