Sunday 8 March is International Women’s Day.
A day to celebrate the achievements of all women, and to reiterate the message that ‘Women’s rights are human rights’. While much of the focus for further action is on supporting women in countries where women’s rights are severely limited and illiteracy remains a significant issue, here in Australia we still have some way to go in achieving full equality. However things are moving in the right direction.
Figures from 2019 show that more than a third of Australian business owners are female. This is an increase of two per cent on the previous year, however self-employed women still make up only 12 per cent of the total female workforce, compared to almost 20 per cent of men.
Self-employment can offer the flexibility, opportunities and life balance many women feel are denied to them working as employees. Plus the boom in online opportunities has opened up a whole new world of prospects.
Particularly for women who have taken time out of the workforce for parenting duties, the prospect of starting their own business can be a viable way for them to return to work.
A business may start from a hobby which has the capacity to grow into a business, such as independent Etsy suppliers or food businesses.
Or, corporate knowledge could be turned into a business opportunity such as consulting, providing of financial services, online retailing, affiliate marketing or blogging.
We are great supporters of women (and men) when starting their own small business journey and offer a range of support services, including with practical workshops, as well as free guidance and advice from our experienced business advisers.
If you’re considering starting your own venture, we recommend exploring:
- the feasibility of your idea
- market research and developing a business plan
- understanding the time and financial commitments involved in starting the business - it may significantly impact on your family and personal life
- whether working from home will require a permit or licence from your local government.
Our free and low cost workshops can help you navigate starting or growing your business. Kristin from Wanneroo attended our popular Starting a Business workshop and said, “The presenter was fantastic and the information was the most useful I have had from anything I have attended in the past 18 months about start-ups.”
To learn more about thriving in the small business sector, and developing skills to start your business, read these previous posts from our blog: working with family, paying your superannuation, how to avoid isolation while working from home, managing your wellbeing.
And this International Women’s Day, remember that we should all be working towards #GenerationEquality.
