The challenges of motherhood were the inspiration behind Adventure Snacks founder and Perth resident Tracey Davidson’s decision to start her own small business, and she’s part of a long-term growing trend of women who are doing so.
The challenges of motherhood were the inspiration behind Adventure Snacks founder and Perth resident Tracey Davidson’s decision to start her own small business, and she’s part of a long-term growing trend of women who are doing so.
Ms Davidson previously worked in events for a local government in Perth, but began her business journey 18 months ago in a bid to promote healthy and natural foods for young people.
The 29 year old found owning her own business was much more flexible, and as a full-time mum, she works on the business when her four-year-old son is at kindergarten about five days a fortnight.
“After my son was born, life changed,” Ms Davidson told Business News.
“I was looking for something that would be flexible … being around for him.
“Also, I started getting a deep interest in food; I started to look at what was really in food.
“There wasn’t a lot around that was what I would call real food ingredients, there was a lot of really processed, lots of sugar and salt and those kind of things.”
Now she makes baking mixes and has a range of dried fruits, with an emphasis on nutrition.
“When you’re a parent you try to hide vegetables wherever you can,” Ms Davidson joked.
After relying largely on online sales and weekend markets, Ms Davidson is now working on expanding into supermarkets and contracting a packing company.
That will get a boost when her son starts school full time and she has more time to devote to it.
She's aiming to double sales next year, after scoring some recent wins at organic and natural foodstores.
In the 20 years to 2014, the percentage of business owners who were women increased 10-fold, from 3 per cent to around 34.
About one in four startup creators were women, and a majority of women business operators were likely to be happy with their quality of life, according to the Department of Industry and Resources.
This weekend, Ms Davidson will be one of the Western Australian candidates in the national Ausmumprenuer awards, a network of businesswomen who also juggle the responsibility of motherhood.
Last year, Business News spoke to Happy Tummies creator Lisa Munro, who was second placed in the rising star category, and Casey Bryden of Sunbella, who won the business excellence award.
This year, there’s a group of WA nominees including Ms Munro, Holly Barker of Holly Barker Millinery, Meg Burrage, who created co-working space Bubdesk, and founder of book publisher Serenity Press, Karen McDermott.
Edit: Ms Davidson placd third in her category at the awards.
