Startup to Scaling Up with Women in EO: Stories of Grit and Growth

Women in entrepreneurship are reshaping the business landscape through building, scaling and leading with resilience and purpose. EO Melbourne’s Startup to Scaling Up event placed that journey centre stage as it gathers a dynamic audience of founders, business owners, and aspiring EO members to hear directly from female leaders who’ve done just that.

The discussion pulled back the curtain on what it really takes to grow a business: the hard decisions, the high stakes, and the deeply personal wins. Fresh from the Fireside Chat with The Hon. Julia Gillard AC, the audience was treated to even more insights, this time from female EO members who are leading from the frontlines of business.

Leading the conversation was Tracy Angwin, Marketing and Partnership Director of the EO APAC Regional Council and Founder of Australian Payroll Association. Known for her straight-talking style and strategic mindset, Tracy guided the panel through the question at the heart of the event: What does it really take to grow a business and lead with impact? The answers came from four powerhouse women in EO—Dawn Piebenga (EO Sydney), Melissa Strutt (EO Perth), Leah Akoka (EO Melbourne), and Donna Guest (EO Melbourne)—each with a distinct perspective and a refreshingly honest take on the entrepreneurial journey.

The panel didn’t sugarcoat the experience. Dawn shared how she built and led a national team in the complex world of medico-legal assessments, driven by empathy and precision. Melissa opened up about building and exiting one of Perth’s largest independent agencies, while balancing family and a fierce competitive spirit. Leah lit up the room with her insights on redefining productivity through people, and Donna spoke of building a brand that blends business with beauty, creativity with commerce. The stories resonated because they were real, marked by resilience, evolution, and clarity of purpose.

Throughout the session, what stood out was not just the success, but the solidarity. These women didn’t just build businesses, they built capacity—for themselves and others. They spoke of the pivotal moments where EO helped them level up: the conversations that challenged them, the connections that pushed them forward, and the community that never let them feel alone in the climb.

That spirit of growth was echoed by James Murray, EO Melbourne’s Membership Chair, who took the stage to introduce EO’s unique ecosystem. He walked the audience through the Four Truths of EO and its Four Pillars: Forum, Events, Network, and Leadership. Together, these pillars support a holistic kind of development, one that fuels not only business success but also personal transformation. 

For those in the room, especially the women looking for more than just a business network, Startup to Scaling Up offered a glimpse of what EO truly stands for. It’s a global community that values authenticity, growth, and impact. Whether you're just starting or scaling to the next level, EO is a place where entrepreneurs grow together. Ready to find your tribe? EO is where it begins.

A look into EO Melbourne’s first half of FY 2022-2023

See what’s in store for the rest of the year

The calendar year 2022 has come to a close and we welcome the New Year 2023 with a positive outlook. For many, this is the time to look at the past year and learn from it in order to work towards a better year ahead. For several businesses and organisations, such as EO Melbourne, this marks the first half of the financial year 2022-2023, a perfect time to step up the momentum for the next six months.

The EO Melbourne Board for FY 2022-2023 has worked hard to come up with a packed Q1 and Q2 that would cater to the 360-degree needs of its member entrepreneurs. It has invited top-notch speakers and workshop facilitators who shared their inspiring stories and practical insights, which are valuable to those traversing their respective entrepreneurial journeys.

Among the notable guests that EO Melbourne had for the past six months was Jack Daly, who conducted his "The Proven Path to Hyper Sales Growth While Living a Life By Design" workshop. Other workshops that the chapter organised were the "Never Fly Economy Again" Virtual 'Point Hacks' Workshop with iFLYflat Founder and CEO Steve Hui and the "Get Your Business Out of Your Brain" Virtual Trainual workshop with Trainual Founder and CEO Chris Ronzio.

EO Melbourne also had other amazing resource speakers, such as the advisor to the advisors, Craig Ferguson who gave an insight on the Australian economy and where it is heading; Al Qaeda's longest-held prisoner and now International Speaker & Best Selling Author Steve McGown who talked about survival, the importance of making important decisions, acceptance and communication, and the concept that Freedom is an attitude; and Fable Food Co CEO and Co-Founder Michael Fox who shared the lessons he learned from the collapse of his business, Shoes of Prey, and how he applied them to Fable Food.

Some virtual events were conducted like the Virtual Masterclass Series: Everything you need to know about Offshoring and the 'Scaling and Selling a Global Digital Agency' virtual event with Andrew Collins.

