THE phrase "Girl Power" might have all but died out since the days of the Spice Girls but a group of female entrepreneurs in Leeds is determined to power their companies to new heights.
Business support group Female Emerging Entrepreneurs (FEE) was launched in 2006 by Etta Cohen, managing director of Leeds-based women's networking group Forward Ladies, together with entrepreneur Deirdre Bounds, who founded Leeds volunteer travel fir
m i-to-i, and Sharon Cain, managing director of Harrogate-based of Quest PR.
Run under the Forward Ladies umbrella, FEE operates three groups, two of which meet in Leeds.
It is based on the successful formula operated by Vistage International, the world's leading chief executives' organisation, which brings together groups of business leaders for intensive monthly development sessions where members act like each other's non-executive directors.
FEE members are predominantly owner-managed companies from wide-ranging sectors.
The women attend bi-monthly, two-hour sessions at law firms Eversheds and Lupton Fawcett in Leeds and at The Old Swan hotel in Harrogate where they discuss their businesses and share experience and advice in what is described as a "safe and confidential" environment.
Susan Hanson, director of Leeds-based coaching and career management company BSH People, said the lives of women running small, owner-managed businesses could be lonely.
She told the YEP: "Through FEE I am part of a team and can speak frankly and in confidence about the state of my company.
"I meet highly motivated businesswomen who might have already faced similar problems in their own marketplace, and who give genuinely sincere advice to help me."
Every FEE group has a chairwoman that facilitates the sessions.
One of the Leeds groups has been jointly chaired by members Jenny Eugene, Susie Morrell, Nicola Prior, Deborah Siswick and Frances Wells.
The facilitator for the second Leeds group is Sharon Cain with Jane Fowler, from strategic business development consultancy Munro Connections, running the third group in Harrogate.
Sharon, who is a member of Vistage International, said: "The need for managing director and director development has never been greater.
"In the current economic climate, success and growth will be determined by outstanding delivery of goods and services – mediocrity is not an option."
Sarah Robertson, a director of Leeds-based branding and communications company Creative State, who joined FEE in January 2008, added: "FEE gives the members of the group an opportunity to process business issues, and for me this has involved making a key decision about taking on staff, an issue I might not have been able to discuss at such depth with anyone prior to joining.
"This is a group that I trust and that motivates me. It's about inspiring each other and helping people make good business decisions, whatever stage they're at."
Etta Cohen, who has powered Forward Ladies from obscurity to a high-profile and dynamic networking forum with thousands of members across the North East and the North West, says that demand for more FEE groups is intensifying.
"As the credit crunch bites, we are seeking to double the number of FEE groups over the next 18 months to ensure that our members' companies not only survive the economic storms, but emerge stronger and more successful."
For more information on joining FEE contact Etta Cohen on 0113 366 3055 or visit www.forwardladies.com.
