Finance - Women Of Influence
(ContentDesk) July 4, 2005 -- The Goddess Fortuna was the goddess of abundance who poured her cornucopia over the earth in Roman times - but it seems she's been taking a nap for a few millenia, well, for half the population anyway... But Fortuna has been woken from her heavenly slumber today by a Sydney woman, Brookes McTavish, who launched a new brand of company in Sydney, Australia. Fortuna Capital Partners, a boutique non-bank lender, was formed
to meet the growing demand for business by women entrepreneurs. "Women in business need a lender who is flexible, understands different market sectors, can act quickly and is not afraid to take some risk", said the principal, Brookes McTavish. "The 'good old days' of having a friendly bank manager never existed for women", she said, "and a lack of access to funds is the main reason why small businesses fail - not because the product or service is unsuccessful."Brookes continued, "Australian women entrepreneurs are some of the best and most creative in the world, but our inherently-conservative sector has not kept pace.
Women need a lender who can provide 'smart money', in other words, expertise along with the dollars." She said, "The money industry must be the only one in the world that's still able to charge such high prices without adding any value, but until now, there's been no choice".The launch of Fortuna Capital Partners reflects the growing trend of women leaving the stress of juggling paid work and family responsibilities in favour of controlling their own destinies as small business owners. "The motivation is quality of life, not money," Brookes McTavish said. "What's the use of working 70-100 hours a week in paid employment, no matter how stimulating? Or working part-time to provide a second income when you never get time to enjoy your family?"Let's hope the Goddess Fortuna enjoys her job..
