Women as Entrepreneurs Summer Edition 2013

Women as Entrepreneurs Inside the Digital Lives of 30 Australian Women Entrepreneurs 71 essential online tools WE recommend

Learn, Connect and Be Inspired

WomenAsEntrepreneurs.com.au

Foreword by Women as Entrepreneurs Founder, Orsi Parkanyi

When I envision change, I see women. We are living in an extremely exciting time when the world is turning to women to be the new thought leaders. It is clear that women represent the largest untapped source of talent and capability, just waiting for the opportunity to flourish. I know this to be true personally. As a child growing up in Eastern Europe entrepreneurship was a word left unspoken and a road unexplored. Yet in the seven years since I made Australia my new home I have come to realise women everywhere are capable of flourishing in the world of business. Despite this realisation and cultural change, no country has yet managed to close the gender gap.

This is why I founded Women as Entrepreneurs, referred to as WE, because I believe that if it takes a village to raise a child then it certainly takes a sisterhood of like-minded women to fix the gender balance in the business world. WE aims to offer a connected and supportive community, as well as education and role models to inspire you to be your own boss.

Think of this book as a community between pages that you can take with you, keep close, and dip into when you need encouragement and support. The philosophy of diversity, celebrated by Women as Entrepreneurs and represented in this book, is reflected through women of different ages, ethnic backgrounds, industries and stages of business, ensuring there is a story to inspire everyone.

Between these pages you will find a generous and resourceful spirit as 30 of Australia’s bravest and most ambitious entrepreneurial women do something very rarely seen in the business world, they will share their much coveted knowledge and experiences. Their insights include their favorite and most used online business tools that have benefitted them in building their businesses and taken their lives to amazing new heights.

It is my hope that this book will not only bring to light some new business tools, but also real life stories of women ‘making it’ in Australian business. I hope these inspiring women also serve as role models to encourage the entrepreneur in you to start living your dreams and motivate you to start companies of your own.

When I envision change in the world, I see women. For us, business is not all about money; it is a very personal and passionate endeavour that we give ourselves to. We strive to make our creations the best we can achieve. I believe that as we leverage the potential and talent of more entrepreneurial women in business, we will be shown by women-led businesses, a more compassionate world.

Women as Entrepreneurs is a new, dynamic membership based network of incredible female entrepreneurs and aspiring female entrepreneurs that keep in touch online and offline with meet ups, workshops, networking events, video interviews, social media and an interactive and content rich blog that allows community members to participate as guest bloggers. WE also allows for members to gain exposure and build up their subject matter and expert profile while making friends, collaborating, creating joint ventures and sharing experiences with each other.

Women as Entrepreneurs would be excited to see you participate in our dynamic community so join us at womenasentrepreneurs.com.au/join This book is very important to me on a personal level, as it is a resource I would have liked to have had for myself when I embarked on my own entrepreneurial journey. As such, it has been put together with the greatest love and dedication to my vision of women one day being equal in opportunities and in leadership participation rate in Australia and beyond. I am confident that – regardless of where you live in this beautiful world we all share - you will not only find it useful, but that it will provide a sense of enjoyment and encouragement to you and your dreams. Then when you dream of change in your world, you too will see of the women who can make it happen.

Yours sincerely with much love & support, Orsi Parkanyi, Founder & Director of Women as Entrepreneurs & The Women as Entrepreneurs Team

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About Women as Entrepreneurs Women as Entrepreneurs was founded in October, 2011 by social entrepreneur, Orsi Parkanyi. The word quickly spread and with the support of her tribe of like-minded visionary women from across the country, in under 12 months, WE has became a national network of thousands of women entrepreneurs who are keen on connecting offline and online, learning together and supporting one another.

Why Was Women as Entrepreneurs Born?

“At Women as Entrepreneurs, We envision a world where women are represented equally in business. Not only because it is fair, but also because diversity drives innovation and results in a more competitive economy. We believe that if we challenge the outdated traditions in business and increase the numbers of women in entrepreneurship, we will empower communities, nations and shape a better world.” – Orsi Parkanyi, Founder

Testimonials ” I have attended numerous WE events in Sydney and have always been impressed. Having attended many networking events, I can honestly say that WE is the best organisation for Women Entrepreneurs. Orsi’s warmth, business savvy and amazing ability to connect people make for an amazing event that really allows women to connect with each other.

