Australia’s national women-focused business chamber is running an online survey to find out what women in business want and need to run a profitable business. The Australian Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI) hopes to hear from many of the 700,000 women it says run their own small businesses in Australia.

The Women in Business Poll is available through the AWCCI website at:

www.awcci.org.au

It takes about 10 minutes to complete the survey and it is open to any woman who owns an Australian registered business – whether they run it alone or with a partner, family, board or advisory committee. Size of the business is irrelevant, as is its location (it can be rural, regional or urban). The survey will be available until 19 December and a final report is expected in February 2012.

According to the recently-released 2011 Bankwest Business Trends Report, women launched nearly twice as many new businesses in the past year as men, and over a five year period women’s business growth rates (7%) more than tripled men’s (1.9%). Although more men than women run their own organisations, women still represent a third of small to medium business owners (446,000 women out of 1.3 million SME owners) and therefore provide important economic and community benefits. An investigation into their specific business needs and challenges would seem warranted.

women launched nearly twice as many new businesses in the past year as men … and women represent a third of all small to medium business owners

The AWCCI believes a comprehensive national research project such as the Women in Business Poll will help identify issues that are important to this growing sector. Survey results will offer state-by-state breakdowns, providing industries and governments with useful information to shape future policies, practice and programs that support women in business and female entrepreneurs.

The independent, non-profit research centre The Reibey Institute (The Australian Research Institute for Women’s Leadership) is leading the research project. It has received financial support from the Federal and NSW Governments and a range of support sponsors.

The Australian Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI) was launched this year on International Women’s Day (8 March) to give women in business a voice in shaping policy and to promote women’s participation in the business sector. It is chartered to instigate research, promote trade and commerce, and advocate for gender equality in business. More information can be found at the AWCCI website.