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Foxground author Kirsten Nixon, a registered nurse by trade, always dreamed of being a writer. So in 2021 she decided to “bite the bullet” and forge a career in the book business.

“All my life I’d really wanted to write a book, or have something to do with books. So I started talking to friends and family who had their own small businesses to find out how you would go about being an author.

“They started telling me really important and inspiring stories about how they set up their businesses and I knew I needed to capture them, shine a spotlight on these women, and get their stories out into the world.” 

These stories became Kirsten's debut book, Voices of Entrepreneurial Women: Inspiring Stories of Small Business Owners and features 17 women mostly from the local community who transformed their dreams into thriving small businesses.

“The book highlights the resilience, creativity, and determination of women entrepreneurs who have overcome many obstacles to succeed in their ventures,” says Kirsten.

“Their stories inspired me to write a book, even though I was completely clueless about how to go about it. So I wanted to make sure the book included practical advice for anyone looking to start or grow their own business.”

The book has tips, heartfelt advice and relatable stories of women who work in manufacturing, retail, wellness, hospitality, and artistic/creative spaces. Women who feature in the book come from a diverse range of businesses, including Kerry Fahey of Kerry’s Klothes, Sue Clelland from Saltwood Café & Lifestyle, Olivia Deroche from Wax Lyrical bookshop, Jo Quirk from Revive with Jo beauty, Lillie Nixon from Nixon's Cleaning and Maintenance, Emily Simpson from Full Bloom and Dianne McNamara from Punkin Head Air Sports, which makes aircraft covers for light planes. Artists Arabella Gypsy, Nicole Brown and Deborah Dicembre also feature in the book along with website designer Michelle Barraclough, Robyn McKean from Myotherapy, Balance your Body, Peta Godfrey from Travel Focus Group, Alyse and Alison Mitchinson from Arlo’s Garden, Lucy Nixon from Shoalhaven Professional Bookkeeping and porcelain doll maker Di Godfrey.

“The women I spoke to are amazingly resilient,” says Kirsten. “When you think of what they’ve gone through with floods, fires and COVID it’s been a really tough time for them, but they hang in there and continue to inspire those around them.

“I found out when I was writing this book that it really does take a village and the women who feature in it are so supportive and encouraging of each other as a community of small business owners.”

When asked if she has achieved her dream she laughs and says: “Yes! That’s the crazy part about it, after interviewing all these women I’ve come full circle. I’ve got a book that I’m very happy with and I've also started my own small business.”

Since publishing Voices of Entrepreneurial Women: Inspiring Stories of Small Business Owners Kirsten now runs her own writing business, Broughton Creek Publishing. She says writing her debut novel has enriched her life and she wants other women to be inspired to follow their dreams. 

“I hope this book serves as a beacon of hope and a source of practical wisdom for all women who aspire to make their mark in the business world,” she says. “The beauty of this book is that it has top tips from each of the businesswomen, along with themes that run central to all of their stories: love what you do; have the courage to have and go;

persevere when things are hard and value and educate yourself.”

The Bugle has a copy of Kirsten’s book to give away to one lucky reader. We are inviting people to nominate an inspiring woman in your life who you think deserves a copy of Voices of Entrepreneurial Women: Inspiring Stories of Small Business Owners - email your nomination to [email protected] to go in the draw to win a copy of Voices of Entrepreneurial Women.

Copies are also available from https://kirstennixon.com/ and Amazon https://amzn.asia/d/iHOa4dj