The speakers are also always fabulous. I cannot speak highly enough about WE. “ — Margaret H. “The entire event was spectacular. This was another time when I came back from Women as Entrepreneur event completely inspired, believing that I can change the world! Make it better. Step by step.” — Kasia G. “Words can’t explain it! Outstanding event! For me on a personal level it was truly an amazing evening filled with loads of inspiration, admirable stories, lots of encouragement, support, empowerment & successful women who are passionate about what they have achieved and are more than happy to encourage others to follow their passion as well.

Thank You!” — Diane U. “Fantastic group of women, everyone was really friendly and engaging and I can see this is a strong community already. I am always so inspired and invigorated with events of such high calibre as this one. Looking forward to the next meeting already!” — Yvonne H. ”It was so lovely to be interviewed by Orsi about all things womanly and entrepreneurial! The best part was the sense of the network I was reaching, and receiving an invitation to present a workshop down in Melbourne from someone who saw the video interview – on the WE website: womenasentrepreneurs.com.au – was a fantastic success and result of speaking with Orsi. Thank you Orsi and may us women continue to connect and support each other!”

— Chrissie C.

Top Online Resources – Recommended by Women Entrepreneurs

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1. Karly Nimmo, Byron Bay Business Owner, The Office Collective For seven years I flew solo - running my voice over agency, Killer Kopy, from home. It had its blessings, like not working for someone else, but these were outweighed by shortcomings isolation, loneliness and distraction; home felt like a prison. Daydreaming constantly saw me surrounded by others - working alongside them, and eventually, I discovered coworking. It felt right so I pounced. Signed a lease, filled the space with recycled furniture and opened the doors to The Office Collective! With an advertising budget of $0 we've had to be really creative about how we spread the word. Online resources like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Community Engine (an online noticeboard started in Byron Bay) have been an absolute blessing. With these tools we've been able to spread the word without spending a cent. Cobot.me is our co-working management system - members sign up and are invoiced via this system, it also tracks their time in the space. theofficecollective.com.au

facebook.com/theofficecollective

4 /82 Centennial Circuit Byron Bay, NSW 2481

2. Yvette Willison, Melbourne Managing Director and Head Wordsmith, Strong Words Marketing & PR Strong Words Marketing & PR was born because I became frustrated and disillusioned with the red tape and roadblocks of the corporate and government world and I wanted to do some 'really cool stuff' in the marketing and PR sphere with companies that shared my enthusiasm for pushing the boundaries of convention and getting stuff done. Writing has always been a passion of mine and by combining good, old-fashioned, well-written copy and strategies that integrate digital and online engagement with ATL advertising and media coverage you are summing up the product offering of Strong Words. HootSuite is the most user-friendly and well supported social media scheduler on the market.

Unbounce is perfect for creating PPC (pay per click) campaigns with AdWords or promotional/event/sales websites or 'squeeze pages' simply and easily. Commun.it website helps you sort your best contacts on Twitter from the rest. I also use Eventbrite for easy ticketing for events. Best tool ever. strongwords.com.au

@StrongWordsMPR

+614 3951 0867

3. Debbie Spellman, Sydney CEO & Founder, Detox Your Mind I am Founder and CEO of Detox Your Mind. A company dedicated to mentoring women to emotional freedom and inner happiness. I started this business out of my own journey, I went through a massive transformation after hitting a very low point and realised I had everything wrong; about who I was and about how I chose to live my life. Through rebuilding myself from the inside out I now mentor other women to do the same so they can experience a high level of fulfilment and happiness every day. I use many online resources to systemise, organise and manage my business. Send Pepper/Office Autopilot is my email and contact management system which also allows me to automate much of my business, Do.com allows me to schedule in tasks and deadlines for any project which I then share with my remote team for free. I use Ace of Sales to create emails that stand out from the crowd which I send to clients, prospects and contacts and Evernote to make any online notes. detoxyourmind.com.au

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facebook.com/debbiespellmancoaching

@debbiespellman

4. Narmatha Veerasingam, Sydney Director, NFP Recruitment I have a passion for connecting the right candidates with not-for-profit organisations in a way that is a "win-win" for both. I have over three years recruitment experience in both notfor-profit and commercial organisations. This enables me to understand the types of candidates that are best suited to meet the unique needs of this sector. I have come to understand that budgets and value for money are a key part for this sector and I work hard with my clients to ensure they get the best client in the market. I recommend using Linkedin and Twitter as they have been invaluable in meeting likeminded people within the not-forprofit sector and those that would like to get involved within the not-for-profit sector. I also like using Dropbox to share and access business documents and presentations from anywhere, and keep my documents safe. nfprecruitment.com.au

@narmiev

+614 0192 5050

5. Anne McWilliam, Sydney Founder, Blossom Blends Gorgeous, vibrant and zesty, Blossom Blends’ teas are dedicated to delivering a holistic tea experience with your every sip. We want tea time to rejuvenate your mind, body and soul (and taste great too!). So we set out to flawlessly fine-tune each blend to deliver what you want and perform just as we describe – whether it’s a tropical escape or ‘A Little Pick Me Up’!

