Women in regional areas face a unique set of challenges so one is making it her mission to inspire others to succeed in establishing their own businesses.
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In her former corporate life, Berringa resident Sarah Walkerden would spend about six hours travelling to and from the city each day to earn enough to pay the mortgage on her family's property to keep them financially afloat.
But it was when she became a mum to two children that it became what she described as "a living nightmare".
"I'd leave home by 6.30am and not be home until almost 8pm - and then spent most of the evening and nights tending to a toddler and a screaming baby who were exhausted from childcare and who struggled to sleep," Ms Walkerden said. "I was constantly exhausted and suffered from severe anxiety."
It was this unsustainable lifestyle and the lack of well-paying jobs suitable to her skill level in her local area that led her down the path to becoming a small business owner.
She now spends her time on her 70-acre property, about 35 minutes from Ballarat, with her children and horses and runs her business from her home.
"It's been a bumpy road with lots of highs and lows and trial and error, but I now have the freedom and flexibility I craved for myself and my two kids," she said.
"I work from home, around school hours and activities, so I'm there for them when they need me.
"It's also given us as a family far greater income potential. There literally aren't any limits on what your business can earn when you get smart about managing your time and how your business operates."
It is the lessons she has learnt along the way that she wishes to share in a new collaborative book she is curating - tentatively titled 'Rural Business Women - Advice and inspiration to grow your business from regional Australia'.
The book will be a compilation of stories and advice from 20 different Australian women, all who run businesses from rural, regional and remote areas.
The seed for the idea was planted in her mind when she became involved in another book collaboration with a group of business mums around Australia.
It was during this project that she realised that there had never been a book written featuring the successes of rural businesswomen.
"There's so many of us rural women out there running successful businesses and I think we deserve a bit of representation."
Ms Walkerden - a copywriter and digital marketing specialist who runs The Rural Copywriter - hopes that by sharing her own story and those of other women that she can inspire and empower other women.
By focusing on the unique set of challenges that women in regional areas face, including potential limit access to business support, Ms Walkerden hopes the book will give other women the confidence and knowledge they require to create or grow their own businesses - regardless of where they live.
"Women in rural areas have, in the past, been somewhat limited financially by the traditional employment options available to them locally - and even more so, if they have young families to care for," she said.
Explaining that her story is just one example, she said others live in larger regional centres but simply want more flexibility to do something that they love on their own terms.
"Others live on huge farms and stations - and rather than just relying on the (sometimes unpredictable) income from the family farm, they want to create something else for themselves, both financially and creatively.
"Some, simply want to work their own hours, around their kids, from anywhere they choose.
"It's all about giving other women the confidence to go into business and chase their dreams and see what they can do because when you're so isolated, out in the middle of nowhere, it's hard to fathom how you can get started with a business, so the more support that is out there, the better."
It's all about giving other women the confidence to go into business and chase their dreams and see what they can do because when you're so isolated, out in the middle of nowhere, it's hard to fathom how you can get started with a business, so the more support that is out there, the better.
- Sarah Walkerden
To other women who may wish to start their own business, Ms Walkerden encouraged them to find support networks online with people on similar journeys to seek advice from.
A passionate group of authors - including one woman who runs a camel riding business - are already eagerly participating in the project, while a professional publisher is also involved to provide guidance, support and to handle the publishing process.
But Ms Walkerden is still looking for more women to participate.
"Ideally we'd love to find the minimum of 20 rural women, to ensure we capture a broad range of backgrounds, locations, experiences, types of business and skillsets - to create a powerful book that can cover everything from mindset, finances, marketing and more.
"That way, we hope to show other rural women just how possible it is to start and grow a successful business from regional Australia - and to go after their dreams."
Each woman will contribute a chapter to the book, including their story and their greatest lessons and advice - thereby also becoming published authors.
The book will be released later this year and will be available to purchase both as a hardcopy in bookstores across the world and online.
For more information on becoming involved as a contributing author, contact Sarah or fill out the expression of interest form at: https://forms.gle/C62KhmkTkcFHc7aC9