Celebrating National Women's Enterprise Day in style
Some 140 female entrepreneurs from Cavan and Monaghan gathered at the Errigal Country House Hotel to celebrate National Women’s Enterprise Day (NWED) last Thursday, October 17. The event was hosted by the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in collaboration with the Cavan and Monaghan Women in Business networks.
Award-winning entrepreneur Larissa Feeney of Kinore Finance and Business Services shared her inspiring story about scaling her online accounting service. Since launching in 2016 with a turnover of €300,000, Larissa has grown her business to a staff of 79 with a turnover exceeding €4.2M.
Larissa emphasised the importance of valuing staff and seeking expertise in areas like social media marketing, which helped her business increase website traffic from around 600 visits per month in 2016 to nearly 20,500 in 2024.
Next up were the dynamic sister duo, Ailbhe and Izzy Keane, founders of Izzy Wheels.
They captivated the audience with their personal and business journey, highlighting how Ailbhe’s creative flair and Izzy’s vibrant personality - along with her experience of living with spina bifida - inspired the creation of stylish, removable wheelchair covers.
Their business has grown to collaborate with global brands such as Disney, Barbie, Hello Kitty, and Marvel, with their products now sold worldwide. Ailbhe and Izzy left the audience with the empowering message of “keep your big dream in mind, no matter how far it seems”.
A lively panel discussion followed, featuring insights from successful local businesswomen and advisors. Panellists included Aprilanna Barker, Dinkins Bakery; Emer McVeety, Laochra Academy and Tara McGovern and Siobhan Sherry, business advisors from LEOs in Cavan and Monaghan. Facilitated by Jean Evans, a networking architect, the panel shared their personal stories, offered advice, and discussed the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship.
The evening’s proceedings were guided by Margaret McKeon-Boyle of Extensive PR, who served as the MC. Margaret shared inspiring statistics about the growing momentum of female entrepreneurship in Ireland, noting that one in five women aspire to start their own business (KPMG 2024) and that Ireland ranks third in Europe for early-stage female entrepreneurs.
Meanwhile, Cavan Women in Business Network is now welcoming new members and will host their next event on Wednesday December 4. To join the network, visit the Local Enterprise Office Cavan website.