The Emerging SA Woman Award

For a woman with a business under two years old, or who has been in a career for less than two years, and has shown strength, courage and a determination to excel.

Proudly sponsored by: The Picnic Tribe

THE EMERGING SA WOMAN AWARD

“IT’S BEEN A BIG YEAR SO FAR IN MY BUSINESS' LIFE WITH SO MANY LIFE LESSONS LEARNT AND THIS AWARD REALLY IS THE ICING ON A PRETTY DELICIOUS CAKE.”

A bright start to business Emily Bennett was the winner of The Emerging Woman in Business Award in 2021. Emily is the founder of That Hashtag Girl, a marketing consultancy offering content creation, social media and digital marketing strategies, influencer management, copywriting and social media training. They help businesses navigate the world of hashtags and help them focus their energy and resources on the things that can drive their business further.

Ispend a lot of time celebrating the amazing achievements of my clients that it’s quite a thrill to be able to sit back and celebrate my business! It’s been a big year so far in my business' life with so many life lessons learnt and this award really is the icing on a pretty delicious cake.

It was brilliant to hear this in Emily Bennett's acceptance speech after winning The Emerging Woman in Business Award, that this accolade not only capped off her year, but gave her a reason to celebrate her own achievements!

We're keen to tap into why Emily started her business as well as what she has learnt in the early years of her business to inspire others who are also in the beginning stages. A recent management change is also discussed!

// We loved celebrating you and your emerging business last year when you were awarded with The Emerging Woman in Business Award! Can you take us back to before That Hashtag Girl began - what were the key moments that led you to starting your own business?

I had wanted to start my own freelance agency for years but never felt confident to give it a go.

Working in the tourism industry and watching COVID decimate it in a matter of weeks I felt it was time to take my future into my own hands and so I finally decided to make the leap and launch my website. The website sat live with no promotion for weeks before I even started to tell people about it, let alone find business, but once I posted about it on my socials it all started to fall into place.

// What would you say to any women reading this who are thinking of taking that same plunge?

I would say that thinking about it is just as important as doing it! I spent months and months just thinking about what I wanted to do and would talk it out with people I trusted and respected before I finally started out.

From somewhat trivial things like what to call my business to who I wanted to approach to work with, everything took time to work through and those moments weren’t wasted at all.

It’s also so important to find people who you can thrash ideas around with. Having a good cross section of opinions of people that you respect and trust is crucial and will mean you rarely feel alone!

// What are you looking forward to as your business continues to evolve in the coming years?

I’ve recently got a new boss, my newborn son Benny! So, I’m very much looking forward to working out how to navigate business life as a new mum.

I’ve also been looking at my business' offering and I’m keen to extend our services further utilising skills within the team. That will mean that my team can do things that they are good at and love doing while helping my clients, and the business can thrive without me there in the weeds!

To read Emily's acceptance speech in full, follow this QR code.

Discover more about That Hashtag Girl at thathashtaggirl.com

Kristie Kemp, The Picnic Tribe, was the People's Choice Winner of The Emerging Woman in Business Award in 2021.

THE EMERGING SA WOMAN AWARD

2022 Finalists

What key moments led you to being in your current role? I have always wanted to be a nurse ever since I was a child, playing dress ups with my 5 siblings. I was in my final year completing my nursing when I was suddenly diagnosed with epilepsy and had to cease studying. After 9 years of being a patient, I went back to study to finish my nursing degree and although this meant I had to redo all my nursing studies, it was worth it. I am now living my dream as a registered nurse with the understanding of what it is like to be a patient.

What has been your biggest triumph in your career? I would have to say completing my studies no matter what barriers were placed in my way and becoming a registered nurse would be my greatest triumph. Especially this year when I completed my post graduate studies in renal nursing whilst being 32 weeks pregnant, in ICU with COVID for 5 days then a further 9 days in hospital, then giving birth to my baby girl early only to submit my final essay and complete the course. It shows that with determination and support anything is achievable.

What is the biggest thing you have learnt?

I have learnt that the impact one person can have on another cannot be underestimated. It may sound corny but something as simple as listening to someone and being that ear can have a huge impact on someone’s wellbeing. As a nurse I find this is so important, when you truly listen to someone’s story, the challenges they face and what they think/feel, you gain valuable insight into the person as an individual and have a much better ability to help that person and deliver the care that the person needs.

KATIE CROSS, SA HEALTH

Katie Cross is a mum of three beautiful children (one born in May this year), who works as a Registered Nurse in a dialysis ward and has a passion for providing the most up-to-date renal knowledge to her patients. She completed post graduate studies in Renal Nursing in June this year with the goal of providing that knowledge to her patients and to improve health outcomes for patients with end stage renal disease.

To connect with Katie Cross and discover more about her, follow this QR code.

What key moments led you to starting your business? My story is like an Eton Mess; a sweet dessert invented by a hyperactive Labrador who squashed a strawberry pavlova in a picnic basket... In 2020 I brought Your Estate Lawyer to life after losing my "real lawyer" job. Along with the need for an impressive wardrobe of power suits, losing my job also meant completely losing trust in the disputes focused legal industry. After drawing up thousands of wills that were designed to set families up to fail, or defending wills written to be used as a weapon after death, I felt people deserved better. From my very first client I have been firmly focused on preventative law; using my legal experience for good not evil by helping people change their minds (not their hearts) about what kind of legacy they want to leave behind. Creating a business where my chaotic Labrador personality is let off the leash and is allowed to put its muddy paws over all things, which makes people feel comfortable enough to talk about the hard thing in life, is the fresh strawberries in the sweet pavlova mess.

