A sense of balance

Australian businesswomen are being celebrated by a number of national awards. Here, they share the secret to their success. By Rachel Davis.

Often juggling their professional lives with their roles as wives and mothers, Australian businesswomen are not only a force to be reckoned with, they’re creating brand new companies that reflect their values and experiences. Now they’re receiving a well-earned round of applause. While the Oscars may be more glamorous, to be judged a success in something you have striven for makes women’s business awards just as exciting.

Women are now establishing businesses at almost the same rate as men. Little wonder, considering traditional business structures were designed around men in the workplace and women in either supporting roles or at home tending to their families. But as more women enter the workplace with their own goals and determination, the flaws in the traditional structure have become painfully evident.

Today, the challenges faced by working women require a flexibility not offered by all employers. For many professional businesswomen, having children can mean putting their career aspirations on hold, with part-time employment the only way to juggle the constant demands on their time.

Those who own their own business, however, can prioritise their work schedule without worrying about how it’s perceived when they run out the door at 2.30pm to pick up their children from school. Having been in the work force, women business owners also have the gift of hindsight and the opportunity to do things differently than previous employers. In fact, a different perspective is one of their strongest assets. While traditional business practices are not often associated with caring for the environment or the communities in which they operate, thanks to a female perspective, new ethical practices are emerging.

Three award-winning businesswomen, who have created successful businesses and implemented unique working environments, share their experiences.

Heather Rose, Telstra Tasmanian Business Woman of the year, is not only the managing director of advertising agency Coo’ee Tasmania, a business which has won 17 international awards in the past five years, she is also a published novelist.

Growing up in Hobart, Heather Rose had always been passionate about the environment in which she lived, but it was only after opening her own company, Coo’ee, in 1999, that she was able to have a proactive influence. Prior to starting Coo’ee, Heather moved to Melbourne and worked as a copywriter in advertising, where she met her husband, Rowan. It was his idea to have a sea change by relocating back to Tasmania. “Initially I was a little sceptical, but as soon as we were back in Tasmania, I loved it,” recalls Heather. “The first novel I published began the very first night we were in Hobart.”

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