After launching in June 2012, Blossom Blends’ has rapidly grown with the assistance of Facebook Store and offline sampling. Facebook is a fantastic way of connecting and updating our current customers whilst growing & building a strong community. Another crucial online resource has been Google Analytics. Being a purely online business, we have found Google Analytics to be a fantastic tool in measuring conversions, traffic sources and interest levels. Outsourcing administrative tasks to our virtual assistants on Odesk helps us remain customer focused and have more time for product development and promotion.

BlossomBlends.com.au

facebook.com/BlossomBlends

BlossomBlends

6. Pascale Helyar-Moray, Sydney Founder & CEO, StyleRocks My business, StyleRocks, is a groundbreaking website for affordable customised jewellery, with over three billion combinations available. I had 15 years of marketing communications experience with blue chip financial services companies in Australia and the UK before maternity leave forced me to re-examine my career options. In looking for a business I could run from home and compatible with motherhood, I created StyleRocks. Online resources that have proved incredibly useful while creating and running StyleRocks have been Dropbox, Skype and Xero online accounting software. LinkedIn and Facebook have also been very good in terms of spreading messages among networks, and also recruiting! stylerocks.com

facebook.com/StyleRocks.au

@StyleRocks_au

Top Online Resources – Recommended by Women Entrepreneurs

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Women as Entrepreneurs 1 Birthday Celebration, Sydney – October 2012

Dr. Jana Matthews, Founder & CEO of The Jana Matthews Group and Director of ANZ Innovyz START “...I look back on my life and I see a whole history of women helping other women. So if I feel compelled to give back to the next generations, to the next entrepreneurs, it’s because it’s part of a long line I’ve seen....I always remember that we need to gather the sticks that are left for us on this road and keep the fire burning for the next generations...“

Deb Roach, 2012 Ultimate Disabled Pole Champion “...At the first pole dance class I went to, I just wanted to take this body that I do find myself in out for a run and see what it was capable of. I just started experimenting with the limits that I thought existed and seeing where they actually were. The results were astounding...”

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10. Amber Daines, Sydney Founder and Director, Bespoke Communications I have devoted my career to all things communication including print and TV journalism, public relations and marketing for 16 years. I am passionate about the power of communications to change your business and your profile. Launching Bespoke Communications in 2007, I established a boutique public relations agency offering solid experience across the business, not for profit and lifestyle sectors. We offer media and presentation skills training; PR management and freelance writing services. In business, I use LinkedIn: the newer profile updates allow you to give and receive endorsements for skills and expertise – a user-friendly method of recommending your connections. Using a hash tag (#) before a key word on Twitter is a cost-effective way for a business or brand to communicate with the 100 million active Twitter users. I use YouSendIt, a file sending program for media and clients, great for signing documents online, sharing presentations with clients and securely accessing saved files remotely. bespokecomms.com.au

@Ambieu777

+614 0414 5939

11. Erin Castellas, Melbourne Founder, Joey and Gus Joey & Gus is a social business, started by two mums who met in mothers' group in Melbourne, Australia. Our mission is simply to support mothers. We know the women in our lives are capable, talented, and full of love, but often stretched for time and support. In our very early days as a company, our priority is to provide a community for women to find relevant information and ways to connect with each other. Over time, we hope to grow this community, from linking mums to innovative affordable products to connecting women to mum-friendly job opportunities. We’ve found Pinterest to be a great source of inspiration and to share content on our Facebook page, which is helping us create a conversation and connect with our community. Wordpress is a fantastic free blog site, and we’re always finding start-up tips at places like Start-up Nation. joeyandgus.com.au

facebook.com/JoeyandGus

+613 9005 5776

12. Jen Leheny, Canberra Designer & Business Owner, Red Instead Hi I’m Jen Leheny and I'm the owner and designer at Red Instead, a small business that helps other businesses put their best foot forward with a professional image and identity.

