Women Lead the Way

PRESS RELEASE
12 July 2011

Women Lead the Way

Women entrepreneurs were the feature attraction of the fourth annual New Zealand Small Business Summit held in Auckland on 24 June. Both keynote speakers, Naomi Ballantyne of Partners Life and Sharon Killen of getapartybus, told inspirational stories of their pathway to success and imbued attendees with the conviction that “you can do it too!”

Naomi Ballantyne founded Partners Life after driving the success of two of New Zealand’s best known life insurance companies. She related her story of battling against the odds, not only on the commercial front but with her health, and gave a message and challenge to attendees that self-belief, courage and bravery are essential if you want to turn your vision into reality.

Sharon Killen faced challenges of the regulatory kind in getting her licensed party bus concept on the road. She discovered that not only did she and her business partner, husband Tommy, need to comply with a sea of red tape, but that the regulations were subject to constant change. Killen attributed her success to sharing her dream and vision with her employees, and in ensuring that the safety of their passengers and the integrity of their team were core, non-negotiable values of their company.

The Small Business Summit, convened by the Independent Business Foundation (IBF), is the voice and resource organisation for small and medium enterprises in New Zealand. The Summit is also an opportunity for business people to engage and debate with elected politicians (“Your chance to tell the politicians what you think!”), as well as with invited academics, business advisors, and their peers.

This year’s event included the annual debate and engagement with politicians, with David Cunliffe representing Labour, John Boscawen ACT, and David Clendon the Greens. The National Party failed to send a delegate, although two years ago Maurice Williamson acknowledged the importance of SMEs when telling the Summit, “Without a doubt small businesses are the backbone of this economy.”

Although the politicians predictably engaged in some point-scoring at the Summit, most comments were constructive and there was lively interaction from the floor. The consensus was that small business owners need to take responsibility for their success. This was echoed by research carried out independently by Dr Martina Battisti from Massey University and endorsed by Julian Smith from MYOB. They both stated that business success is all about people, their spark, perseverance and adaptability.

Dr Mike Ashby advised business owners to “let go of the ‘Man Alone’ attitude” and realise that small businesses can’t expand to the next level on their own. He warned that New Zealand is at risk of becoming a “lifestyle economy”.

There are more than 350,000 small to medium business units in New Zealand. The IBF provides a national voice on their behalf and is not aligned with any political party or pressure group. Its focus on raising the standards and enhancing the success of small and medium enterprises was well served by this year’s Summit.

ENDS

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