SWAY COLLECTIVE

In my final year of University, I was tasked with creating a brand which solves a social issue, and which doesn’t yet exist.

From this, Sway Collective was born.

WHAT IS SWAY COLLECTIVE?

Sway Collective is a collaborative, creative, community-driven service brand which aims to help women achieve their entrepreneurial goals whilst balancing their childcare responsibilities. Sway Collective is the first brand to combine the practical childcare support entrepreneurial mothers need to succeed alongside the equally vital professional and emotional support (Irvine et al, 2020; Deloitte, 2016).

WHY DID I CHOOSE THIS ISSUE?

I started my project by completing a detailed market analysis, which revealed a multitude of social and practical barriers preventing mothers from succeeding as entrepreneurs. These include: inadequate family care support, a scarcity of relatable mentors and networks, insufficient self-confidence, a lack of access to flexible working (Rose, 2019); and gender inequality and maternal bias in business (Irvine et al, 2022; Forbes, 2022; McKinsey and Company, 2022). These issues are a particular concern in the north of the UK where the cultural and educational background of girls can reinforce stereotypes (Russell et al, 2016).

These insights present a clear gap in the market gap for an affordable brand in the north of England which supports entrepreneurial mothers.

SO HOW DOES SWAY COLLECTIVE SOLVE THIS ISSUE?

Sway Collective is a Manchester based service brand which provides members with access to the engaging, supportive and empowering SC community alongside a well-equipped office space where members can enjoy networking events, mentoring, workshops etc., alongside core business facilities such as desk space and focussed work areas. Meanwhile, members’ childcare responsibilities are covered with an affordable, flexible, professionally managed on- site nursery.

HOW IS IT AFFORDABLE?

Collaboration is at the heart of Sway Collective. To make Sway Collective financially affordable, members support the running of the collective by sharing their knowledge, skills and experiences. Memberships are flexible and include full-time, part-time and adhoc schemes; for every five days membership, members give back four hours to support the community, this can be via: running workshops; helping in the nursery; helping organise events, etc. This collaboration means that the cost of a Sway Collective membership is approx. 50% lower than average UK nursery fee’s whilst also providing additional benefits e.g. office space, workshops, mentoring, etc.; thus providing more women with the opportunity to follow their entrepreneurial dreams who would otherwise be unable to do so.