Women in Business Mornington Peninsula is celebrating its first year with its AGM at the Crittenden Wine Centre, hosted by association member Zoe Crittenden. Association chair and Red Gum BBQ owner Melissa Goffin reflects on the past 12 months and what they have meant for Peninsula women in business.
“The collective trauma of COVID had a few positives. In our grief and fear many of us reached out, seeking connection and support to navigate the uncharted waters. While so much of our busy lives as women is caught up in the doing, we had a moment and a desperate need to look beyond these circumstances and find solutions and connection.
“What many of us saw in these moments was that so much of our power comes from the community around us. And as small business owners and community leaders we understood the impact of our work was deeply felt in our community, and the ties that bind all of us are some of the most rewarding and critical of our daily lives. We also saw how valuable and important the work is of sharing our stories and ensuring that our decision makers were keeping us and our community at front of mind in their work.
“From this vantage and following a series of conversations with some of our founding members, Women in Business Mornington Peninsula was born with the mission to further purpose-led female businesses, supporting them to thrive and to extend our positive impacts within the community. With the help of our founding members and board we moved through all of the groundwork of establishing our association, including establishing our board of incredible local leaders and developing a powerful four-year strategy with a focus on social and environmental impact, looking for opportunities to collaborate, grow and advocate for change.
“Our first AGM marks an opportunity to reflect on our success to date. Across this past year we have grown to an active group of business and community leaders. Our businesses span every part of the Peninsula and represent a diverse range of industries. Our members are at the heart of all we do. We understand our core purpose as listening to their needs and working for them to improve their individual and collective circumstances.
“Our first year has been an extraordinary success for establishing these foundations – for connecting us to our community, developing those priorities and establishing the links for delivering on these. Our first year has given us a solid financial foundation, an engaged events program, well-established relationships and great progress within the advocacy space.
“At the end of Year 1 we are looking back with pride and gratitude, thankful for all of the contributions of our founding members, board contributors, association members, business owners, event participants and community leaders who engaged, supported and contributed. With this continued commitment and passion we are sure that Year 2 and beyond will be purposeful and powerful. We are excited to see so many local leaders joining our association and look forward to launching a range of new programs and collaborating for positive impact.
“From all of us at Women in Business MP, we thank you.”
To find out more, go to https://womeninbusiness.org.au
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