Launching The Sista Collective to Empower and Connect Australian Women
The conversations around female ability, success and equality are becoming more compelling and more powerful every day. One exciting Australian project, which is all about collaboration, connection, support and empowerment of women, launched on 8th March 2019. And what better day, given it was International Women’s Day?
The Sista Collective is an Australian directory for female-owned and operated services. Founder, Becky Hughes says, ‘The Sista Collective has been 12 months and 42 years in the making! I had the idea to create a supportive hub for all Australian women to create their trusted tribe of services. I’ve also felt passionate and outraged in equal measure about equality for women, or the lack of it, ever since I can remember. The tide is turning and every voice, every positive choice and step forward is important.’
The purpose of The Sista Collective directory is to enable women to find and connect with women in business; from plumbers to dentists, health practitioners to financial planners, architects, landscapers, lawyers, graphic designers and more. Becky says, ‘Women are supportive and collaborative by nature. There is a desire amongst women to support their female counterparts in business. So often I see shout outs in forums and Facebook groups looking for a specifically female run service, however they can be difficult to find. The Sista Collective is a central place to go and find your village, a tool to help make those connections easy and intuitive.’
The Sista Collective is about creating a movement that spans Australia, that can bring Women together in a safe, authentic, supportive community. It gives women in business a voice and a means to connect with an engaged female audience. Becky says, ‘My aim is to fuel the growth of the female economy. To create the platform to bring together all the amazing Australian women in business and mobilise women Australia-wide to make an active choice to work with them.’
So why just women you might ask? Isn’t it just the best person for the job!? Becky says, ‘This is not about saying women should only work with women. The point of The Sista Collective is about choice and redressing the balance. There are still significant gender gaps in pay, capital invested in female-owned businesses, women in executive positions and the perceived value of women in many industries. The Sista Collective is part of the movement to change the conversation and elevate female businesses because they have the merits and track record to warrant that recognition.’
Many women want to work with other women. Not exclusively, but in particular circumstances it’s a preference. Whether that’s because they feel they’ll get a more relevant, empathetic service or they’re looking for a sense of sisterhood and connection. Some women may feel less vulnerable working with a woman, or they’re motivated to support women in business. Whatever the reason, The Sista Collective is about facilitating choice and allowing women to connect if it’s what they want to do.
‘Our ethos of creating a respectful, equitable, enriching female community is central to The Sista Collective,’ says Becky. ‘However, it’s also been really important to me to create a great user experience, both for those searching and the businesses listing. The website will be easy to search and professionally presented. A lot of time has been invested in achieving that. I want to create something worthy of the amazing businesses it represents; a platform the whole community involved can be proud of.’
The theme for International Women’s Day 2019 was #BalanceforBetter and The Sista Collective is certainly doing its bit to promote the rise of the Female Economy and drive gender balance in Australia. You can join the tribe by visiting the www.thesistacollective.com.au.