Online businesses go gangbusters for rural women

For women in the bush in particular setting up and running an online business is giving them an outlet that was just not possible years ago.

Many are finding their online businesses give them a chance to be creative and get paid for that creativity. It also gives them a break from parenting and reduces their isolation from the rest of the world.

For some, their online businesses are going gangbusters and they've been surprised at how quickly they have grown while, for others, their online business is more of a part-time activity that offsets the cost of their hobby.

Small business specialist Darren Smith of Kennas Chartered Accountants in Rockhampton said it was quite easy to set up an online business, but recommended people get advice from the beginning on the basics of marketing, structuring to their accounting systems and taxation.

Mr Smith said only a small amount of online businesses made a lot of money which was why he suggested people did a simple business plan to outline their strategy.

"For some people, if their goal is to make a couple of thousand dollars a year, fantastic, and if they can achieve that goal and they're doing it without much advice along the way, that's great...if they want to start turning it into a proper business and making $30,000, $40,000 or $50,000 a year, they they really need to think about how they're going to structure their business and do it properly," he said.

Abbie Lewis, Bush Mits

Originally from the United Kingdom, Abbie Lewis never imagined her life would revolve around the online sale of hard wearing, but colourful work gloves for bushies.

But, it was while she was working as a jillaroo and fencing on a cattle property, Clonagh, in the Gulf, near Cloncurry, that the idea for the gloves was born.

Now running her online business, Bush Mits, from a friend's home in Charleville, Abbie said she came up with the idea for the mits when her hands were getting "destroyed" while out in the sun fencing.

She said the idea was to do the gloves with a really fun design which provided good protection for people's hands whether it was picking up hot metal, sharp things or out in the sun.

The 29-year-old designs the patterns for the gloves, has them manufactured overseas, sells them online and packs all the orders in Charleville. As yet, she is not drawing a wage as she wants to grow the business.

Launched in March 2023, the business has exceeded all her expectations with women, children and men all buying them.

"The support I have received has been phenomenal...demand is ridiculous and I often sell out," she said.

Abbie said she was initially expecting to sell five pairs of mits a week, but just in the last week (in December) sold 200 pairs of gloves.

"The launch was very successful and it's just continued to go from strength to strength," she said.

Naomi Hansen of NLH Leather & Straps

Now living in Charters Towers, Naomi Hansen started her business while she and her husband, Scott, were working at a beef breeding property, Yarrowmere Station, near Pentland.

Naomi makes leather gear that's "durable and hard wearing" such as dress belts, water bottle holders, halters and bridles.

The mother of two daughters - Sophie (6) and Chloe (2) - Naomi said she started the business as a dream she had had since she was 16, working on a property where her boss was an avid leather crafter.

But, it wasn't until 18 months ago, when she was pregnant with her second daughter and more restricted to the homestead that she started researching different types of leather, techniques and sewing.

Then in October last year, she visited Lanskey's Saddlery in Townsville and came out with $700 worth of tools to start making leather gear and she hasn't stopped since officially launching her business online in March.

"I was just making them as a hobby for friends and family, but decided to take the step and go out as a business and now have customers Australia wide. A few belts that I have made have actually gone to the UK this year," she said. She has also sent orders to WA and the Northern Territory.

The business has grown so quickly she has stopped hand sewing all her orders and bought a crank-handled sewing machine to get the job done quicker.

Naomi, 34, said she did not have a huge network where she was living when she first started so went online to get her name out there and it had travelled across Australia and overseas in less than a year.

Like a lot of others, Naomi only uses social media to promote her business, but plans to get a website in the new year to "ramp things up a little bit more".

"It was a trial and error this year to see how it would go and it's proven it's worth pursuing, so next year I will be making things a bit bigger."

Jess Edwards, Photography by Jess Edwards

Living on a Wagyu breeding property, Fleetwood, at Wowan, 80 km out of Rockhampton, Jess Edwards looks after three children, Nate (12), Georgie (10) and Braxdon (8), helps her husband, Trent, on farm and runs her photography business which kicked off online.

