The award winners from the skilled trades, with Minister of Economic Affairs Daniela Schmitt (left), Minister for Women's Affairs Katharina Binz (second from right), ISB board member Sandra Baumbach (right), and the President of the Rheinhessen Chamber of Skilled Crafts, Hans-Jörg Friese (center): Sabine, Julia and Lena Schmitz, Martina Schäfer, and Laura Ludwig. (Photo: © Alexander Sell / ISB)
Read aloud:
22 November 2023
Martina Schäfer has founded a hair salon for people with dementia, Sabine Schmitz continues to run the Schmitz GbR butcher shop, and Laura Ludwig focuses on sustainability in her carpentry business: female craft entrepreneurs from Rhineland-Palatinate have been awarded the Women's Founders Award.
Among the three winners of the Rhineland-Palatinate Women Founders' Award this year are two entrepreneurs from the skilled trades: Martina Schäfer and Sabine Schmitz. Laura Ludwig also received the ISB's special "Skilled Trades" award . The prizes were presented during the Women Entrepreneurs' Day, organized by the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Investment and Structural Bank of Rhineland-Palatinate (ISB), in the foyer of the state's development bank in Mainz.
The prize for female founders who have been on the market for up to three years was awarded to Martina Schäfer from Essenheim (Mainz-Bingen district) and her hair salon for people with dementia . Thanks to her skilled approach, a visit to her hair salon is a rewarding experience and a great relief for people with dementia and their relatives.
The prize for young female entrepreneurs who have been on the market for three to five years was awarded to Anne Specht from Mainz with her Nest Café Bar.
The young entrepreneur offers a wide range of homemade products in her café in Mainz's Neustadt district, relying on regional suppliers, according to the jury. She has delighted customers with innovative ideas during the coronavirus pandemic. In the evenings, the café transforms into a cozy bar.
Operations management
Operations management
The Chambers of Skilled Crafts in Germany - HWK Münster
Sabine Schmitz of the Schmitz family butcher shop in Bitburg was honored with the Business Succession Award . The Schmitz family butcher shop had to temporarily close after the devastating floods of 2021, and in 2022 the family lost her husband, father, and business owner, Guido Schmitz.
Thanks to a passion for the profession and the enormous support from outside, the country butcher shop was able to reopen after just seven months, it was reported. Sabine Schmitz was accompanied by her daughters Julia Schmitz (master butcher and certified business administrator) and Lena Schmitz (chef), both top graduates of their year.
The special prize "Craftsmanship" was awarded by ISB board member Sandra Baumbach to the entrepreneur Laura Ludwig and her carpentry business "Möbel vom Gutshof GmbH & Co. KG" in Ober-Hilbersheim (Mainz-Bingen district).
The company manufactures its entire range of high-quality furniture from sustainable and controlled wood sources. The entrepreneur emphasizes resource-efficient processing during production.
The female founders' prize is endowed with 5.000 euros each, and the special "Crafts" prize is endowed with 2.500 euros.
In her speech, Minister of Economic Affairs Daniela Schmitt emphasized the importance of actively promoting and continuously optimizing the framework conditions for the startup scene. "As a state, we offer financial and advisory support to founders through a wide range of information, consulting, and financing options," said Schmitt.
A current focus is also on female entrepreneurs. "We want to raise awareness among women about the prospects of self-employment and support them in networking so that they have better access to funding and financing opportunities," said the minister.
Women's Minister Katharina Binz also emphasized the importance of supporting women in starting their own businesses: "I hope that many women will take the female entrepreneurs honored today as role models and also bravely consider starting or taking over a business for themselves."
Female entrepreneurship is a key factor in the success of Rhineland-Palatinate as a business location . It is still predominantly men who found companies or take over existing businesses through succession planning. According to the 2023 start-up report on business start-ups in Rhineland-Palatinate, only about 33 percent of new businesses founded in the state last year were founded by women.
Binz emphasized: "As a society, we can only achieve true equality between men and women if at least as many women as men are at the helm of companies in the economy."
ISB board member Sandra Baumbach presented the special "Crafts" prize, worth €2.500, to entrepreneur Laura Ludwig. "We are delighted to see how young and ambitious female entrepreneurs successfully implement their ideas and serve as role models for other women. Many successful female entrepreneurs are among our clients. We are happy to support them in realizing their business ideas with funding products and equity investments," said Baumbach at the award ceremony.
This year's Women Entrepreneurs' Day focused not only on technical topics such as financing options for female entrepreneurs, but also on leadership culture and networking . A confident demeanor and the skillful communication of one's own strengths are important factors for successful business management (not only) by women.
Source: ISB
Networking with "Women Entrepreneurs in Crafts" Among the most important organizations in the skilled trades are the Women Entrepreneurs in Crafts , or UFH for short . With their current campaign "Women Entrepreneurs in Crafts," they aim to introduce women to the trades. Read more here.
DHB now also available digitally! Simply click here and register for the digital German Crafts Journal (DHB)!
Newsletter
Write a comment