How does your salary compare to the average wage?

This week’s snap poll is all about numbers! The Australian Bureau of Statistics announced on 15 May that the average Australian women’s wage is now $52,166 per annum. How does your salary compare? Click on the poll at the top right of this page to see how our community of (mostly) business owners is tracking against this milestone.

MentorNet on World Stage at Global Summit of Women

The Australian Businesswomen’s Network will present at the Global Summit of Women in Vietnam 5-7 June, showcasing the MentorNet program alongside mentoring programs from the US, Russia and Vietnam. Suzi Dafnis will present at the “Engaging Young Women in Entrepreneurship” session, sharing with the international audience how MentorNet  works and why it’s been successful in providing mentoring and training to women across Australia.

The Next MentorNet Program

 

The next MentorNet program will commence in the 2nd half of 2008. If you haven’t yet applied, click on the Apply Now button to get an Application Form. If you’re not sure whether this program is right for you then take advantage of our 30-minute obligation-free business consultation. Whether you go on to do the program or not, you’ll have a clearer picture of your goals and vision.  

 

Here is what one person said about the consultation:

 

It made me really think about my business…

 

What I found most valuable about the consultation is that it made me really think about my business and what direction I want to take it in.

By talking about my business I was able to verbalise what is unique about us. I recommend the consultation if you’re unsure about whether the MentorNet program is right for you.

 

Carrol Jones, Corporate Talker – Public Speaking Consultant    www.corporatetalker.com.au 

I have already gotten so much out of this course…

 

I just wanted to thank everyone who has made MentorNet possible. I have already gotten so much out of this course and we aren’t even halfway through yet.

Everyone has made it clear that their objective is to support us through the course to get the most out of it, as well as the most out of our business. I was very nervous initially, and almost didn’t apply, because I thought I didn’t have enough knowledge to be apart of it. But each step is broken down and we are guided through it bit by bit, and it is manageable (even when you run your own business and have for a little ones at home!).

My advice to all women is to go for it and take this course. You won’t regret it!

Jessie Broome - j [studios]

 

herVoice Newsletter – Autumn 2008 edition

Introducing….. herVoice’s first newsletter, our Autumn 2008 edition!In this issue, you’ll find information on:

• our lobbying and advocacy activities
• free business success webinars
• a raft of free personal and business financial resources
• how to have your say about paid parental leave

plus lots more….With a growing community of over 20,000 female entrepreneurs across Australia, we have the numbers and extensive networks to build strongly on the political momentum we’ve already generated – and would love to have your input and feedback along the way, to ensure that our lobbying reflects the issues that YOU see as important to building and growing a viable business in today’s dynamic political and economic environment.

I’d like to make herVoice’s Winter edition bigger, brighter and even more tailored to our community’s interests and issues, so please call me on (07) 5592 3083  or drop me a line at susan@abn.org.au with your feedback and suggestions – I’d love to hear from you!

I hope you find our newsletter informative and interesting!

Warm regards

Susan McGrath

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Susan Wareham McGrath - McGrath Career Management Susan Wareham McGrath is the owner of McGrath Career Management, a national career consulting and HRM agency. She is also General Manager of McGrath Migration Lawyers, one of Australia’s longest established corporate and individual migration advisory firms, which has assisted thousands of businesses and individual clients since its inception in 1983. Because we can expect to work for at least 45 years, Susan believes we should make our careers work for us, rather than working as wage slaves just to pay the bills. And as the owner of two businesses herself, she is passionate about supporting other small business owners to get their HR and recruitment processes right the first time! Susan is tertiary qualified in psychology and human resource management, holds a post graduate qualification in public policy development and is a nationally accredited trainer. She is a strong advocate for the personal and professional development of women, and she is an Advisory Board Member of the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. Email: susan@susanwareham.com Website: www.susanwareham.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/Susan_McGrath Blog: www.susanwareham.com LinkedIn: au.linkedin.com/in/susanwmcgrath Member Profile: See Susan’s Member Profile

Paid Parental Leave – Members’ Comments Sought

The Productivity Commission has invited the ABN to contribute to its enquiry into Paid Maternal, Paternal and Parental Leave.  The issue of paid parental leave is one that is regularly raised by members, so we want to make the most of this opportunity to have your voice heard by the decision makers.

As well as the effects of paid parental leave on working women, we’re particularly interested in the opportunity to comment on the effects of paid parental leave on business – and would love to have your input on the following questions: 

• For employers, do you offer paid parental leave?
• If so, what are the arrangements?
• What share of your workforce has taken parental leave?
• Do you think your firm’s leave arrangements have influenced this?
• If so, in what way?
• What has been the effect on your firm of staff taking parental leave?
• Have you been successful in getting employees to return after parental leave?

