Published on October 25th, 2021 📆 | 8416 Views ⚑
0How technology & mentors can help your growing business thrive, according to entrepreneur Jo Burston
To really survive and scale in business, a platform of technology should be driving your organisation. Thatâs the advice of one Australiaâs most recognisable entrepreneurs, Jo Burston.
Sixteen years ago, when Burston founded her first company Job Capital, there was no such thing as a digital manager, and as she told Womenâs Agenda recently, she didnât know that many CTOs.
âBut now, itâs an essential part of business,â Burston says. âTo scale, you have to utilise technology.â
Jo Burston, who is the founder and MD of Job Capital, as well as the founder and CEO of mentoring program company Inspiring Rare Birds, says that technology has enabled her multiple businesses to scale over the years, whilst also keeping outgoing costs low.
âWith Job Capital, we are still under ten employees in that business and itâs a terrific business,â she says. âIâve never wanted to run big teams, Iâve always wanted to run small, effective and efficient businesses that pay for my lifestyle and pay for my goals and the things I want to do. I never had a desire to have one hundred people working for me, and thatâs where technology steps in.â
Burstonâs insights reflect the findings of recent research titled The Way We Are: Australian Women in Business, conducted by the Insights Grill and commissioned by Dell Womenâs Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) in September, that found 23 per cent of women believe technology played a key role in their business success. Itâs an indicator that leveraging tech solutions can help women get to where they want to be in their careers, especially as entrepreneurs. This is something that Burston has been highlighting in her role as a DWEN member and Dell Technologies Small Business Ambassador.
Over the past 18 months, many businesses have been hit hard. Burston has seen the reality of this through her mentoring business, Inspiring Rare Birds, where entrepreneurs have been reaching out, looking for tools, support, and events to help them navigate the ups and downs.
âItâs all about what we can do for women and their businesses, or for their leadership journey, while theyâre in troubled times,â Burston said. âWeâve grown because of that, itâs almost an essential service, for women who are trying to survive, and scale in business.â
âWe give them deep insights into what they could change to pivot in their business during Covid, with the support of a mentor. Even for businesses that didnât need to pivot but needed that person in their corner to scale and thrive and go into new markets.â
The necessity of building more mentor relationships has also been highlighted in DWENâs research, where 95 per cent of women business owners, entrepreneurs and C-suite executives said mentors were important to their careers. But there was a clear gap in people pursuing or forming these relationships, with only 58 per cent reporting they currently had a mentor.
âWe know through the research that DWEN commissioned, that there is a lack of confidence in women in business, and it still exists. Mentoring fits really neatly into how to go about changing that,â Burston said. âWhat we find through mentoring at Inspiring Rare Birds is that if you feel like you need a mentor in a certain space, itâs often the case that you need it somewhere else too â itâs often in a blind spot and you canât see it.â
In her early years of entrepreneurship, having a mentor was key to Burstonâs success, she says, and it was important as she was looking to build networks with others in the business community.
âBeing a leader in a fast-growing company can be a very, very lonely place,â she said. âNot many people really understand the concept of the mental fatigue or the psychological rollercoaster you go through when youâre building a company.â
âThe doors it opened for me, the problems it helped me solve and the networks that were built because of it, are invaluable. Big heavy doors got opened for me, that otherwise wouldnât have.â
Having a mentor, and being part of professional networks, was hugely significant for Burston, who says her self-confidence has grown exponentially over the years sheâs spent as a serial entrepreneur. She says she made it her priority to learn from others, rather than being intimidated by their success.
âThe biggest takeaway for me personally, was the change in my business confidence, and my self-confidence. And that right there is the goal.â
Itâs something sheâs incredibly passionate about, considering 90 percent of female leaders in DWENâs research believe women face biases that men do not.
In her own work, Burston has seen bias against female entrepreneurs come through, and believes itâs a problem particularly when it comes to capital raising, an issue that will be addressed at an upcoming event hosted by Jo, and supported by Kochieâs Business Builders and DWEN.
âThere still isnât the level of confidence in respect to going for the right type of funding,â Burston said. âWeâre specifically targeting that problem, to get women more comfortable in front of investors.â
Are you an entrepreneur looking to grow your business? Share with Dell Womenâs Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) what makes your business unique and how new technology would help your business. You could win up to 40K (1st prize winner), up to 20K (2nd prize winner) and up to 10K (3rd prize winner) in new tech from Dell Technologies. Terms & Conditions apply. Click here to learn more.
In total, 3 DWEN members will win new tech solutions that will take their business to the next level.
For more than a decade, the Dell Womenâs Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) has brought women entrepreneurs together from around the world to help them connect with each other, scale their businesses, and ultimately succeed. Join DWEN for free access to a network of successful women, global networking events and content tailored to you.
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