Continuous learning and improvement is a core value of the Australian Businesswomen’s Network because we believe education underpins business success. And we’re pleased 2,400 small business owners agree! That’s the number of people who registered for the webinars we delivered as part of the Small Business Festival Victoria this year. Events like the Festival enable business owners to learn new skills to start or grow their business and we were pleased to partner with the Victorian government as a sponsor again this year.
This year’s Festival was the first for new Minister for Small Business, Russell Northe MP who said it was an “absolute pleasure” to host the 2014 event.
“With more and more women running small businesses and proving themselves as leaders and innovators in the sector I think that the contribution of the Australian Businesswomen’s Network has been vital to the success of this year’s festival.”
During one of the webinars, we asked participants what they thought prevented them from getting more sales. It was a very even result, but the highest response was “brand awareness” (we assume low brand awareness) with 14% of respondents suggesting it was holding their business back. Interestingly the second highest response was “confidence” or a lack thereof, that was preventing them from getting more sales. Is there a link between the confidence women have to self-promote and low brand awareness? Women can’t afford to be shy, not if it’s at the expense of business success! The Small Business Festival Victoria is one example of the services available to women in business to grow their knowledge and increase their confidence. We encourage you to seek out as many opportunities to learn, as you can. Minister Northe agrees that the government has a role to play in supporting business success: You can register NOW to receive the 2015 festival program.