 Other questions raised by the Commission relate to: 

• current arrangements for parental leave
• the effect of parental leave on wellbeing
• the impacts of leave and return to work decisions on career prospects and family income and
• the best arrangements for a paid family scheme.

For a copy of the issues paper, please contact Susan McGrath on susan@abn.org.au, or call (07) 5592 3083 / 0439 908 108.  Our deadline to submit our response is 2 June , so we’d appreciate receiving all comments by Wednesday 28 May.

Hurry Up and Meditate

In a recent survey members of the Australian Businesswomen’s Network indicated that due to a lack of work/life balance they were feeling stressed. So over the last two weeks we’ve been asking you to tell us why you qualify to win a copy of a new book Hurry Up and Meditate, by David Michie, and according to the publishers this book is written for people in a hurry and its message is simple: meditation will help you combat stress, cultivate happiness, enhance your performance, realise yours goals and attain mastery of your mental, emotional and material destiny…

Here are some of the more humourous responses we received:”Because I Muse, I’m Energetic, (in) Demand, Industrious, Tenacious, Active, Tired, and above all, I’m Expecting! “”I need to hurry up and meditate as I keep on being late, with stress and fluctuating weather and always running with skates! It would be great to learn the tricks to meditate and practice without complicate! Please consider me for a copy and do not hesitate!”"Two micro-businesses to run, two children, one husband, two aging in-laws and seven pets to mother. Need I say more? Wishing you less stress and more success…”"No time to explain, too stressed!”Thanks to Allen and Unwin for donating the books and congratulations to our winners : Fiona McAnna, Karen Robertson, Tracy Bell, Barb Blashk, Noelle Sadinsky, Rina Lee, Melissa Whitby, Jennifer Lawson, Zita Santa, Marian Hamilton-Kerr

Why did you start your business?

 

For the last 18 months we have been asking women “What’s your reason for getting into business?” After doing over 160 one-on-one consultations (to help women clarify their business goals and to gauge their readiness for a mentor) here’s what Stella De Zotti found.

 

What I have noticed is that many women leave the corporate world, or working for someone else, and start their business for similar reasons.

These reason include:

 

• Freedom to choose your hours and work location
• Working around raising children
• Being your own boss
• Setting your own salary
• Utilising your creativity to create something news
• And of course – Financial freedom

 

But the road that follows is not easy…

 

The ultimate sea-change!

Knowing how to do your job, even being the best in your trade is one thing but going from working for someone else (or in an environment with other team members to share the load, and other resources) to working for yourself and running a business are often very different.

But here’s what I found during the consultation has helped women get on a path and some direction.

 

A business plan!

Whether you have one or not, when did you look at it last? Does it still read true for you, or have you changed direction? Unfortunately most women I’ve spoken to either had no plan, or had one that they never referred to. So, I showed them a way to help them create a new plan that they implement.

 

Fear of the Unknown

Did I mention fear? Yes, many women were operating out of fear. Fear that they didn’t know what they were doing, that they were going to fail or that they’d meet financial hardship.

Often this fear could be overcome with a plan for develop more business confidence and with the help of a mentor to guide you through rough business terrain.

 

Isolation

After leaving the ‘safe’ world of being an employee, many found themselves isolated. Even when they had friends and family support, they lacked peers who understood the trials of being a business-owner. They do not have a sounding board, someone to let them know if they were on track.

Being in your own business with no staff and not having someone to bounce ideas off can be a little isolating and also talking to people that actually ‘get’ where you are coming from.

So, I helped them put in place a plan to feel supported, to collaborate, to be mentored.

 

Lack of the right business skills

When it comes to operating your business even though you may know how to do what you do best e.g. you’re a great writer, hairdresser, designer, physical traininer, gaining the right business knowledge and business skills to grow your business is very important.

 

Most of the women I spoke to had contacted the Australian Businesswomen’s Network to gain access to training. So, I explained how they could spend the next few months (just a couple of hours a week) honing their marketing, financial, human resource, technology and business planning skills.

 

We recently asked successful businesswomen what they wished they’d had earlier to help them accelerate their success – all of them included Mentoring in their choices.

 

Operating your business with assistance from a Mentor who has experience in his/her own business can only be of benefit to you. I can help put you in touch with a mentor through our Mentoring program.

 

Confidence to go forward

Confidence and belief in yourself can be harder than it sounds, but surrounding yourself with like minded individuals, gaining a network that you can call upon at your fingertips and utilising the services of a Mentor can only add to your success of your business.

 

If you’d like to clarify your goals and to get support and a clear direction for your business, then contact Stella at stella@abn.org.au for a one-on-one business consultation.