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A women’s revolution of doing

Entrepreneurs in Australia are twice as likely to be male than female. The number of female business founders is increasing but women are still underrepresented.

Yet I am noticing a seachange of late. The thousands of female entrepreneurs I encounter on a weekly basis are tired of not being taken seriously and are ready for change.

" I’ve managed to pin down the one thing successful female entrepreneurs are doing in their business that will set them on the path to profit."
Grace Lever, Entrepreneur & winner, 2016 Telstra Women's Business Award

They’re fed up of the ‘fluff’ and are ready to quit dreaming and start doing in their business – it’s a movement I’ve named ‘The Doing Revolution’.

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I was inspired to set up my business when I realised there was no-one delivering really useful, tangible advice for these women.

As a business owner, I’d attended numerous motivational workshops and whilst I felt pumped and enthusiastic, I also felt somewhat deflated afterwards – how was I going to turn all this positive energy into something really useful?

So I launched Doing Days, live workshops I host across Australia for female entrepreneurs of all ages, sectors and at any stage of their business.

Rather than the traditional corporate event model, I structure the day so entrepreneurs get the chance to apply everything they learn to their own businesses, be it generating engaging leads to attract potential customers or creating appealing ads to drive interest via Facebook.

This attitude of ‘doing’ means they can relate my teachings to themselves and feel inspired about something tangible and practical, not overwhelmed and confused about how it applies to them.

Historically, women have not enjoyed as much success as entrepreneurs as men but I strongly believe this needs to change - and there is nothing stopping women from achieving their business dreams.

WHY NOT WOMEN?

Yes, we do take on the lion’s share of caring duties but, having launched a number of successful businesses, I’ve managed to pin down the one thing successful female entrepreneurs are doing in their business that will set them on the path to profit. This is in partnership with their personal life, not in spite of.

This one crucial strategy is what I call a marketing funnel – a streamlined, automated experience that customers will move through in your business – from initially attracting people to the brand, through to developing raving, loyal fans that stick with you for life.

This customer journey exploits technology in a clever way to create a relationship that is personal, yet completely automated. Potential customers can enjoy a superior and authentic experience 24/7 but without the business owner having to devote their every waking minute to their ‘baby’.

Grace Lever from GraceLever.com is the 2016 Telstra South Australian Young Business Woman of the Year. She started her first business at 20 and has built six businesses from the ground up, all of which have been sold, rented or invested in.

GraceLever.com is a platform through which she works with other female entrepreneurs to help them create balanced, automated lifestyle businesses.  Grace also runs an online community, The Doing Academy, with more than 1,000 members, all passionate female entrepreneurs ready to stop dreaming and start doing in their business.

Seeing the impact implementing a funnel has had on the thousands of women I’ve worked with is so rewarding.

I want to get the message out there that it doesn’t have to be that hard to run a profitable, lifestyle business. And it’s not inevitable you will reach burn-out and sacrifice your family life. Building your dream enterprise and making real money from it shouldn’t be just for half the population.

I firmly believe every woman has her own unique ‘genius zone’ - something she naturally excels at – and I want to show them that they can make good money and a future for themselves and their families out of it.

In the past few years, I’ve noticed that more and more women across Australia are ready to leave a legacy, are rolling up their sleeves and embracing good old-fashioned ‘doing’.

By implementing savvy business and marketing strategies, these female entrepreneurs are reaping the rewards and even being able to take computer-free holidays!

The Doing Revolution is making waves around the world, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. The time has come for female entrepreneurs to turn their business dreams into reality so they can build the profitable, lifestyle business they were created to do.

Grace Lever is a successful entrepreneur and winner of a 2016 Telstra Women's Business Award

The views and opinions expressed in this communication are those of the author and may not necessarily state or reflect those of ANZ.

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