Global entrepreneurial hub Inspiring Rare Birds recently launched its nationwide ambassador events program for the Illawarra and Shoalhaven.
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As part of the event at Lagoon Seafood Restaurant the 2016 IWIB Illawarra Business Women of the Year Lisa Burling, of LBPR, and Aetus founder Lauren Beaufils were named as Rare Birds’ Ambassadors for the region.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery and Inspiring Rare Birds’ founder and chief executive Jo Burston performed the official opening.
Ms Burston launched Rare Birds in 2015 after travelling around schools in Australia asking young girls what they thought an entrepreneur was. Most of them had no idea and the few that did said “a man”. As a result Ms Burtson walked away from that national school tour determined to create change and opportunity for women in entrepreneurship. She created Inspiring Rare Birds with the vision to see a global community of one million women entrepreneurs by 2020. Her mission is to give every woman globally the opportunity to become an entrepreneur by choice.
Ms Burston said “entrepreneurship should be a choice that’s available to women globally, not just to those in big cities where resources are plentiful”.
“Entrepreneurs learn from each other and the notion of solving each other’s problems can occur anywhere, as long as there is a way to connect,” she said.
“The most powerful way of achieving this is face-to-face, within a community.”
Ms Burston described Ms Burling is an exceptional entrepreneur who “totally embodies the values of Rare Birds with her genuine connection to community, passion for women entrepreneurship and desire to not simply send the elevator back down, but to fill it with the tools and resources Rare Birds offers to help other women grow themselves and their businesses”.
Cr Bradbery said Ms Burling contributed much to the Illawarra community.
Inspiring Rare Birds has the support of many leading female entrepreneurs around the world.
They include Canva co-founder and chief executive Melanie Perkins, MECCA Brands founder Jo Horgan and kikki K owner Kristina Karlsson.
The Rare Birds Ambassador events program enables people running their own businesses to connect with high calibre entrepreneurs and individuals.
The second Rare Birds event in the Illawarra region will be held in Wollongong on June 8.
It will help provide entrepreneurs with the learning, tools and resources they need to handle the real-life challenges they face in their businesses right now.
Ms Burling said it was an amazing honour to be a Rare Birds ambassador.
“I believe that geographical location is no limit to the dreams women can realise both professionally and personally,” she said.
“Rare Birds equips, encourages and enables women entrepreneurs to be all they can be, backed by a global network of highly driven and passionate women, and men, who want to leave the world better than when we arrived. For the Illawarra and Shoalhaven to have direct connectivity to the powerhouse that is Inspiring Rare Birds is a gift and I am dedicated to ensuring our region makes the most of this opportunity.”
Inspiring Rare Birds in the Illawarra will provide businesswomen with access to mentoring, funding and education opportunities.
The goal is to have 100 Rare Bird Ambassadors in the world by the end of 2017 and as many as 500 events a year throughout Australia, Asia, the UK and US.
“Women and men of all diversities see the importance of creating social and economic impact in their region with entrepreneurship being the vehicle to do so. We have been totally blown away by the support for Rare Birds and the people putting up their hand to drive local participation of entrepreneurship,” Ms Burston said.