Business Development Melbourne

Women in Business Networking Lunch

# Melbourne Women in Business Launch Hosted by Paulina Xerri (BAMM Coach) and Kathy Uhlik (Lumina) ### The Confidence Gap Keeping Smart Women Playing Small You're invited to the official launch of the Melbourne Women in Business Network. If you've ever found yourself questioning your abilities, holding back from opportunities, overthinking your next move, or waiting until you feel "ready" before taking action, you're not alone. The truth is that most smart, capable women aren't held back by a lack of talent, knowledge, or ambition. They're held back by a confidence gap. A gap between who they are today and the version of themselves who confidently speaks up, takes action, backs themselves, and creates the success they truly want. Join us for an inspiring lunch designed to bring together ambitious women who are ready to grow their businesses, expand their networks, and have meaningful conversations about leadership, confidence, visibility, and personal growth. During this event you'll: ✨ Connect with like-minded women in business ✨ Build genuine relationships and new opportunities ✨ Learn why confidence is often the missing piece behind business growth ✨ Discover practical strategies to stop second-guessing yourself and start taking bold action ✨ Leave feeling inspired, empowered, and clear on your next step Whether you're a business owner, entrepreneur, coach, consultant, freelancer, or professional woman with big goals, this event is designed to help you step out of your own way and into your next level. This is more than a networking lunch. It's the beginning of a community where ambitious women support one another, share opportunities, and grow together. Come as you are. Leave with new connections, fresh perspectives, and the confidence to play bigger. Spaces are limited, so reserve your spot today. Venue TBC based on numbers but it will be in Melbourne's CBD.

BNI Momentum (regularly Brighton, now Online)

Please reserve your spot at bit.ly/bnitickets - do not RSVP here on MeetUp. Please mention Jerry invited you. BNI Momentum are a motivated group of business owners and business professionals who meet weekly to refer business to each other. (ordinarily we meet in Brighton, Bayside Melbourne). And now more than ever you can't afford to be losing connections you would have normally made face to face. BNI has embraced online networking, so come and join us! BNI is business as usual, but currently we are meeting online, and already our meetings still have the same amazing buzz with loads of Referrals, business and 1:1 meetings go ahead every week. Please arrive online by 10.15am (but from 10am) so you have plenty of time network and before our meeting officially starts at 10.30am. You will be emailed the weekly online link from the BNI Momentum Visitor Host team. So look out for an email from bnimomentumvisitorhosts@gmail.com - or please email that address if you have not received something by the Monday night before your chosen event date. Come along and network with people who want to refer you business. Learn the system, get some business education, hear from our weekly speakers. If you want to grow your business through referrals in a system guaranteed to work, then come along and see why BNI is the World's most successful networking organisation.

Friday After Work Drinks & Networking at El Sabor 🍺😊

* Join us for an evening of professional networking and valuable insights at our Entrepreneur & **Small Business Networking Mixer**. Connect with fellow small business owners, entrepreneurs, and like-minded professionals to share business strategies and exchange ideas for startup success with a drink. * * We have carved a deal with the restaurant of 10% Discount of all Menu items & drinks if you mention the staff "**Friday Business Meetup Deal**" * * We will delve into the power of integrating feminine wisdom with masculine energy for enhanced business strategies and entrepreneurial success. Discover the importance of positive human collisions in fostering innovation and growth, while expanding your network in a dynamic and supportive environment. * * Don't miss this opportunity to meet new contacts, exchange knowledge, and take yourself to the next level! * * **About Host:** Host of the event Sash (Sachin) is qualified accountant in practice. Mostly he is present in the event but it is subject to his prior commitment. However everybody is still invited to chat & socialise whether he is present or not. The place is a platform for everyone to gather,meet & help each other. * * **Address & Timings :** from **6-8 PM** at **500 Victoria Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051 (This event will be on every Friday same time same day unless otherwise advised)** * * Join us to meet new friends, hang out and have some laughs. New people are always welcome 😊🍺🍺 * * Come along to meet new people and see the familiar faces of the regular members. This is a regular weekly group for socialising and unwinding for the weekend. * * **Liability Waiver:** The organizer of this group cannot accept any liability for any loss, damage, injury, or accident to participants or their property at this event. By participating in this event, you're taking responsibility for your safety and well-being.

