By Mikayla van Loon
Women from all over the region attended a women in business event this week hosted by Yarra Ranges Council to help business owners network and share stories.
Women on the Go is an annual event that celebrated 15 years on Wednesday 31 August.
Bringing together both those who have been in business for a long time and a short time, many said it was a great opportunity to mingle, have conversations about success and failure, as well as build local connections.
Suzanne Diprose from Performance Advantage HR said this was the third event she had attended and while she always enjoys the guest speakers, it’s meeting people she likes most.
“The networking is great but the benefits are the relationships you make with people,” she said.
For Julie Szabo from Warburton Fly Fishing, a company that is currently transitioning to a new brand under The Mindful Fly Fisherman, hearing from other people on how to rebuild was her main reason for attending.
“I’ve been looking for some type of business group to attend…[to] hear inspirational speakers and already I’ve found out about so many amazing local businesses,” she said.
“And I love hearing male speakers but with female speakers I can relate to their journeys, often balancing lots of different things. So I’m just looking for inspiration and I’ve already picked up a few tips.”
The guest speaker and MC for the day was Nelly Thomas, Australian comedian, author, actor and women’s health advocate.
As someone who started her career on the frontline of domestic violence and homelessness support and then moved to policy writing, as well as volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia, Ms Thomas said she never thought she’d end up as a stand up comedian.
“I’m not supposed to be in a job that I have and given the area we’re in and some of the stories I know of you, neither are you. Some of you have fought against significant odds to be where you are,” she said.
One of Ms Thomas’ key messages from the Women on the Go event was that women need each other to succeed.
“So my philosophy has always been to find your people, find what you’re good at and do those things.
“I love the idea and someone said this to me early in my career ‘you can’t compete with me because I want you to win too,’ and whatever business you’re in, I think the same, we do this together.
“And if I can be stereotypical, there is some truth in the fact that that’s how women work, in a broad sense we work collaboratively and I don’t want to lose that. I think that’s a positive.”
Having faced hardships herself throughout her career, Ms Thomas said she was proud of each and every one of the women who attended, no matter what stage their business was at.
“For some of you when you were young, [running a business] would not have been something you were encouraged to do at all.
“It would never have been considered that a woman could run a business on her own, that a woman could run a business at all so well done to you, be proud of yourself.”
This is something that was reflected by Yarra Ranges Councillor Johanna Skelton, who said traditionally women were “not raised to see income as their key motivation in life” when caring for children and families.
“This event is one way that Councils make opportunities for women to educate and support each other,” she said.
“Many women come to business to create economic independence and opportunity for themselves and their loved ones or to create a better world.
“I think these demands and values shape the businesses that women create. The last few years may have planted seeds of change in this region. I hope this event helps them grow.”
Panel speaker Cleo Silva from Silva Coffee Roasters said sharing experiences and stories about the challenges women have faced builds common ground and creates a positive environment for women to build positive relationships with other businesswomen.
“When you’re starting out in business, it’s nice to know that everyone starts from something small, whether it be a dream or whether it be an idea,” she said.
“Everyone’s experiencing the same highs and lows and it’s just how they work through it.”
Ms Silva said she wanted to share with her fellow women the importance of planning, so that “when you’re deep in the trenches, you can come back to your plan and refocus.”
Also sitting on the panel was mindset coach Emily McKie from The Mindset Muscle to help people achieve sustainable and long term success without burning out.
One of the things Ms McKie wanted to get across to attendees was the power of taking business slow and steady by having the foundations in place first.
“Be strategic with where you want to be and know that you’re always building your brand,” she said.
“You don’t have to be working full time in order to achieve some sort of success and if you compare yourself to other people who have been in business for 10 years, then you’re shooting yourself in the foot, just embrace the stage of where we’re at and be ok with that.”
