Jackie Jarvis writes

The coming of a new year traditionally heralds new beginnings, rebirth and reinvention. It’s a time when we look forward to a happy, brighter future and all the possibilities that lie ahead, whether it be in our professional or personal lives.

Many of us will be busily ticking off our list of resolutions for 2012, making a pledge that all our good intentions don’t go out the window by January 2nd. We may want to shed those unsightly pounds hanging stubbornly around our hips, rediscover that get up and go which got up and went more years ago than we care to admit, lead a healthier lifestyle or simply take stock of our careers.
 

And for many women it seems, a sea change is already taking place as they seize the moment, strive to better their lot, take control of their destiny and follow their dreams of freedom through the fulfilment of becoming their own boss; and all against the uncertain backdrop of a recession and the downright doom and gloom on the money markets. We have undeniably come a long way since the dark and distant days of Emily Pankhurst and her suffragette followers. Or the more recent days of so-called women’s liberation when girls had to resort to the burning of bras just to get their message across in a male-dominated world.
 

But the tables have turned.
 

Proving that sisters are doing it for themselves, more members of the fairer sex reportedly took that ultimate leap of faith and embarked on business enterprises over the past 12 months than in the previous year. According to Simply Business, a UK online business insurance broker, there was a 12% rise in female-run start-ups in 2011 with women accounting for 37% of all new enterprises which amounts to an increase of 33% on 2010. Inventive and resourceful women are turning their hands to money spinning ventures such pet minding, cake-making, hairdressing, cleaning, market trading, catering, teaching, accountancy and financial advisory services. There has also been a 16% rise in self-employed female legal eagles. The results suggest that these entrepreneurs are great at reacting and adapting to emerging trends with a good eye on what is needed to fill gaps in the market.
 

There has also been a sharp rise in the number of women embarking on ventures in the traditionally public sector spheres of education and health with female start-up education consultants up by 61% and independent nursing companies up by 46%. With unemployment at its highest for 23 years it is an encouraging sign that more women are embracing the opportunity to grasp the nettle.
 

And as if to hammer the point home, a business support group in our own county has noted that women who lose their jobs are keen to put their skills to good use by going it alone. Women in Rural Enterprise (WiRE) runs three-day business start-up courses to help females start up their own companies. The sessions have always proved popular but now the organisation says that more women who have been made redundant are turning to them for help and guidance. Go girls!