Part of the business is a consultancy, which sells gender diversity projects and initiatives to big corporations in Italy, and the other is a co-working space that provides support for working women in Milan.
EMBA graduate Riccarda talks to BusinessBecause about the inspiration behind the idea, the lack of gender equality in business, and the challenges she has faced running a start-up in an unstable economy.
What is the company's size?
Seven overall: six women and one amazing boy. We have two people employed on a full-time basis, and four people plus me on a success-fee basis; when we sell projects we get a percentage.
Which sector does it operate in?
Consulting & Co-working Space.
What does the business do and what are your core/flagship products?
Part of the business is a consultancy which proposes to corporates new ways of working to exploit better and explore new resources, such as women.
We also started a co-working space and community of women, Plan C, which allows women to work without worrying. Plan C is also a non-profit association that aims to participate in the creation of a new organization of work, which is more suitable for life.
Diversity is a potential source of innovation and competitiveness, one of the largest that the economy has today. To seize it does not need to transform women so that "they're comfortable" in the male model of work: we must instead make the economy dynamic and flexible enough to make room for new forms of organization, and new expressions of leadership. You have to accept, appreciate, and celebrate this change.
Plan C can do its part by working together with other institutions and creating success stories that demonstrate that change is desirable: a source of wealth and happiness.
Who is the CEO/ founder?
I founded the company and am the CEO.
How was the company founded?
Because my last job was in a bank dedicated to social companies, I had already seen the co-working reality, and I’m keen to change the way we work to Smart Working; working on results and flexibility.
The other motivation was that there’s been a lot of room for innovation in Italy in the last 20 years, as the economic situation hasn’t improved much.
After working for Nokia in Finland I came back to Italy and started a family. When I had my second baby and my second period of leave, I put together a business plan for this company, about two years ago now.
How has the economic crisis affected job prospects for women in Italy?
In Italy only five per cent of decision making positions are held by women, a really low number. So there is a problem of women getting into the position of power and that cascades down through businesses.
The real problem is that many women drop out of careers and that is a major loss for the economy. We meet hundreds of women who struggle to improve in the work place.
In Italy and in Europe more generally, the economic scenario is tough. However, there are a lot of young entrepreneurs wishing to open their own start-ups and if you want to pursue your dream you have to be optimistic.
How has an EMBA from MIP helped you set-up your own company?
It helped me a lot. I couldn’t do this if I didn’t have any idea of how the businesses plan works; how the numbers work; the business concepts. It gave me the self-confidence to do all this. I’m very grateful to MIP and I am glad I did it.
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