{"id":42344,"date":"2023-10-20T15:20:31","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/meet-the-canberra-business-crowned-startup-of-the-year-at-the-telstra-business-womens-awards-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:20:31","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:20:31","slug":"meet-the-canberra-business-crowned-startup-of-the-year-at-the-telstra-business-womens-awards-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/meet-the-canberra-business-crowned-startup-of-the-year-at-the-telstra-business-womens-awards-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Canberra business crowned startup of the year at the Telstra Business Women\u2019s Awards – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Enabled Employment founder Jessica May was crowned the national winner in the startup category at the Telstra Business Women\u2019s Awards in Melbourne last night.<\/p>\n

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It is the first time a Canberra business has won a Telstra Business Women\u2019s Award in its 21-year history, and May says she feels \u201cvery honoured\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Her business, Enabled Employment, is an online jobs platform aimed at connecting employers with people living with a disability.<\/p>\n

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Through the business, May hopes to tackle Australia\u2019s low disability employment rate and change people\u2019s perceptions of workers with a disability.<\/p>\n

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She says despite what some people may think, people with a disability are more loyal and take less sick leave.<\/p>\n

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Australia ranks 21st out of 29 OECD countries when it comes to labour force participation for people with disabilities.<\/p>\n

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The former public servant also runs a sister site dedicated to helping veterans return to work, which was launched by former prime minister Tony Abbott back in April.<\/p>\n

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Enabled Employment has been around for about a year and has so far filled 100 jobs, snapping up partnerships with PwC and Uber along the way.<\/p>\n

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Speaking to SmartCompany<\/em> this morning, May said she is amazed at how quickly her business has grown.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI remember a year ago saying if we get just 100 jobs I think we\u2019d be doing awesome,\u201d May says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cNow I\u2019m able to pay myself. But when we launched the business we did say, \u2018why has no one done this before? It\u2019s a no-brainer\u2019, so I think that has a lot to do with its success. It should have always been here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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May says she is \u201cliving the dream\u201d now that she is working for herself.<\/p>\n

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\u201cStarting this was a massive risk and I put everything on the line,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s all about sacrifice. But my mental health is now 10 times better. Doing what you love is great. It\u2019s great to get out of bed every morning and have a purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

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As for her advice for other budding entrepreneurs, May says the most important thing is to just \u201cgo out and do it\u201d.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou can always get another job,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAnd the job you\u2019re going to get after that is always going to be better because of your experience. I\u2019ve had a richer [thanks to starting the business].\u201d<\/p>\n

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Captain Mona Shindy, a cultural advisor to the Royal Australian Navy, took out the 2015 Telstra Australia Business Woman of the Year at last night\u2019s awards.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Article originally published at www.smartcompany.com.au. Follow SmartCompany on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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