Stay In The Loop.

Why serviced offices for women in the north-west are in demand

In March we reported on how serviced offices for women in the north-west are helping to close the entrepreneur gender gap, with a potential £250 billion boost for the national economy.

Two months on from International Women’s Day, a report from IPSE reveals that women represent a growing percentage of self-employed individuals in the UK, but still lag behind men in terms of numbers.

Around two thirds of the solo self-employed workforce are now male, with women accounting for the remaining 35% but growing in number.

The rise of female freelancers

A particular rise has been seen in the number of highly skilled female freelancers, up by 334,000 in the past decade, a 63% increase – that’s more than the population of Nottingham.

The number of senior-level female freelancers in the UK is now 863,000 across sectors including health, arts and media, with an even higher 80% increase in the number of freelancing mothers.

IPSE chair and senior freelance business analyst Caroline Morgan said: “The senior women I speak to chose to be their own boss for a wide range of reasons, from variety in their career to balancing family life.

“As a freelancer I have been able to find that balance outside the confines of a corporate structure.”

Opportunities for self-employed women in the north-west

While the number of women in solo self-employment has risen, there are still strong opportunities in the north-west.

The IPSE report shows self-employment is concentrated in the south of the country, with 20% of solo self-employed based in the south-east and another 19% in London, plus 11% in the south-west.

Another 23% are based across Wales, the Midlands and the East of England. Just 8% of self-employed individuals work in the north-west.

With our serviced offices in Manchester and MediaCity, we cater for new entrants into highly skilled self-employment, with well-appointed workspaces and meeting rooms equipped with networking, communications and audiovisual equipment – the essentials to get you started in business on your own.

In a region with plenty of demand and a relatively low proportion of the existing self-employed workforce – whether male or female – our serviced offices in Manchester are a flexible and scalable way to grow in business on your own.

Not in the north-west? No worries!

You don’t have to live in Manchester or Salford in order to start a business based in the north-west. Our virtual offices in MediaCity and Manchester’s Exchange Quay give you a postal address and geographic telephone number located here.

We also provide virtual offices in London, allowing you to base a business on the Isle of Dogs even without working from there in person.

If you do ever want to work from your business address, we have serviced offices in London and Manchester at the same locations as our virtual offices.

Or for one-off meetings with investors and important customers, our on-site meeting rooms in MediaCity, Manchester and London allow you to host guests, again at the same address that is used for your virtual office.