Solopreneur of the Year!

I am a member of the Local Enterprise Office's Women in Business in Dublin City Network. It's a fantastic organisation - bringing women in business together to share their experiences, network and offers tremendous support. 

Last Wednesday, I had the please of attending our annual festive celebrations and awards. It took place in the Oak Room of the Mansion House attended by over 80 women in business. It was such a lovely evening, we started with networking over mulled wine and mince pies. The Lord Mayor of Dublin Councillor, Ray McAdam, welcomed network members to the Mansion House and spoke of the importance of women in business in the life of the city:

“Women in business form an important part of the social and economic life of Dublin City and I am delighted to see this citywide initiative specifically set up to promote and support these businesses through the highs and lows of starting and growing a business and I applaud the achievements of all of you this year, especially the Award Winners.”

Gráinne Denning, Acting Head of LEO Dublin City summed up the activities throughout 2025 and talked about the high levels of engagement in the network. She then announced and presented the LEO Dublin City Women in Business Awards!

The winner of this year’s LEO Dublin City Women in Business Entrepreneur of the Year Award was Paola Shanahan of H2P Travel Ltd.  This is the business behind Irish Weddings in Italy, among others, and has been in business for 25 years. The Rising Star Award was won by Katharine Deas, Founder of Oriana B - a design house and interiors brand. And the winner of the Solopreneur of the Year was me!! "Established in 2024, Póchette has introduced a range of handcrafted versatile crossbody bags, designed in Ireland and produced by a family business led by women in Portugal. The judges were impressed with the strategic activity over the past year, underpinned by a clearly defined product range and strong digital marketing."

We were presented with hand designed copper awards sourced from the organisation Mendecity, which provides a range of services to homeless people in Dublin. 

I was so surprised and delighted to receive the award - the first of many 🤞