Red Instead can design a professional logo, business card, postcard, brochure, blog or website for your business so that you can send the right message to your customers, and we can help you with your online marketing and social media too. I recommend everyone in business signing up for Google Apps for Business, so that you can have your email, calendar, contacts and documents stored safely and accessible from anywhere while still using your own business email address attached to your domain name. I use Amazon S3 to automatically store daily backups of my clients' websites at a very reasonable cost. Another great tool is Pinterest for inspiration, collecting images and spotting trends. redinstead.com.au

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WomenAsEntrepreneurs.com.au

facebook.com/redinstead

+614 1122 4314

13. Naomi Simson Founder, RedBalloon As the founder of an online business, I’d be a hypocrite to say I don’t embrace technology.

My iPhone is probably the most useful work-related gadget I own, as it allows me to be connected to my people no matter where I am…which I’m sure they find highly inconvenient. Like an overbearing mother. With this commitment to embracing great technology and the mobile work culture that this enables, we are able to offer the sought after flexible work arrangements that employees need to make their work and personal lives operate in harmony.

I am a huge fan of LinkedIn, and have recently been chosen as one of only two Australians to be part of the LinkedIn Influencer program – sharing professional knowledge and insights with a potential audience of 175 million LinkedIn members globally. I also embrace Twitter, and find it a wonderful extension to my other social media platforms – plus I love the challenge of communicating in 140 characters. I truly believe this is a modern day communication skill. Pinterest has grabbed my attention in the last 12 months as the new frontier of social media for business. From a pure marketing standpoint, Pinterest is a collection of focus groups. Try to think of a more perfectly efficient way to road test and gather feedback on a new product or idea. Can you? The site already attracts almost 12 million active users a month - women make up between 70 and 80 per cent of its members, most under the age of 45. But it goes one step further. What an opportunity for entrepreneurial marketers wanting to target consumers in an environment designed to connect people according to the things they love and desire. I for one am intrigued to see how brands will tread that fine line between wooing customers and selling products. I’m also a prolific blogger, and love to share my professional and personal insights with an engaged community.

Technology has changed a lot since the first version of RedBalloon was launched back in 2001. Since then we have had seven different versions of the website, each one better and more powerful than the last. iPads revolutionised the way we conduct our day-to-day business – from more efficient meetings and FaceTime with employees working remotely, to completely paperless performance reviews. And it’s entirely portable – we can do meetings at the coffee shop if we want to. And we do. But there is always a flip side to this.

Being available and “switched on” 24/7 can be detrimental to your overall productivity, engagement with your work and health. Studies have shown those who work three hours or more extra a day have a 60 per cent higher risk of heart disease.

This is startling, and it really highlights how important it is to switch off from technology and spend quality time experiencing life with the people who matter most. And that’s what we’re all about at RedBalloon. And while technology has certainly helped me juggle my many commitments – both work and home related over the years – there is nothing that compares to going off the grid and living life in 3D. redballoon.com.au

facebook.com/redballoon

@RedBalloonTeam

14. Orsi Parkanyi, Canberra Founder & Director, Women as Entrepreneurs Women As Entrepreneurs started on a platform called Meetup where people who share an interest and passion can connect. Meetup is a great place to test your idea quickly and cheaply, connect with like-minded people and start building your very own community/tribe. I found PlanBig a great resource as well to test ideas and get feedback from people outside your own circles. Once an idea is proven viable, it is time to source money to make it happen! I found crowd-funding websites such as Kickstarter, Pozible or StartSomeGood a great way to get your project or start-up funded, gain exposure and get millions of people excited about your venture. When it comes to being efficient on a lean budget, I am a big fan of using free resource sites such as Business.gov.au and Freelancer or 99designs to outsource jobs, such as design work for instance.

WomenAsEntrepreneurs.com.au

facebook.com/womenasentrepreneurs

@We_Sydney

Top Online Resources – Recommended by Women Entrepreneurs

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15. Priya Dev, Canberra Applied Mathematician and Founder, Appatyte Appatyte is a venture that is changing the way the world queues, one queue at a time because we believe that the future of queuing lies within the palm of our hands, right on our smart phones. After all, who would queue if our phones could do it for us? Appatyte is developing a remote ordering, payment and queuing application that will be trialled at the Canberra Stadium during the 2013 football season. I recommend using SugarSync because you can sync files individually without having to drag them into a folder. WorkFlowy is a great way to list my things to do and view them on both a macro and micro scale.

Teambox gives the team one central location to share files, thoughts and notes with each other. It's much better than sending emails to multiple people and keeping track of them.