In her 10^th year now of being in business, her 8^th year full time, Jess, 36, said she had always loved photography and was originally only taking photos of anything to do with the property and the sale of bulls.

"And then one day I photographed a family friend and her family and I put the photos on Facebook for her to look at and from there another family messaged me...that's where it really grew and it really grew quickly," she said.

"It wasn't very long after that I decided I could make a business out of this so I invested in some good equipment and invested in myself and a good education on what I wanted to learn.

"It was about six months after that I was asked to do a wedding and I fell in love with weddings...weddings were definitely my niche, country weddings in particular and that's how my business grew."

Jess said the quickest way for a new business to be seen and recognised was online through social media.

She suggested quality posts over quantity when promoting a business online, and that "you need to have direction and purpose with your business".

Anna Tindall, Anna Tindall Graphic Design

Anna Tindall's graphic design business started after her first child, Clancy, was born last year and her sister needed a logo for her new AirBnB.

Living on a cattle property, Rookwood Station, Hughenden, and restricted in what activities she could do as a young mum, Anna needed an outlet from parenting so, without any formal training in graphic art, offered to design the logo for her sister.

"I sent some ideas through to her and she really loved what I did," she said.

"So I kicked it off from there and it grew and grew and grew...and with the good side of social media it's just continued to grow."

Anna said she would now spend about seven hours a day on the business which had turned out to be "extremely profitable".

"My tips for anyone starting out is to back yourself, throw yourself in to it wholeheartedly and believe that the work you are creating is great and people are appreciative."

Anna said she had no regrets at all about setting up her business which now has clients throughout Australia from as far afield as Perth and Broome, and South Australia.

Chelsea Smith, Little Pearlers

On Strathroy Station, a 16,592 ha droughtmaster cross breeding block, near Hughenden, in between raising three daughters, Violet (10), Ada (8) and Mary (5), working on the property with her husband, Ashley, and working part time as a teacher's aide, Chelsea Smith has revived her skills as a jeweller.

And, her business, Little Pearlers, officially went online through social media in September 2016 attracting customers from as far away as the UK and Perth.

"I do gold and silver smithing...and I've taught myself how to string pearls which I really enjoy...I've just got a real love of pearls now which I didn't have before because I thought they were old ladies things when I was younger," she said.

"I use mainly fresh water pearls...I get them from Japan, China...I've got some Akoya pearls, some Tahitian pearls and I've used Paspaley pearls a couple of times, but to have them in stock, people need to order them."

Chelsea, 42, said the majority of her inquiries and orders came through Facebook although she did set up a stall at different events such as field days, race meetings and markets to get her name out there.

She said Facebook was one of the easier social media tools to use.

"As soon as I do a post on Facebook, I pretty much sell half of everything I put up...it spreads like wildfire," she said.

"Getting on Facebook (to sell her jewellery) fuels my hobby."

Angie Nisbet, Married to the Land Podcast

At Landsborough Downs, a cattle, sheep and goat property, 80km south of Hughenden, Angie Nisbet, 36, started her podcast in 2019, not long after having her second child.

"I was just sitting at home twiddling my thumbs and I don't like being bored so I just wanted...a business that I could run from home remotely and get back into the agricultural and rural community ," she said.

Married to Sam and mother to three children - Hugo (6), Tilli (4) and Elka (2) - Angie said she had just started monetising the business through advertising, sponsorship, guest speaking and emceeing.

"I just talk about living rurally and rural women and sharing their stories through the podcast...and also just bridging the gap between metropolitan areas and living rurally," she said.

"And (I talk about) agriculture and the big part it plays in supplying the nation with food and fibre."

Fifth-generation farmer Angie said the podcast started out as a passion project connecting with rural and remote women.

She said it had, however, grown very quickly and organically, especially over the last 18 months, where it had gone from being a part time hobby to where it was now a half time job between the property and podcast.

"I am making money, yes, I wouldn't say I'm making a huge amount of money - that probably wasn't why it started it in the first place, but it's grown organically enough where I have had businesses reach out to me and say they would love to advertise through my network and community," she said.