StartupSmart <\/em>last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not doing a new type of an existing product \u2013 it\u2019s a brand new thing. It\u2019s not so much brand awareness but solution awareness, if you like, so that\u2019s the biggest challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
7. Kylie Gentle – Design Experts<\/h2>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"iwd-7-gentle-250.jpg\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/iwd-7-gentle-250.jpg.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the co-founder of Design Experts, Kylie Gentle was recently named a nominee for Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the Asia Pacific Business Excellence Awards.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prior to Design Experts, which Kylie co-founded with her husband Tim, she worked as a housekeeper and cook on an outback cattle station.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
With long days and lots of time to spare, the Gentles began to build websites for local communities, which is how Design Experts was born.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c[In regional areas], you\u2019re dealing with a certain demographic that doesn\u2019t necessarily want to deal with a woman,\u201d Kylie says.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had to bite my tongue, regarding what I would normally say, and think about how I deliver my message.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
8. Dale Burke – What Scratch?<\/h2>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dale Burke co-founded automotive scratch repair business What Scratch? with her husband Matthew. Last year, the business appeared in the StartupSmart Awards top 50.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dale says it\u2019s her name that has proved to be the most eye-opening aspect of being female in a male-dominated industry, particularly when people speak to her for the first time over the phone.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re expecting to call a man \u2013 it\u2019s a male-dominated industry and I\u2019ve got a male-sounding name, so I get some very interesting reactions when I say, \u2018This is Dale speaking\u2019,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had people hang up on me or say, \u2018The ad said if I call this number, I would be speaking to the franchisee\u2019. I have to explain that I am the franchisee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually, I just make a joke about it and start talking about the business. After a few sentences, they realise I know what I\u2019m talking about. I have to win them over, I suppose.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
9. Lauren Staley – Infolio<\/h2>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"iwd-9-staley-250.jpg\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/iwd-9-staley-250.jpg.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shaking up an industry that can be both resistant to change and male-centric is a challenge that Lauren Staley has not shied away from.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Following a lengthy career in real estate, Staley realised there was a gap in the market for an end-to-end service that looked after the interests of all the parties involved in property transactions.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
She founded Melbourne-based buyers advocacy and property management company Infolio in 2008, also branching out into auction bidding, property negotiation and renovation guidance. Infolio is now making significant headway in the property market.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Launching just before the GFC was a chastening experience for Staley, but it allowed her to remodel the business from the ground up, aiding its future growth.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s better to start from humble beginnings,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives you more focus. When the GFC hit, it was a humbling experience. We prospered because we had to be resilient and not spend money that didn\u2019t make us money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
10. Caroline Robinson – Wheatbelt Business Network<\/h2>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Caroline Robinson lives in Woolocutty, a tiny town in the middle of WA, and is the founder of the Wheatbelt Business Network, established to promote the services of local businesses.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The WBN also provides opportunities for entrepreneurship and networking, training and education, and the advancement of women in business.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always run my community development and project management business as much as I can using online tools, email and Skype, rather than travel five hours for a one-hour meeting,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Robinson also highlights the value of having a support network to draw on, including a director\u2019s course she attended, in addition to the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know I can ring and ask any of the women I was with [during the course] or the RIRDC alumni for advice on a problem,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
5. Rebekah Campbell – Posse \u00a0 Becoming the manager of a leading band is rare enough among women, but even<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34905"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34905"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34905\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}