Lien Warmenbol is the Founder and CEO of #SheDIDIT – a Belgium-based not-for-profit that helps female entrepreneurs launch their businesses. Since 2018, #SheDIDIT has empowered 2000 women from diverse cultural backgrounds to make their entrepreneurial dreams a reality.
Lien had already started two businesses when she realised that there wasn’t a level playing field for aspiring entrepreneurs. She says: “I was a step ahead of other people because my mother was an entrepreneur. I could ask her questions and access her network. But I noticed there were lots of talented women around me who had potential – but didn’t know where to start. They felt that the traditional entrepreneurship ecosystem didn’t take them seriously. So I decided to launch #SheDIDIT.”
Initially a community and networking organisation, #SheDIDIT has evolved to become an incubator with individual coaching programmes. And it’s in high demand. In just a few years, the team has grown from two people to 80.
Taking time out to work on the organisation
When an organisation grows quickly, it can be hard to press pause. But in 2023, Lien knew it had reached a point where she needed to take a step back and work on the organisation itself.
“We’re growing so fast,” she says. “Last year I said to the team, we need more stability and infrastructure in place before we can say yes to more opportunities. I know we can continue to grow – the demand is there. But first we need the strategy – to know how and where to grow. And the shoulders to carry that – so that it’s not all on me.”
Discovering the Social Profit Grant
Lien was aware of Vlerick Business School. But it wasn’t until the school reached out to her about the Social Profit Grant that she saw an opportunity to boost her skills and help #SheDIDIT to reach the next level. The five-day, intensive Challenge Bootcamp seemed like the perfect fit. This programme is part of the Vlerick Entrepreneurship Academy – and it’s specifically designed to support ambitious founders and managing partners of small companies.
“When I saw the participant profile and course content, it convinced me that it was the right programme for the phase that my organisation is in now,” she says. “It’s very much geared towards growing.
“One of the conditions was that you needed a team of at least five – so I knew I’d be surrounded by people who were going through the same struggles as me.”
The grant made it possible for Lien to join the programme.
She says: “Our coaching budget is €500 per person at #SheDIDIT. So without the grant, I wouldn’t have been able to go to Vlerick. It has really helped my organisation and it has been so valuable to access that level of expertise and knowledge.
“The grant application process was very clear – they asked relevant questions about my motivation for joining the programme and my personal challenges. The team at Vlerick was really helpful.”
A high-level learning journey
Lien went into the Challenge Bootcamp with two objectives – to introduce a middle management structure into #SheDIDIT and to focus on the organisation’s strategy.
And she was pleasantly surprised by the level the programme content was pitched at.
She says: “I was unsure how much would be relevant for me, because I’m already trained in entrepreneurship. But even though the participants had varying levels of experience, the content was very high level. And I was impressed by the quality of the speakers – they were amazing.”
Lien also found the networking element valuable.
“You realise that you’re all facing similar challenges – whether you’re a for-profit company or a not-for-profit.,” she says. “It was refreshing to learn about other sectors and people were open to sharing their experiences, both positive and negative. There were 24 other participants, and it was a diverse group – if it had been solo coaching, I don’t think I’d have found it as useful.”
Already seeing an impact
Just a few months on from the programme, Lien is already making changes at #SheDIDIT.
“The programme confirmed a few thoughts I’d already had,” she says. “So I’ve done some restructuring internally and we now have a new organigram. We’re slowly installing our new management team – and we have a strategy day coming up later this year.
“I want to make the foundation of the organisation strong before we start growing into different regions and targeting new audiences. With the insights from the Challenge Bootcamp – and the right team in place – we can set strategic priorities and plan for the future.
“I’d definitely recommend the grant to other non-profits. In terms of the application, it helps to have clear goals – you need to be able to put into words how a specific programme would benefit your organisation. If you know what you want to achieve, it can really have an impact.”
Want to learn more about the Social Profit Grant?
You can find out about the social profit grant here. And if you’d like to apply for it, remember that you must do so at least four weeks before the start of a short-term programme – and eight weeks before the start of a long-term programme.