Champagne Reception launches BreakThrough Women in Business

Champagne Reception launches BreakThrough Women in Business Program™

The Breakthrough Women in Business Program™ has been officially launched with a Champagne reception at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna.

BreakThrough Business Solutions' director Fiona Clark has designed this program especially for women running their own small or medium-sized companies (SMEs) and who are serious about growing their business – without having to sacrifice a life outside of work. It is believed to be the only program of its kind in New Zealand, offering three levels of support – Start Up Success™, Business Breakthrough™ and Breakthrough Elite™ – to guide women all the way from day one of their venture right through to the pinnacle of business efficiency and excellence.

An essential part of this is planning for a serious but often overlooked business issue: the exit strategy. In a survey carried out by MYOB at the end of 2014, 61% of SME owners said they did not have any plan in place for exiting their operation1.

The majority of Fiona Clark's clients would likely fall into this category. They are busy running a moderately successful business, but they need it to operate more smoothly whilst they themselves work fewer hours.

Fiona explains, "In order for a business to be saleable, it has to operate effectively in its director's absence. I guide my clients through this, gradually. We streamline the processes and ramp things up for a 6 or 7 figure income. Then we can package it up for sale."

"There's no quick fix though!" she adds. "If you want a great result, you have to take a long-term view and start the process as soon as possible in your business plan."

The importance of this approach seems even more significant when considered in connection with research conducted by ANZ, which found that women are feeling considerably less confident about reaching their retirement savings goals than their male counterparts. In fact, only 34% of women questioned felt that they were on track for their target2.

"There's some common sense to this," comments Fiona, "when you consider that 85% of NZ women take a break from work to raise a family. Unfortunately though, what also affects these results is that women are (overall) still paid less than men. Even more reason then to be brave, believe in yourself and make that great business idea a reality!"

Currently SMEs account for 97% of all NZ enterprise3 and 41% of these are run by women4. Fiona Clark has worked with more than 125 SMEs, and it was as a direct result of repeatedly hearing the same questions and dealing with similar challenges – especially about work-life balance – that the Breakthrough Women In Business Program™ was originally created.

Time management expert Robyn Pearce recently chose Fiona to be a guest on her WebTalkRadio.net show, "Getting a Grip on Time – How to do more with less." Fiona shared, in Robyn's words, "really practical tips to help small businesses catapult their success." These included smart time-efficient ways to get the right clients, to keep those clients, to get better sales, and simple systems that support long-term business growth, without having a detrimental effect on home & family life.

ends

© Scoop Media