Together we are Changing the World; One Business at a Time

The experiences of international business women

It’s been a long slog, but the Illuminate team is finally settled in our new office. Despite the dust, boxes and metres of cabling, I’ve been grateful every step of the way.

I’m grateful that our internet is finally working. I’m grateful to have the encouragement of my team, business mentors, family and peers and I am forever grateful for the constant supply of hot water to make tea to dip my cookie into.

My gratitude has led me to reflect on the experiences of international businesswomen. From young girls determined to get an education, to female entrepreneurs that against the odds start a business to make the lives of their communities better, the good work that Illuminate delivers in Edinburgh will positively impact the lives of others across the world.

In honour of these businesswomen, Illuminate supports the B1G1 Business for Good campaign, part of the international United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) initiative, for the past year. During this time, we have celebrated new clients by providing a business loan to a woman in Malawi. Every invoice we send provides books to schoolgirls in Cambodia. And for every project we complete we give a portion of that income to people that need it most: a water project in Ethiopia, medical supplies to sight impaired children in Kenya, or providing hot meals to disadvantaged people in the UK.

For the past year we have made a positive impact. We will always do the right thing, and I believe that if others make a small positive change we can make a significant impact.

We’ve unpacked our kettle and we have a new cookie jar, so come on over to our new office. We’d love to tell you more about the 17 SDG and the work we are doing with B1G1 to create purpose, meaning and relevance to the work we do.