EO Melbourne Members and attendees also found great insights from events like "The Deal of a Lifetime" with EO Member Ben Trinh and the myDNA event where they learned about the personalised, DNA-powered approach to their health & wellness. The chapter also conducted two Accelerator and Key Executive Learning Days, one on “Cash” and another on “Strategy”.

But it wasn’t just all about learning and workshops as members also had some fun time connecting with fellow members during the EO Exclusive Drive Day with our Strategic Alliance Partner, MB Berwick, which included a lunch at Jackalope. The chapter capped the year 2022 with its annual Christmas Long Lunch, this time, at the lush Levantine Hill. Accelerators and Key Executives also had their Christmas Party at Perry’s Club, co-founded by EO Melbourne Member Paul Ghaie.

As the year 2023 begins, the second half of FY 2022-2023 looks even more exciting as the chapter starts with the Australian Open Superbox Experience for its members. There’s also the Australian F1 Grand Prix Experience that they can look forward to in April. The third Member Connect Dinners where members can enjoy dinner in an intimate setting of 10 people are also in the works.

Other events in the pipeline are the Masterplan Workshop: The Ultimate Self-Mastery Program on Life, Leadership and Longevity, International Women’s Day with Dr Nicole Yap and the Greg Crabtree Workshop. EO Melbourne Members, Accelerators, SLP and Key Executive Forum members can look to more exciting and invigorating events in the coming months.

Moreover, the highlight of the FY 2022-2023 is the EO Melbourne Chapter Retreat, which will be held on the beautiful island of Bali in Indonesia.

Sounds exciting? If you are interested in becoming part of EO Melbourne or have someone in mind who fits the requirements of the EO Membership: founder, co-founder, owner or controlling shareholder of a company in Melbourne and surrounding areas; and holds one of the above titles for a company that grosses more than US$1 million annually, then you or the potential guest can express your interest in attending our Membership Information Night “Startup to Scaling Up” by visiting our https://www.eomelbourne.org/event2023. 

Women of EO ANZ connect with self, others and nature at the inaugural retreat

It’s a retreat like no other as 28 formidable, entrepreneurial South Pacific women from seven EO chapters in Australia and New Zealand, including one from the USA, gathered for four days in the inaugural retreat of the Women of EO ANZ.

Participants from various EO chapters, including those from EO Melbourne, travelled to the unique and beautiful Kuku Yalanji Country, which is the land of the Kubirriwarra people, as they held the Women of EO ANZ 2022 Retreat on 25-28 August at Silky Oaks Lodge at The Daintree, Queensland. With the theme of “Connect with Self, Others and Nature,” the retreat was for the Women of EO ANZ to take stock, re-invigorate and connect with themselves, each other and the natural environment. 

Staying true to its theme, the retreat was structured in a way that provided the participants with the time for reflection, connection, learning, feeding the soul and a sense of fun. The idea of a retreat stemmed from the Women of EO ANZ’s September meeting, where members expressed being overwhelmed with exhaustion and mental and emotional fatigue. They embraced the suggestion for a retreat as it aligned with the group’s goals of creating greater connections and encouraging retention of women members across Australia and New Zealand.

The retreat was facilitated by Kylee Stone of The Performance Co., who is a very successful and respected facilitator and personal development coach. The program consisted of a formal learning day, yarning circles to articulate and process learning, meditations and reflections to embed learning, and informal yarning circles to further explore topics of interest. Participants also enjoyed various activities, such as river drifting, lunch in the rainforest, indigenous art lesson, life story through song, and a silent disco.

“(It’s) such a pleasure to meet in such an incredible location amongst these beautiful women. We are truly privileged to have access to these life-changing experiences,” shared EO Melbourne Member and Mentorship Chair & Key Executive Chair Jeni Clift.

Other participants were also very satisfied with the whole experience. Here are some of their feedback:

“This was my first women’s event and I really get the value that this community has.”

“I’m going to tell every woman in my Chapter that she should join WoEO!”

“What a blessing to meet women from around Oz and NZ! – Loved our friends from across the ditch!!”

EO promotes diversity in its membership and encourages various interests among its members. In fact, EO has a program called MyEO that enables EO members to curate a tailor-made curriculum of groups and events. With MyEO, members get the exact experience they want and value and desire.

MyEO Women is a MyEO Premier Group dedicated to supporting the retention and recruitment of women to the Entrepreneurs’ Organization through building a collaborative, diverse and supportive member community that offers rich networking and learning opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

(Photos from Women of EO ANZ.)

Motivational quotes from EO Members from around the globe

“When things get exceptionally difficult to handle, I often fall back on quotes that I’ve saved or memorized for inspiration and hope.