We can just post messages to each other in one central location. tweeteats.co

+614 0641 7395

16. Lisa Messenger, Sydney Group CEO, The Messenger Group I have worked globally in events, sponsorship, marketing, PR and publishing before becoming the Owner and Creative Director of The Messenger Group. I use Tweetdeck to schedule my tweets, ensuring I have a strong social media presence. We use Facebook quite regularly to engage with our clients, friends and potential clients. We like to keep people updated with the goings on of our company such as events we might be hosting, promote clients, share pictures etc. LinkedIn is used frequently to stay connected with others in the industry, professionals and creatives alike. We use Salesforce to track meetings, contacts, opportunities, details. It is a great system. We regularly consult Pinterest for design inspiration. It is a great way to collate visual stimuli. Pedestrian.tv is used to post internship positions, find photographers, etc. It is a great site for posting and advertising positions.

Eway is for secure card payments for persons purchasing books on our website. themessengergroup.com.au

facebook.com/themessengergroup

@lisamessenger

17. Merrin Munroe, Sydney Chief Geek, The Small Business Geeks I started The Small Business Geeks because I wanted to run my own business and help other small businesses overcome their fear or ignorance of technology. I was unhappy in my last job, and decided that it was time to make the life I wanted, and not wait for it to happen to me. I travel a lot, and always have my phone or iPad with me, and was surprised that so few businesses are set up for the biggest revolution in history - mobile technology. So I now focus on mobile websites. Online resources are imperative because I need to access them wherever I am. GoMobi, Facebook and Google Docs are absolute essentials. Photo Pin to source free images for bloggers and Skype's share screen feature has solved so many problems! Running my own business has its challenges, but it was the best decision of my life. thesmallbusinessgeeks.com

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WomenAsEntrepreneurs.com.au

facebook.com/webproblemsolver

@TSBGeeks

18. Catriona Pollard, Sydney Founder and Director, CP Communications CP Communications was created to offer intelligent PR and social media strategies and programs. I believe that every person and organisation has a story to tell. When it comes to online resources, Google is what comes to mind first – what would life be like without the Google search engine? I’m totally in love with Instagram. One of my passions (outside my business) is art and photography. So my iPhone is my camera and Instagram is my community. My photos are life as I see it. A very early convert to Twitter I use it to build and maintain relationships with people I may never meet, but add so much value to my professional life. It’s also a good source of news. I’m a massive advocate of blogging, both professionally and personally. I love learning from people’s experiences and getting an insight into their lives. Both of my blogs - PublicRelationsSydney.com.au and SocialMediaSydney.net.au - are on Wordpress.

CPcommunications.com.au

facebook.com/cpcommunications

@CPCPR

19. Vanessa O’Brien (aka Aunty Vanessa), Gold Coast Director, Gold Coast Pets My business is about me finally following my bliss. I started Gold Coast Pets because I wanted to pursue something that would make a real difference to people and involved working with animals (pets). Online resources I recommend below have helped my business immensely as well as me personally as a pet parent and pet carer. I was switched on to oDesk by another local female entrepreneur as I was looking for an affordable VA (Virtual Assistant) solution. Leashtime is great software for my pet sitting business, helping me with scheduling, key management and invoicing. As I operate "in the cloud" Google Drive is all kinds of awesome. It allows me to share documents with my oDesk VA quickly and easily is the biggest plus. Not to mention never having to worry about a hard drive crashing, being lost or stolen nor does it cost me anything. goldcoastpets.com.au

@gcpets

20. Alison Hardacre, Melbourne Managing Director, HealthKit Technology allows you to change the world, even from Australia! That's why I set up HealthKit - to make healthcare effective, efficient and accessible wherever you are in the world. We provide three services: directories to find the right practitioner for you in your country, clinical tools to help you track and improve your health, and software for doctors to run their practice. LinkedIn has been essential to us growing our network of practitioners and patients as well as supporters, and now that we are seeking to grow the business globally, resources like Both Sides of the Table (interesting blog about negotiating and managing the relationship with investors and venture capitalists) and Anzatech (resources to help Australians connect with potential investors and partners in Silicon Valley) are essential to the next steps to our goal of having a global impact. SourceBottle is a great resource to build publicity by being a source of information in articles. healthkit.com

@alisonhardacre

Top Online Resources – Recommended by Women Entrepreneurs

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Women as Entrepreneurs & ANZ Small Business Hub joint event and EXPO, Melbourne – September 2012

“Huge success and an amazing evening! WE had over 130 registrations. Tickets sold out 1 week prior to the event!”

