Australia’s first Gender Index Report was released at the start of this month, and the numbers on women building businesses paint a worrying picture.
While women are starting businesses in record numbers, far fewer are taking those businesses and growing them to scale.
Why?
Well, for one thing, while there’s plenty of support (think: education, mentoring, startup grants) to get businesses off the ground, there’s not so much out there for women with established businesses looking to move out of the start-up phase and build something that scales.
Basically, the system wasn’t designed to help you scale.
Here’s the good news: If you’ve built a business turning over less than $2M a year, you’re now operating in the part of the market where the report sees the biggest potential for growth.
And the data shows women-led businesses that reach scale can perform comparably with — and in some cases better than — male-led businesses.
If you’ve already built a successful business and want to take it to the next level, what can you actually do about it?
Obviously, some (a lot) of the barriers stem from structural inequity, which needs to be addressed at a societal level.
But we’re in business now, and we can’t afford to wait for unfair systems to change. So here’s what you can do right now to help yourself:
1. Build a business that doesn’t require you to do everything
Research by Women’s Agenda in 2025 identified that 63 per cent of women in business identify burnout/mental load as a top challenge.
So build a business that doesn’t require you to do everything. Set up a project management system so you can see where your time goes and what you can hand off.
Document your processes, automate repetitive work, and delegate earlier than feels comfortable, whether that’s to a team member or an AI agent.
The goal isn’t just efficiency; it’s reducing the mental load of holding everything in your head so you can step away from the business when you need to, without it falling apart.
Protect time for strategy instead of letting delivery and day-to-day operations consume every available hour.
2. Focus on profitable growth, not growth for its own sake
55 per cent of women in the Women’s Agenda 2025 survey cited the cost of doing business as a top challenge, while around 80% said inflation/cost-of-living pressures were negatively affecting their businesses.
Know which products, services and clients actually make money.
Review pricing and margins regularly, be deliberate about when to add people, software or other overheads and negotiate (and re-negotiate) supplier arrangements.
If you think there’s no point negotiating with your suppliers, think again.
Put together a contracts playbook with your essential/preferred/nice-to-have supply terms mapped out, and the language to use to ask for what you want.
3. Become finance-ready before you need finance (even if you think you’ll never need it)
Only 2 per cent of all Australian capital investment goes to all-female-founded businesses.
In a recent ASBFEO survey of women-owned and women-led businesses, 38% of respondents listed access to finance among their top 3 barriers to growth while the 2026 Gender Index Report states women’s access to finance narrows as the amount and sophistication of capital required increases.
Whether you’re seeking investment or finance, keep your financial records clean, understand your cash flow and margins, and build a buffer where possible.
Before approaching a lender or investor, know what funding options could work for your business and make sure you have a solid business plan that shows your business structure, key contracts, IP and financial information are in order.
Take yourself seriously, because if you don’t, no one else will.
4. Get commercially ready for bigger opportunities
51 per cent of women surveyed by Women’s Agenda in 2025 cited sourcing clients and customers as a top challenge.
Build relationships and referral channels before you urgently need them.
Make sure you know who your ideal customers are, so you can get clear on how you can attract more of them.
Know which opportunities to say yes to and price your offerings so they are profitable.
Don’t forget to make sure you’re legally ready: have clear contracts, payment terms and IP arrangements sorted out well ahead of time.
When a significant opportunity arrives, make sure your business can say “yes” without taking on unnecessary risk.
5. Build infrastructure ahead of the next stage
While hiring and reinvestment intentions are high (85 per cent of women surveyed in 2025 planned to hire within the following year and 80% were investing in scaling), 20 per cent said that talent acquisition and retention was a top challenge.
Treat the first employee, major contractor, new business partner or significant customer as a business transition—not simply another task.
Get the right agreements, IP ownership, confidentiality, decision-making processes and operational systems in place before complexity compounds.
Lean on professional support to ease the compliance burden and reduce risk.
6. Don’t try to navigate every major decision alone
ASBFEO reported unconscious bias as a recurring barrier, including assumptions that affect access to finance, government procurement, and other opportunities.
Australian Government consultation identified weaker professional networks and reduced access to mentors and role models as barriers for female founders.
Build an advisory network around the business and get specialist advice at points of significant change.
Connect with potential advisors online. LinkedIn and Instagram are excellent, accessible platforms that can help you expand your network easily without having to hire a babysitter or miss bedtime.
And recognise that asking for advice isn’t a sign that you don’t know what you’re doing—it can protect the value you’ve already created.
Turning the barriers into opportunities
Not every woman wants or needs to build a bigger business. But the women who want to grow should have the opportunity to do it.
While we work to change the systems that created the scaling cliff, we can do things now to make our businesses stronger and better prepared for whatever comes next.