I’ve been saving quotes for years — they’re scribbled in the inside of matchbooks, or highlighted in yellow, gems of light gathered in well-worn notebooks.

Sometimes they’re fortunes from cookies, often they’re arranged and rearranged on a bulletin board stretched on a canvas with beige linen fabric.”

- Kalika Yap, Founder and CEO of Citrus Studios and

EO Global Communications Committee Member and Member of EO Los Angeles

Quotes. We all love them. And they often come in handy when we are facing our best or even our worst situations.

A great way to start the new year is to take inspiration from entrepreneurs who have faced so many challenges and made through them with their passion and determination. Whether it’s a little push to keep you going, a new idea that you can bring to your journey or a thought that will let you take a giant leap, these nuggets of wisdom will help guide you to move forward towards your goal.

Entrepreneurial insights

It’s always good to hear the experience and learnings of other entrepreneurs, especially those who have taken the journey ahead of you. If you will browse through various EO online resources, you will find inspirational insights from EO members across the globe.

“Corporate culture is the most important asset in any business. It needs to be defined and deliberately nurtured to avoid a default culture that doesn’t serve your goals or your team.”

- Will Scott, Founder, Culture Czars® and

Finance Chair and President-Elect of EO Wisconsin

"As an entrepreneur, you have to be quite visionary. But not just visionary, you have to be willing to drive it. You have to drive it.”

- Dean Cherny, Founder and Director at Marketing Melodies and

Past President (2018-2019) of EO Melbourne

“I would tell myself: Trust yourself; have confidence in yourself. But also surround yourself with people who give you confidence — because they are so highly capable and confident themselves.”

- Melissa Harris, the CEO and founder of M. Harris & Co. and

Member of EO Chicago

“Always put one foot in front of another. Keep chipping away and pushing forward no matter how daunting things may get. Hard work pays off. As they say, if you don’t fail at something every now and then you may not be trying hard enough.”

- Andrew Pharo, CEO of Cahaba Brewing and

Strategic Alliance Chair of EO Birmingham

“ ‘You have no idea how amazing it’s going to be to see your employees grow personally and professionally.’ This has been my greatest joy in being an entrepreneur. I aggressively invest in people. And seeing them hit their stride, find their passion and thrive in our culture is beyond fulfilling.”

- Tracy Call, founder of Media Bridge Advertising and

Member of EO Minnesota

“Surround yourself with exceptional people and turn them loose. Avoid the temptation to do everything yourself and be everything to everyone. Focus on your strengths and leverage your team.”

- Kevin Tucker, CEO of SOLitude Lake Management and

Member of EO Southeast Virginia

On joining EO

Many of these entrepreneurs found great benefit and opportunity in joining the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. It has helped them in their personal and professional growth as business leaders. Read below how members from various chapters find EO relevant in their entrepreneurial journey.

"Being an EO member for almost 5 years now has been priceless to me. I have learnt to share things I couldn't before - and I didn't know the way to do it! I have gained value from entrepreneurs' experience and not from their advice - and this is the most expensive school! I have served as a Chair in the Chapter - and I have explored new ways of leadership. When I joined EO, I was thinking of it as a high-end business network. After almost 5 years in the EO, I have realized that is just the minimum!"

- Rebecca Pitsika, CEO of People for Business and

Member of EO Greece

“I joined EO because it’s a powerful international community in which I could adopt worldwide perspectives. The most important EO experience for me has been expanding my horizon on different cultures.”

- Aditya Burman, Director of Oncquest Laboratories Ltd and

Member of EO New Delhi

“EO membership inspired me to improve in every aspect of my life and to reach a better version of myself. Encountering fellow entrepreneurs enables us to consult and learn from the experience of others, which sharpens our thinking and motivation. Being part of an international organization like EO enables us to meet with entrepreneurs from around the world who are facing the same challenges, learning & growing together.”

- Galit Bar-Tal, CEO and Owner of Sycamore Group and

Member of EO Israel

“We help each other get through the trials and tribulations of starting businesses, owning businesses, and dealing with the realities of who we are and what it takes to become a successful business entrepreneur.”

- William Palisano, Lincoln Archives & LACyber and

Member of EO Western New York

“EO helped me get my business and personal goals aligned and energized me to grow my business. It has helped me with small things like dealing more efficiently with daily issues and more transformational ones like how to restructure my business to be less dependent on me.”

- Benjamin Knopp, Founder of V Coffee and

Membership Chair of EO Tokyo Metropolitan

How about you? What inspiring entrepreneurial insight can you share with us? We’d like to hear from you through the comments section below.