National pro bono taskforce marshals to support Australian business mums spearheaded by think tank Mums & Co

An elite, pro bono and national taskforce, known as Mums & CoVID19, has rapidly formed to offer immediate support for the 345,000 business owning mothers in Australia now responding to the COVID19 crisis alongside their ongoing family and business needs.

Commencing Wednesday 25 March 2020 via​ www.mumsandco.com.au/covid19​, the Taskforce will provide expert coverage and business support for members wherever they are, whenever they wish, whatever the size, sector or location of their business. Resources on topics will include setting up for remote working success with children; making difficult judgements; business law and negotiating losses in times of crisis; safeguarding your health; and ​technical virtual support​.

In the first ​phase the Mums & CoVID19 Taskforce will deliver:

Interactive webinars led by experts inviting community participation at 1100 AEDT daily.

Accessible anytime, anywhere COVID19 content and resources via an AI driven chatbot.

Access to business and industry advisors via 1:1 and office hours online sessions.

3 months complimentary access to Mums & Co Membership benefits (valid to end Financial Year 30 June 2020).

Mums & Co Co-Founder Carrie Kwan says, “Planning for the short term impact and medium to longer term business recovery is an enormous opportunity for our community. Coming together, we can share vital resources, build camaraderie, and share new ways to come up with a plan and be empowered to manage the dynamic period ahead.”

The Mums & CoVID19 Taskforce making business support accessible to Australian mums includes Jacqui Barrett (Partner, Hall & Wilcox), Angela Kim (Women in AI Australia Education Ambassador), ​Andy ​Doran (Executive Manager, CGU), Jo Palmer (Founder & Managing Director Pointer Remote Roles), Aoife O’Connell (Founder Yarnly.AI), Emmy Samtani (Co-Founder, Kiindred), with more to be announced. These experts across corporate partners, community members, small business owners, self employed and sole traders have all generously donated their time.

Women in AI Education Ambassador for Australia and Mums & CoVID19 Taskforce champion Angela Kim says, “When you empower mothers, you empower families. If you empower families then you are helping the nation. The situation is unusual but we have come together to provide fast, smart and sustainable practical solutions to this crisis for Australian mothers in business at their great time of need.”

Mums & Co community and Taskforce member Aoife O’Connell is the Founder and Director of Yarnly.ai SMART team – a Full Service Chatbot & Voice Agency that has developed the Mums & Co chatbot for ‘Mums & Co-VID19’. Aoife says “This is a responsive tour guide for navigating your business through crisis, providing access to resources and support. As a mother and business owner myself, I know first hand how the difference an immediately accessible, technologically enabled support resource can make”.

Further dates of upcoming webinars and detail on the chatbot will be announced in the coming days.

All sessions commence at 1100 AEDT with five minutes housekeeping, 15 minute expert insights and overview, 15 minutes interactive Q&A with Mums & Co members across Australia. Recognising that we are all juggling work, learning and living from home, the official part of the webinar will run for half an hour and be recorded, then shared for others to access when suits them. The remaining 25 minutes available with the expert and those wishing to continue to stay is to share experiences and continue the conversation online.

Dates, details and more information at ​www.mumsandco.com.au/covid19​ on upcoming sessions including (note, all sessions commencing 1100 AEDT):

Wednesday 25 March; ​Micro meetup​ with Mums & Co Co-Founder & MD Carrie Kwan

Thursday 26 March; ​Remote working….with kids! Jo Palmer (Founder & Managing Director Pointer Remote Roles) and Emmy Samtani (Co Founder, Kiindred)

Friday 27 March; ​Leveraging technology to stay ahead​ with Angela Kim (Women in AI Australia Education Ambassador)

Thursday 2 April: Negotiating Business Law in times of crisis with Jacqui Barrett (Partner, Hall & Wilcox)

Plus more to be announced!

For more information please contact ​[email protected]​0488 101 184

Sarah Goff-Dupont, Principal Writer at Altlassian has shared her tips on creating some calm amongst the chaos.

How to regain your team’s regularly-scheduled productivity in record time.

If you think of it in terms of Tuckman’s stages of team development, suddenly shifting to remote work en masse throws your team into “storming” mode. Confusion and frustration abound, and everything feels twice as hard as it should. (We know because we’ve been there.).)

Your goal right now is to get back to the “performing” stage and resume your regularly-scheduled level of productivity. Here are five ways to do that.

Read the full article here

Connection issues, poor sound, barking dogs, clattering keyboards. Sound familiar?

Sharon Connolly, Senior Change Manager at Commonwealth Bank has put together these brilliant tips for stepping up your online meeting game.

Download the full set of tips here

In embracing new models of working, don't overlook the chance to radically improve your work "place" in the process. These opportunities don't arise often, so challenge yourself to explore how you can free yourself from archaic traditions.

If you're ditching the office, why not ditch the 9-5pm? There are many aspects of co-located work environment that we've inherited that are not conducive to doing our best work. At Quiip for example, we practice 'radical flexibility'.

These books will give you plenty of inspiration and guidance.

1. Remote: Office Not Required by Jason Friend & David Heinemeier Hansson. Also check out Jason's TED talk from 2010. "Why work doesn't happen at work."

2. The Best Place to Work: The Art & Science of Creating An Extraordinary Workplace by Ron Friedman  

3. It Doesn't Have To Be Crazy At Work by Jason Friend & David Heinemeier Hansson

4. Working Out Loud by John Stepper. See the TED talk here.

5. Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia.

Honourable mention goes to My Year Without Pants by Scott Berkun of Wordpress as this was one of the first books I read on an entirely remote business that affirmed my approach to creating and running an entirely distributed company with no head office.

My current reads include a re-read of The Great Game of Business by Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham; Principles by Ray Dalio and Sapiens by Noah Yuval Harari. Next on my list is Reinventing Organisations by Frederic Laloux which seems to consistently be recommended by business folk I admire.

About Alison

A seasoned entrepreneur, Alison excels at the strategic and tactical elements required to deliver success in today’s business environment. Highly connected, Alison is able to draw on her extensive network to offer insights into the digital strategies and digital transformation driving modern business. Alison has a deep understanding on how to leverage online engagement opportunities whilst managing brand reputation risks.

Operating Quiip as a distributed company, Alison is knowledgeable about new business models, flexibility and the future of work. Alison is also an advocate for raising the profile and participation levels of women in leadership.

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