Topic of panel discussion: Building and Improving our Online Presence as Business Women Guest Panellists included Valerie Khoo & Michelle Webb

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Women as Entrepreneurs International Women’s Day Event, Sydney – March 2012 WE WIN – Women Empowering Women In Need

“It is our great achievement that on International Women’s Day, our WE WIN event attracted over 100 women & men, and raised over $1,200 for women entrepreneurs living in developing countries to set up their own small businesses and break the cycle of poverty.”

“I made a decision a while ago to only give my time to people who operate from the heart, both in business and in life. Best decision I have ever made.”

– Kim McGuinness, Founder & CEO of Network Central –

“Our signature WE gift bags are put together with love and are always a huge success.”

Top Online Resources – Recommended by Women Entrepreneurs

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21. Katie Humbert, Sydney Director, Katie Humbert Consultants Katie Humbert Consultants is all about helping people to realize the potential they have inside of them. Jiing is excellent when it comes to teaching or relaying much needed information. Whether you are wanting to make changes to a website and need to contact your developer or maybe your sharing content with a client or colleague. This program allows you to create and send these videos or tutorials quickly and easily. LastPass is the last time you'll need to record all your passwords. It is secure and holds all your passwords in one place. Many of us have many different passwords and log-ins. This can also be accessed from anywhere in the world. Google Anayltics is an excellent add on created by Google for your website. It monitors the traffic and flow of the people visiting your website. It also creates reports and helps you to monitor what works and what doesn't. katiehumbert.com.au

@KatieHConsult

22. Fiona Redding, Melbourne Founder, Vivacity Consulting Vivacity Consulting offers business consulting and mentoring that is specifically targeted to help women in business, wherever you are in your business journey and whatever your level of business management skill and experience. Through a collaborative process, we identify and implement strategies for better business management, and identify the operational resources required to position your business for sustainable success and growth. I launched Vivacity Consulting in 2012, with the catalyst being a desire to create a challenging, innovative and rewarding working environment (and a scalable business) that was flexible around the needs of my young family. My favourite online resources are: MailChimp to design and manage newsletters; Bufferapp to schedule Facebook and Twitter posts; SurveyMonkey to seek feedback from clients and which enables me to continually improve services & outcomes; Google Analytics to measure website/SEO effectiveness and engagement; and ShortStack to develop tabs for my Facebook page. vivacityconsulting.com.au

facebook.com/vivacityconsultinghub

1300 921 478

23. Susan Banhegyi, Melbourne Director, Paradise Makeovers As Director of Paradise Makeovers, I focus on bringing a fresh approach to the luxury travel market by offering indulgent health, wellness and holistic beauty retreats that allow women to find balance. As an entrepreneur who has delivered meticulous service in many successful ventures in wellbeing, styling and luxury fashion, the reason that I started this enterprise was to address some of women’s challenges to explore their path towards selfdiscovery and healing, and stems from my passion in women’s physical fitness and wellness issues as well as travel, yoga, meditation and writing. I have found the following tools help to build our brand. YouTube is a great tool for business. You can create your own YouTube channel with many videos. PayPal is the payment tool we use. MailChimp caters for all our auto responders, competition lists and e-newsletters. Pinterest is a great visual representation of events, and HootSuite is our favourite Social Media control centre. paradisemakeovers.com

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WomenAsEntrepreneurs.com.au

facebook.com/ParadiseMakeovers

+614 2182 8087

24. Gaylene Temple, Newcastle Business Owner, Orabella Skinlabs Like many thousands of women I was tired of trying different skincare creams with no effect and high cost. I completed seven years of study on the building blocks of proteins (skin peptides) which have become an essential ingredient in ant-aging skin care. I wanted an all natural skin care product that worked, wasn't full of fillers, and didn't cost a fortune. Being a herbalist and working with a chemist has allowed me to solve these requirements. My dream and the creation of Orabella Skinlabs, a natural skincare range, has come true. It is essential to my business to have an ecommerce site and be active on social networking sites. I have search engine optimisation assistance as well. A software program Real-Draw Pro is a great tool for making brochures and flyers. Microsoft Excel has helped for formulating my client database. Facebook gives me personal contact with clients. orabellaskinlabs.com.au

