Birmingham to Open First Dedicated Hub for Women Entrepreneurs

• 51% Club is opening Birmingham’s first women-focused co-working hub on June 1
• he network has grown to 2,000 members across five UK city hubs
• Its new “Million Pound Ladder” aims to help more women-led businesses scale past £1 million revenue

The 51% Club, a community for women-led businesses, is marking its second birthday with the launch of a dedicated co-working space in Birmingham for female founders and leaders.

The 51% Club at The Wilmot, which opens on June 1, will occupy ‘one of Birmingham’s most beautifully restored heritage buildings', The Wilmot in the Jewellery Quarter. Delegates will have a designated desk and flexible passes to use only in the space for women building and scaling their businesses.

The 51% Club, an organisation that has originated from a series of Birmingham events and has now become a national movement with five city hubs, has called the move its greatest achievement to date. The hubs are in Birmingham, Leamington Spa, Leicester, London and Worcester.

Tara Attfield-Tomes, founder of The 51% Club, said: “I started The 51% Club because too many women were building their businesses in isolation; without the right rooms, the right people, or the right support around them. Two years on, we have 2,000 members (growing daily), five city hubs, and now a physical home in Birmingham for the kind of women we exist to serve.

“The 51% Club at The Wilmot is the most tangible expression yet of what we’re building, and our answer to the fact that women are still being held back by a lack of the right infrastructure. I’m so proud to be opening this space in my hometown; creating somewhere that women can be unapologetically ambitious.”

The 51% Club will offer members access to the full 51% Club ecosystem of monthly expert-led events, growth programmes, tailor-made initiatives and a growing community of like-minded women throughout the UK.

Nirmal Vora, owner of The Wilmot, added: “There’s a natural fit between The Wilmot and The 51% Club, so it was a no-brainer for us to partner to create this space. We’re incredibly proud to be part of something that will put the energy behind and spotlight onto female enterprise; alongside our existing community of incredible businesses who come to The Wilmot for co-working, private office space, and events.”

The 51% Club has also recently introduced the world-first Million Pound Ladder, co-created with Lead Like A Woman, which outlines seven revenue phases ranging from £0 to £2m+ to help map the journey of these companies. With only 2-4% of women-led businesses in the UK reaching £1m in revenue, The Million Pound Ladder is designed to change this statistic.

The 51% Club has facilitated more than 100 events since its inception in 2024, and has aided 40 founders in their growth journey via its Fortuna Fellowship accelerator, which is offered throughout the year. It also supports the West Midlands Female Enterprise Forum, a cross-sector group of public and private sector stakeholders to boost the local profile of the female enterprise sector and directly inform national policy discussions.

The 51% Club is now in its third year and the organisation is using the year to focus on deepening their impact in the five cities they have, so far.

Attfield-Tomes added: “We know what we’re building, we know how big it can be, and we know that the only way to build something that lasts is to build it properly. Year three is about going deeper, going further, and making sure that every female founder and leader across the UK knows that The 51% Club exists… and that it was built for her!”

The 51% Club at The Wilmot will host monthly desks for members and non-members with members getting a discount and flexible passes for those who wish to have a professional desk but don't want to commit to a monthly membership.