Businesswoman used fire hose waste to build her fortune

A businesswoman who started a firm by using fire hose waste to create ladies handbags and belts was one of the speakers at a major entrepreneurial event.

More than 200 female entrepreneurs and business leaders attended a briefing on the 2013 Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards and the Global Women’s Forum at AIB Bank centre in Ballsbridge, Dublin recently.

The event, hosted by AIB in association with entrepreneurship support agency, ThousandSeeds, focused on Fostering Female Entrepreneurship, Diversity and Leadership, and included presentations by previous winner Kresse Wesling, from ElvisandKresse.com, who told how winning the Cartier Award changed her life and assisted her in creating a very successful life-style accessories business using waste products.

Ms Wesling started her business using fire hose waste to create ladies handbags and belts.

She gives 50% of the profits back to a fireman’s charity.

Since then, she has diversified her business to using other waste products and continues to keep the ethos of giving 50% of the profits to a charity associated with the supplier.

The Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards is an international competition created in 2006 by Cartier, INSEAD business school, the Women’s Forum Global Meeting and McKinsey and Company. The competition is run over six continents and three finalists are picked from each continent and six overall final winners are selected.

Bringing the awards to Ireland offers Irish entrepreneurs who partake the possibility of growing their business internationally, through brand association, international networking opportunities and international recognition.

The winners each receive the Cartier Women’s Initiative Award, which grants $20,000 (€14,385) in funding toward their business, as well as a full year of coaching and networking opportunities.

AIB’s head of personal banking, Catherine Moroney, said that as a bank AIB sees everyday examples of inspiring businesswomen who are growing their businesses.

“I would like to strongly encourage Irish female entrepreneurs to enter this competition, and I look forward to the prospect of an Irish laureate in 2013 representing Ireland on the International business stage,” said Ms Moroney.

The event is targeted at leading female entrepreneurs, women business leaders, start-up programme directors, and women’s networks, as well as leading policy makers in government and third-level institutions.

Women entrepreneurs with a project in the initial stages of development, in any country, in any nationality and operating in any industry, are eligible to submit an application.

The announcement of the finalists takes place in October each year at the Women’s Forum Global Meeting in Deauville, France.

Julie Sinnamon, Enterprise Ireland executive director of global business development, said: “Enterprise Ireland is delighted to collaborate with Cartier, Women’s Forum Global Meeting, AIB and ThousandSeeds through this award.

“By choosing Ireland as the location to highlight the Cartier Women’s Initiative they are putting the spotlight on Irish women and their tremendous entrepreneurial capability,” she said.

“The challenge now is not only to get more women to start new businesses, but to encourage more of them to start innovative businesses focused on exports, growth and job creation. This is a priority for Enterprise Ireland.”

Ms Moroney said that on a daily basis AIB witnesses “the focus on innovation and export-led growth across our SME client base.

“Many of these businesses are led by women entrepreneurs and experienced business leaders with substantial international experience.

“The SME sector is pivotal for the success of Ireland’s recovery and we continue to develop our provision of finance products and services to meet the needs of business and accelerate their growth in overseas markets,” added Ms Moroney.