facebook.com/OrabellaSkinlabs

+614 2584 0892

25. Natasha Munasinghe, Sydney Owner and Managing Director, Frank Team I am a solicitor by profession, and the Owner and Managing Director of Frank Team, a company enabling business owners to build globally impacting businesses. I am very passionate about entrepreneurship and I encourage people to integrate entrepreneurial thinking and innovation into their careers – and their lives. I regularly comment on themes such as entrepreneurship, community engagement as well as the influence of emerging generations. Online resources I love include Wordpress, Fiverr, YouTube and Dropbox. I also like Jing, that captures anything you see on your computer screen, as an image or short video, and lets you share it instantly. Zoho is another great resource that offers a suite of online web applications geared towards increasing your productivity and offering easy collaboration. Pinterest is a new favourite that I use for inspiration. frankteam.com.au

facebook.com/frankteam

@FrankTeam

26. Kerri King, Melbourne CEO & Founder, Passion to Profit I started Passion to Profit because I was always crossing paths with wonderfully passionate people with some very interesting skills who were missing out on financial opportunities, for a range of reasons. My professional background as an accountant and holistic counsellor has put me in the perfect position to work with people on achieving both their financial and personal dreams. Whether practical financial advice is required, ongoing support and mentoring, or emotional personal work is required, I am here to step people through the process to success. Fiverr is a fantastic service where all sorts of skills can be obtained cheaply to maximise results. HootSuite is a great management tool for social media allowing you to set and forget. Udemy is an online training facility to get you up to date in terms of skills. passiontoprofit.com.au

facebook.com/passiontoprofit

+614 6848 5888

Top Online Resources – Recommended by Women Entrepreneurs

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27. Liesa Iwanitza, Adelaide Creative Director, Fleur De Lys Fleur De Lys event floral styling was born from my passion for flowers, design and seeing people smile. Having studied alongside the top names in floral design, it was time to venture out on my own to provide my personal touch to what I have loved to do for so long.

My unique designs add colour and interest to any occasion, precious moment or special event. My designs can be viewed and purchased online, saving my clients the time they would otherwise spend running around. My vision and dream has been brought to life through the stylish Fleur De Lys brand and website. Facebook and Linkedin have reconnected me to my clients and have helped, along with my friends, to reach out to a wide audience of new clients. fleurdelysflowers.com.au

facebook.com/eventsandflowersbyfleurdelys

+614 3225 2284

28. Diana Neo, Sydney Founder/Managing Partner, YMSA Global YMSA Global is your trusted recruitment partner committed to the best interests of our clients and candidates. Licensed by Singapore Ministry of Manpower (Licence:09C5657) and Member of Recruitment Consulting Services Association Australia. Our value proposition is to provide high quality and personalized human resource solutions to your businesses and rewarding career opportunities for professionals. I am a registered nurse in Singapore and Australia. Building on my passion for helping others, YMSA Global was founded in 2008. I understand the importance of having a supportive recruitment agency who can give you personalised expert advice for businesses and candidates. Our business strategy is to make our firm approachable and accessible to our global clients and candidates using flexible approaches. To this end, I recommend the use of Skype and Viber for free calls. Linkedin, Facebook and HootSuite for sharing information and updates. Convenience, support and savings are brought to our clients and candidates. ymsaglobal.com

linkedin.com/in/ymsaglobal

+614 3000 3978

29. Linda Thomson, Brisbane Sexologist, Sex Therapists Brisbane I have always had a strong interest in relationship counselling and sex therapy. After completing two master's degrees and gaining extensive experience in the area of counselling and social work and many years of clinical practice as a relationship counsellor, it became apparent that sexual issues were an unaddressed/underlying issue with many couples. To fill the gap, eventually, I opened my own sex therapy clinic where I enable enable couples/individuals to deepen the awareness of their relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviours and challenge some of their beliefs. Individuals feel empowered to make better choices and feel better about life. As far as online resources are concerned I use and recommend Clinic Connect for clients to book appointments online 24 hrs a day, I use the Pages App on iPad to record my case notes which includes the voice dictator, and I use free Microsoft word templates for my invoicing. sextherapistbrisbane.com

+614 4960 0434

30. Arienne Gorlach, Sydney Chief Life Crafter, Life Is Crafted Both of my businesses, Life Is Crafted and Savvy Sassy She, are all about having passion and inspiration for life, personal planning and making things happen. My philosophy is that this is your life, no one else’s, so make it what you want it to be. As someone having a start-up business with a lot of ideas and minimal capital, I use tools for organising information and ideas that are available at little or no cost. Lean Canvas is a one-page business plan that helps me focus and communicate my business ideas to others as needed. Prezi offers a new and exciting avenue for presenting ideas in an engaging way. Apptivo is a free CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and Project Management software. Evernote is great for organising ideas and capturing information. lifeiscrafted.com

facebook.com/lifeiscrafted

@ariennegorlach

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Get in touch with us!

