By Mary Nguyen

October is the month to highlight the success of women’s small business all over the country and the benefits they bring to their local communities. In Australia 34% of businesses are owned and operated by women, bringing in a sizable portion of the $418 billion that small business contribute to our economy each year.

Even in the midst of the pandemic, female business owners are toughing it out and digging deep to persevere with the goals they’ve set for themselves. Resilience is key to survival for small businesses which do so much to breathe life into the communities they are a part of.

“It's tough, being a woman and being in a business,” said small business owner Abby Kheir. “You have to love what you do, or you will not want to continue.” 

Small businesses are an integral part of our community

Locally owned businesses support community initiatives, schools and organisations. They provide jobs and revenue streams to the areas they operate in. Research from the 2017 Shop Small whitepaper The Economy of Shopping Small, Keeping it in the Community shows that nearly half of consumers believed their community was defined by small businesses which make their neighbourhoods special and unique.

Female led businesses facilitate interest in different community projects and help ensure the needs of a larger segment of society are met. Female business owners are of myriad ethnicities, have diverse professional and educational backgrounds and are from all walks of life. The businesses they start reflect this diversity and plays a huge part in driving economic growth. Research has found that cultivating female entrepreneurship has the potential to contribute between $71–$135 billion to the Australian economy and up to $7 trillion globally.             

The untapped potential of female entrepreneurs is crucial to future business growth says the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson, noting that in the past decade to 2019, two-thirds of the 171,000 newly established businesses in Australia were led by women. With so many positive outcomes for women and local communities, government and business communities are all doing their part to encourage and celebrate women in small business.

Here are six inspirational women business owners we are glad to get behind!

Jacqui Schoorl – JAXSTA

A music, film and TV industry veteran of over two decades, Jacqui Schoorl is CEO and co-founder of JAXSTA, a music crediting platform revolutionising the way artists are acknowledged in the creation of every song. A regular on the speaking engagement circuit, Jacqui has appeared at Commonwealth Bank’s Women In Focus conference 2017, General Assembly, Australian Music Week and Vivid Ideas 2017 and 2018. Jacqui also founded not-for-profit organisation Women In Music Sydney to support music professionals and is a Dementia Australia advocate.

Cathryn Wills – Sans Beast

This PETA approved handbags and accessories label was a project 10 years in the making for its founder Cathryn Wills. After nearly 30 years working in fashion retail for brands like MIMCO Cathryn took the plunge and started her own business, Sans Beast, in 2018 to bring her work more in line with her ethical stance on animal welfare and the environment. $1 of every purchase is donated to animal rescue sanctuary Edgars Mission.

“Building something from nothing is proving to be very tough,” she said, “particularly after working for other businesses for my entire career. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit but in hindsight, it was under developed compared to what I need to bring into play now. But it’s all part of the journey and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Penny Petridis – Female Tradie

Penny Petridis, founder of Female Tradie, has been working with tools for 28 years – in metalworking, carpentry, horticulture, landscaping and decking – Penny is the perfect all-rounder when it comes to small and medium building projects. She holds a Cert 4 in Building and Construction and has worked in residential and commercial projects. As a female tradie, she’s a rare breed but says her career experience has mostly been a positive one.

"I want to get more girls on board, we are really busy so I want to get more girls on board but they're just not out there," she said. She offers training programs and apprenticeships to get more women into trades and construction.

Outside of construction she is a keen advocate of wildlife protection, having volunteered her skills to make water stations, possum boxes and kookaburra houses to support Australian wildlife in the wake of bushfires.

Bridget Bodenham – Bridget Bodenham Ceramics

Up-and-coming ceramicist Bridget Bodenham knew she wanted to work with ceramics since she first discovered a talent for it in high school. The Victorian native received an Australian council grant which allowed her to set herself up with her first kiln; from there she expanded her practice which over the course of 15 years has taken inspiration from her studio surroundings set in the Victorian countryside.

Her days are spent in reflection; she begins her morning by turning on the radio, tidying up her tools and workspace before heating her kiln and warming up her clay which she will work with until late afternoons. Business is handled mostly via email at the end of the day. Lately she has also started teaching ceramics to young children at the Ballarat Fine Art gallery. “I try to put aside three solid days a week to produce work for orders…I have to be very disciplined, but there are always distractions!” she says.

Jane Cadwgan – Zing Home Organising

Professional organiser Jane Cadwgan quit her corporate job to start Zing Home Organising because she saw a need in people to live a calmer, more peaceful life. As a big believer in the influence physical spaces have on wellbeing, it made sense that Jane would put her organisation skills to good use by showing others how to take control of their clutter. The ex project manager offers judgement-free, gentle guidance through consultations and courses tailored to the needs of her clients.

“I really enjoy helping others,” she says, “I get immense satisfaction at finding lost items or uncovering treasures that may have been buried or lost for some time. I welcome the chance to be someone's arms and legs to make their vision of home, a reality.”

For her one of the best things about being a woman in small business is the sense of camaraderie of belonging to an online group of professional (mostly) women to swap ideas and share problems with. “I also enjoy setting my own hours and getting the flexibility to balance work with family and recreation,” she adds.

Emily Fletcher – Clean + Conscious Awards

Emily Fletcher is a practicing Optometrist and the founder and the head of Research & Education of the Australian Clean + Conscious Awards. The mother of two first started exploring her passion for non-toxic products though her blog My Non-Toxic Tribe. Able to parse complex scientific research papers to find the safest and best products made her quickly become a leader in the field of non-toxic products.

She firmly believes that change can be affected by helping consumers make educated choices which will pressure companies to develop higher standards in the ingredients, materials and manufacturing practices they use. "While I've become an authority on the subject of non-toxic ingredients and materials, I'm also deeply committed to waste reduction and sustainability,” she says. “Every little change you make has a substantial impact when you look at the big picture of cumulative exposure over the years. So any extra change or healthy habit you can form is all worth it!” 

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