Women's Business: Kat Henaway

Introducing Katja (Kat) Henaway!

Kat is an Indigenous Business Advisor and Entrepreneur, with over 30 years’ experience in administration across multi-national companies, Government and NFP (Not-For-Profit) organisations in Australia and the UK. She is a descendant of the Mer and Mua peoples of the Torres Strait Islands with German and Scottish heritage. In 2019, Kat worked as Business Advisor for Prime Minister and Cabinet’s $90m Indigenous Entrepreneurs Fund and is a NSW Business Connect Advisor.

Kat is the Founding Director of Women’s Business, a business established to amplify Indigenous women in leadership. She is an Advisor for Women for Election Australia and Advisory Board Member for Women & Leadership Australia (WLA) and is Director of several Indigenous businesses. In 2020, Kat completed WLA’s Advanced Leadership Program which she says “…has had a profoundly positive impact on my development as a leader”.

Market yourself, Confidence, Leadership

Why do you think it’s important to market yourself and your business? Customers will not know about you, your products, or services unless you actively market yourself and your business to reach them.

How do you market yourself? I do a lot of Direct Marketing where I find the audience most likely to buy my product and focus on talking to them, face-to-face, over the phone, via emails and through social media marketing.

Why do you think confidence is important as woman and a business owner? As a businesswoman, if you’re not prepared to spruik your business to the world, then you may be in the wrong business! Your confidence will come when you find that thing you’re truly and deeply passionate about. If you can create a business out of that, it becomes a joyful journey rather than a money-making chore.

How do you gain confidence within yourself? My confidence comes from knowing who I am and where I come from - my Melanesian, Polynesian, German, Scottish ancestry. My identity grounds me and the more I acknowledge and respect that, the more my confidence grows. Also, I’ve gained a lot of experience and confidence from extensive travel, living in the UK for eight years, higher education, tonnes of self-work, and in recent years, leadership development.

Why is leadership important to you? As a leader, you can effect meaningful change for your community and for many other Indigenous communities. I literally have thousands of relatives all over the country so when they see me access leadership opportunities that are not available to them (in rural and remote areas), it gives them a sense of pride. My leadership is a nod to their contribution in my life and I hope it inspires them to pursue their passions too.

“Pursue your passion and then turn it into a business!”

Would love to connect

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katja-kat-henaway-529395130/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WomensBiz

Website - https://womensbusiness.com.au/