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Top Online Resources – Recommended by Women Entrepreneurs

17

List of Online Tools Recommended in the Book planbig.com.au

prezi.com

apptivo.com

business.gov.au

xero.com

photopin.com

facebook.com

mybudget.com.au

instagram.com

linkedin.com

literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php

leashtime.com

twitter.com

ipaustralia.gov.au

bothsidesofthetable.com

youtube.com

commercialisationaustralia.gov.au

anzatechnet.com

pinterest.com

yousendit.com

sourcebottle.com.au

hootsuite.com

startupnation.com

techsmith.com/jing

evernote.com

google.com/enterprise/apps/business

lastpass.com

wordpress.com

aws.amazon.com/s3

mailchimp.com

dropbox.com

meetup.com

bufferapp.com

communityengine.com.au

kickstarter.com

surveymonkey.com

cobot.me

pozible.com

shortstack.com

unbounce.com

startsomegood.com

paypal.com

commun.it

freelancer.com

mediachance.com/realdraw

eventbrite.com

99designs.com.au

office.microsoft.com

sendpepper.com

sugarsync.com

fiverr.com

officeautopilot.com

workflowy.com

zoho.com

do.com

teambox.com

udemy.com

aceofsales.com

twitter.com/tweetdeck

viber.com

google.com.au/analytics

salesforce.com

clinicconnect.com.au

odesk.com

pedestrian.tv

apple.com/apps/pages

skype.com

gomobi.info

office.microsoft.com/templates

docs.google.com

leancanvas.com

Acknowledgements This booklet could not have come to fruition without the amazing women of the Women as Entrepreneurs community. It touches me deeply to see how women in the community inspire each other, and come together as a solid foundation to lift each other up. I would like to thank our supporters, mentors, our talented past, current and future Women as Entrepreneurs team and our ambassadors for believing in the WE vision and for coming on board to be founders of a movement in Australia that is aiming to get more women into entrepreneurship, and to bring them together in support of one another.

To these amazing women & men, I give special and heartfelt thanks: Tharani Jegatheeswaran, Clare Giles, Jenny Bhuiyan, Yvette Willison, Stephanie Chant, Jessica Rice, Petra Dzurovcinova, Anne McWilliam, Tom Bass, Torunn Momtazi & my dear husband, Greg Czako.

18

WomenAsEntrepreneurs.com.au

What Do Our Members Say About Us? “Orsi Parkanyi has recognised and responded to the revolution in the way that women are doing business. Women as Entrepreneurs is about providing a network for women entrepreneurs to support each other and share ideas and knowledge, and to become real and effective agents for positive change in the world.

Women as Entrepreneurs is different to anything else that I have come across – it is not about exchanging business cards or drumming up sales, rather it is all about shared values, feeling empowered and embracing the entrepreneurial journey. I am very excited to be a part of this amazing group and I look forward to continuing to build professional and personal relationships with like-minded and inspirational women.”

– WE member, Fiona Redding, Melbourne –

“Calling all women entrepreneurs! If you run your own business and are looking for a great network of like-minded women then Women as Entrepreneurs is a must. The Women as Entrepreneurs team is taking Australia by storm with their passion and enthusiasm for women entrepreneurs to be noticed and make a difference."

– WE member, Debbie Spellman, Sydney –

"For all you aspiring and budding female entrepreneurs out there! Please check out the Women as Entrepreneurs network. Membership is available and well worth every penny spent (which is so amazingly reasonable for what you get) Sign up for membership and have access to all the fantastic advice, seminars and promotion that the Women as Entrepreneurs network and its members offer for you and your business to flourish Australia wide!! Why wait to promote and succeed, do it NOW!!!"

– WE member, Liesa Iwanitza, Adelaide –

Join WE and be a part of this movement empowering women to start companies! womenasentrepreneurs.com.au/join/

Contact Details WomenAsEntrepreneurs.com.au info@womenasentrepreneurs.com.au +614 5074 1040 facebook.com/womenasentrepreneurs @We_Sydney @We_Melbourne @We_Adelaide

Top Online Resources – Recommended by Women Entrepreneurs

19

Summer Edition 2013

Women as Entrepreneurs Inside the Digital Lives of 30 Australian Women Entrepreneurs 71 essential online tools WE recommend

Copyright Š 2011-2012 Women as Entrepreneurs, All Rights Reserved.

RRP $24.95 AUD