Dining Out on Good Advice

Dining Out on Good Advice

30 November, 2012

Gianna Dalla-Vecchia

Two days ago I attended a luncheon organised by the Melbourne Press Club. The lunch was held at Crown Casino and many media and journalism professionals were in attendance. They all gathered not only to see just who might win the annual MPC/Siemens Award for Student Journalism, but to also hear what the guest speaker, Kim Williams, the CEO of News Limited had to say about the future of print journalism within Australia.

Kim Williams, CEO, News Ltd.

I was very intrigued to hear what Williams had to say as I only just handed in my final university assignment two weeks ago and fittingly, I am looking for a job within the media landscape. Alongside my Journalism degree, I spent much of my spare time volunteering at various media organisations to expand my skill set. I am now hoping my passion and enthusiasm, combined with my experience in the field will assist me in landing a job. However, we all know times are tough. Media organisations generally do not have the funds to hire many graduates and professionals aren’t saying goodbye to their current job either. Despite this predicament, Williams helped me believe that there is hope for us graduates, as he insists us to “not give up and just give it a go.”

Williams suggested to us that the media has to embrace new technologies and stressed that the next generation of media players (i.e. us recent graduates) are embracing this digital age as we grew up with it – and so we just “get it.” He explains that young people practice freedom of speech everyday through social media like Facebook and Twitter. One thing that inspired me to not give up was the fact that he is still a “glass half-full kind of guy” despite the current economic climate and trying times in the journalism industry. He simply encouraged us all to “not talk the industry down” but to instead remain optimistic.

Last month I attended another luncheon held by my local council, the Banyule City Council. It was called the Women in Business Lunch and as you would have gathered by the name, 220 local businesswomen within the area gathered for this annual event. This year the luncheon’s guest speaker was Kristina Karlsson, the Founder and Creative Director of Kikki.K, and like Williams, she aimed to inspire all the women to believe in themselves and their product or service. She certainly succeeded at that.

Kristina Karlsson, Founder and Creative Director, Kikki.K

I left the business lunch realising the importance of building strong communities so that individuals can feel a part of something greater. Just like the Melbourne Press Club, the Banyule City Council aimed to unite like-minded people in one room. You couldn’t help but feel included and valued. However, when leaving the annual luncheon, life returns to normal until the next worthwhile occasion comes along.

So what during the interim? What can small communities and interest groups do to assist those needing further mentoring and inspiration?

This got me thinking. I am developing my own online business. Although I have the creative vision, passion and drive behind me, I still do not know where to start, who to turn to for guidance or what the next step should be. I have come to realise that I need support from those who have been there and done that.

I firstly must mention that I feel very fortunate to be a part of a council who genuinely cares about local women in business and their growth and development. However, I decided to investigate what more can be done to further assist local businesswomen like me.

After doing some research I found out that 104 million businesses were created in 53 economies in 2010. All of these businesses were set up and are run by women. To my upmost surprise, there are around one million businesses owned by women in Australia alone! I had no idea how many Aussie women run a business.

To find out more, I decided to go straight to the source. So I contacted Yolanda Vega, the CEO of the Australian Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI), to find out what her recommendations are. In the end I discovered that my little inquiry was in fact a question asked frequently nation-wide.

Yolanda Vega, CEO, AWCCI

This is what Vega had to say…

“The truth is 20 per cent of Australian women who run businesses are sole parents. They don’t have the luxury in spending fifty dollars on lunch and fifty dollars on a baby sitter for three hours, when they’re trying to make an income to survive,” she said.

According to the AWCCI, more than 43 per cent of women business owners need assistance in marketing and advertising, (myself included). In turn, Vega believes that local councils could play an important role in providing this assistance.

“Small business owners right across the country are not being educated properly,” she said.

“Local councils have the ability to establish an environment where education and information can be easily delivered. They need to do something otherwise we’ll continue to see the majority, around eighty-five per cent of small businesses, failing within the first two years.”

“Women wear twenty hats in any one-day. They’re mothers, chefs, drivers, nurses and wives. The list goes on. So we need to supply them with the education they need and instantly give them that information at their fingertips.”

There were 104 million businesses created in 53 economies in 2010 and all of these businesses were set up and run by women. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, for every one business being started by a man, there are now two being started by a woman. So I asked Vega how councils like the Banyule City Council can offer tangible assistance for so many local businesswomen?

“We are seeing more and more women starting up their own businesses, and we know that women put their money back into the community by providing education, health and infrastructure. As a society we need to help women in business grow,” she replied.

“The best thing local, state and federal governments can do is utilise women as suppliers. Once this is done, women will then have access to contracts and make more money. This in turn means they can put more money back into the community and everybody benefits. In order to survive as a community, we need to invest in women so they can continue to give back to us.”

This is such an axiomatic point – In order to reap, we must first sow. I learnt so much from our one conversation. Vega assisted me to understand my own business development prospects as a local businesswoman. She, like Williams has proved the point that it’s important to allow individuals to not only feel, but be a part of a strong networking community. This will empower them toward their first successful foray into their career.