Harnessing an entrepreneurial mindset for the future of business in New Zealand

It all began when Catherine van der Meulen moved from Australia to the Awatere Valley, Marlborough earlier this year and began to connect to more like minded women across New Zealand. These women were all running successful businesses, managing multiple life roles and doing something for the greater good for the world.

At the same time, Catherine was building key and influential relationships with organisations that had a strong relationship to New Zealand women including ASB, UN Women NZ, Helloworld, Jaguar, Rhind, Dilmah Tea, NZ Post and Crombie Lockwood and began to cultivate and craft ideas of how to bring the two areas together in a meaningful way.

This crafting has culminated into a series of activations titled Entrepreneurial Women with Purpose to bring women, business women and entrepreneurs together to share stories with strong call to actions, harness education for an entrepreneurial mindset and create meaningful partnerships for future innovative ventures.

But what does it take to be an Entrepreneur?

New Zealand women shared with Entrepreneurial Women with Purpose that an entrepreneur is a leader and a risk taker (calculated of course). Someone who is searching for the possible in the impossible, who has diversified interests and who uses innovation and creativity to enhance the world for the greater good.

It takes a unique mindset to harness an entrepreneurial spirit but it’s not just for the select few and by giving women the tools to harness these abilities within them, supporting them to challenge their limiting beliefs and engaging them to think big and bold.

The project however goes far deeper than a series of activations and influential women talking about their stories with a vision to create a Women’s Impact Investment Fund which would offer growth capital to businesses who deliver social and or environmental impact alongside financial returns. The growth of Impact Investments globally reflects an increased desire for investors to make values based investment decisions.

In the interest of investment, Entrepreneurial Women with Purpose plans to invest up to

$30 000 over the next 12 months into the UN Women New Zealand projects for economic empowerment of women in the Pacific.

Entrepreneurial Women with Purpose is brought to life through the support of THiNK, De Luca & Co, Helloworld, Jaguar, Rhind and Dilmah Tea.