What is the biggest thing you have learnt from being in business? I am enough. My entire life I've been told I'm too much; too big, too loud, too sassy, too smart, too emotional, too sweary, too funny (ok, so nobody ever told me I was too funny)... Birthing Your Estate Lawyer has taught me I am all the things I need to be to achieve what I want to achieve in business and life.

In 5 years from now, what would you love to be celebrating? I can't wait to be celebrating the normalisation of end-of-life planning and talking about death no longer being considered a conversation to be had in hushed tones behind closed doors. I'll be celebrating bringing Morty (my digital safe deposit box) to life, Mortified (the death conversation card game currently in development), This Is Your Death (where unsuspecting punters are faced with tricky questions about their life), Death Over Dinner (where you eat and I talk), and all the other crazy death normalising things I have swirling around in my brain, to life. Most of all I'll be celebrating all the lawyers who have flipped the bird at disputes focused law and come towards the prevention focused light.

FIONA SHILTON, YOUR ESTATE LAWYER

Fiona Shilton is on a mission to stop people from making a mess of their death and lining the pockets of dispute-focused lawyers. As Your Estate Lawyer, Fiona is changing the conversation around death with down-to-earth, client-focused, BS-free, comedy-rich, in-yourhome estate planning, estate administration and death coaching. Fiona’s unique and bighearted approach to discussing life's significant issues has helped make end-of-life planning a safe, empowering, and life-changing experience for hundreds of families and individuals across Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills who now consider themselves card-carrying members of the Strong Willed movement.

To connect with Fiona Shilton and discover more about her work, follow this QR code.

THE EMERGING SA WOMAN AWARD

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received about being in business? Having never had close family or friends in business, I didn't realise that starting a business could be a viable option for me. I believed I needed a business degree or much more financial capital to even start. The best piece of advice I received was from my mentor and previous boss, Matt Waller, who called me on a day that I was wallowing around after losing work (with another employer) to COVID. He simply said "Just start your own business!". I Insisted that I couldn't, but he insisted harder that I could. "You don't need much money. Just start small and build it bit by bit!". And so I am. Sometimes we just need that permission to go after what we want, and I love now being able to pay that forward by giving other women permission to take time for themselves through outdoor adventure.

What obstacles and opportunities have you found from being a woman in business? The beauty and opportunity I have found in running a business in South Australia is that we are all about networking, collaborating, and helping each other to raise the profile of not only our businesses, but also of our wonderful state. Starting out in business felt very lonely, but it now feels like I am a part of many supportive communities such as SAW, the Tourism Industry Council of SA, the Outdoor Education industry, groups of wellness coaches, and women's networks like The Spence Club. It has been beautiful to use business to work with likeminded women to achieve shared goals.

What change do you want to see for women in your industry? I would firstly love to see more First Nations women leading outdoor experiences, and I hope to be part of that movement in offering traineeships and opportunities to help facilitate this. Secondly, I want to see more women in leadership roles within the outdoor field, so that there will no longer need to be fringe or niche groups like "She Paddles" and "She Sails" to encourage women into outdoor clubs, because the culture of clubs will be authentically welcoming to all genders. Thirdly, I would love for all tourism to be "sustainable tourism", so that it is no longer seen as an additional badge of honour for businesses. Contributing meaningfully and positively to people and planet should be the standard for any business to operate, and I believe we are slowly, but surely moving in that direction.

ELISE LAVERS, ENLIVEN OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

Enliven Outdoor Adventures aims to inspire, lower barriers and create opportunities for women and girls to get outdoors. We want to help more women to reap the benefits of outdoor adventure for their body, mind, soul and planet. By having positive experiences in nature, our guests will then have a greater affinity with nature, and will be more inclined to help protect it. We fulfil our aims by offering small-group and beginner-friendly stand up paddle boarding, kayaking and bushwalking experiences, lessons and retreats for women in stunning South Australian locations such as Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna, Meru and Adnyamathanha Country.

To connect with Elise Lavers and discover more about her business, follow this QR code.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received about being in business?

Believe in yourself and your magnetic magic. Magic takes courage, so be brave and show everything.

What do you love most about being in business and your role?

I love meeting new people and showing them how wonderful The Park and our region are.

I get so much joy from watching the positive flow on effect from the great work we do at The Park to our community.

I get comments from community members and business owners congratulating me on what I have achieved and thanking me for the benefit that our community is experiencing from our increased business.

I cannot help but walk around with the biggest smile on my face.

I love being a positive role model for my children, especially my daughters. Showing them that they can be an awesome boss lady whilst having fun when they are older.

Throughout the ups and downs, how have you stayed true to your vision?

I am incredibly fortunate to have found inspiring like-minded friends and staff along with my family who have all been (and still are) supportive of my business and its future vision.

Everyday, this supportive community I have surrounded myself with keep me in-check and help steer me back on track when I start to stray from my vision, which can creep up without warning when you live a busy life as I do.

I am open and honest and willing to seek support from my community.

I keep my business plan close by and evaluate regularly to ensure my decision making is in-line with The Park's mission and vision statements.

ALI COOPER, THE PARK JAMESTOWN

Nestled on the banks of the Belalie Creek underneath magnificent River Gums, The Park Jamestown is a place of tranquillity where guests can unwind, reconnect, and explore. Just 200km north of Adelaide, The Park offers a variety of accommodation options from caravan/tent sites, studio cabins, family cabins to high-end villas. Our friendly staff are ready to welcome you on your next getaway to the Southern Flinders Ranges.

To connect with Ali Cooper and discover more about her business, follow this QR code.