Meetup Event Organizers wanted!

Meetup Event organizers wanted. If you have something to help people in this group that you want to invite them to step up as event organizer. Contact me via meetup and let me know what you have in mind organizing how often and where.

Reading the Tea Leaves: Developing Product Sense

A lot of the time, product management can feel like the art of predicting the future. With incomplete data, lots of competing priorities, and stakeholders that always want to have a say, it can be challenging to make a call on what to do next. Building your product sense is a way to make sense of the madness. We'll explore what product sense is, how you actually apply it at work, and ways to develop yours. We'll run through some real examples of using product sense to make hard decisions, pass hiring tasks, and ultimately ship better products faster. **Our Speaker** Maxy Lotherington is the Head of Product & Design at InvestorHub, where she leads a team of product managers and designers. She's spent 10+ years designing impactful digital experiences, scaling product teams, and learning lots every day. Linkedin: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxythedesigner](https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxythedesigner)

Where do you thrive? Your product fit across startup, scale-up & corporate

**Where Do You Thrive?** *Finding your product fit across startup, scale-up and corporate* Managing a product at a 10-person startup looks markedly different to managing one at a scale up or established corporate. While the title is identical, the day-to-day job requirements, the influence, the pace, and the path forward have key differences. So how do you know where you thrive most? Join Product Women Melbourne for a panel conversation with product leaders who've built careers across startups, scale-ups and corporates. We'll explore: · What actually changes about the role at each stage — and what stays the same · The trade-offs nobody tells you about (autonomy vs. resources, speed vs. structure, ambiguity vs. process) · How to know if you're in the right environment for where you are in your career · What it's really like to move between stages — and what surprised our panellists most **Panellists:** [Anna Kelk,](https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-kelk-743587a7/) Chief Product Officer, Splose [Kelly Nguyen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellynnguyen/), Senior Product Manager APAC, Heidi [Teresa Huang](https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresajhuang/), Head of Product Bupa Whether you're considering your next career move, curious about a different kind of company, or just want to know if the grass really is greener in a different setting, this session is for you. Expect honest conversation and insights and time to connect with the Product Women Melbourne community afterwards. **Venue**: Preacta, 260 Collins Street, Melbourne (Melbourne CBD) **Date:** 06 August 2026 **Time:** 5:30-7:30pm Kindly sponsored by Preacta: Talent Acquisition Solutions and Recruitment

AI-Native Teams: Beyond Product & Engineering Roles

AI isn't just changing the products we build. It's changing the teams that build them. Hosted by **LTP Events** and generously supported by **Easygo** at their Melbourne CBD headquarters, this special evening brings together the below speakers for a candid panel discussion exploring one of the biggest questions facing our industry: * **[Mark Oliver](https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavidoliver/)**, GM of Professional Services @ Brainmates * **[Adel Smee](https://www.linkedin.com/in/adelsmee/)**, Head of Engineering @ Up * **[Bryn Stone](https://www.linkedin.com/in/brynstone/),** Senior Product Operations Manager @ Easygo As AI becomes embedded in product discovery, software delivery, customer research, planning, and decision-making, leaders face a challenge far greater than adopting new technology: rethinking how Product and Engineering teams are structured, how decisions get made, and where accountability sits. From both a Product and Engineering perspective, this raises some uncomfortable questions. Are our current operating models fit for purpose? Which roles become more valuable, and which begin to disappear? Should organisations continue optimising for specialist roles, or move towards more autonomous, AI-enabled builders? Yet while leaders are designing for a future state, they must also lead today's teams. How do we build AI-native organisations without leaving current teams behind? How do we create space for experimentation while maintaining delivery commitments? And what capabilities should Product Managers, Engineers and leaders be investing in right now? Join **Mark, Adel**, and **Bryn** as they explore the tension between designing the teams of tomorrow and helping today's teams evolve quickly enough to thrive in an AI-native future. Following the panel discussion, we'll open things up for audience Q&A before continuing the conversation over drinks and networking with Melbourne's Product and Engineering community. **Evening timeline** **5.30 – 6.15pm:** Arrive, grab a drink, and connect **6.15 – 7.15pm:** Panel discussion and audience Q&A **7.15 – 8.00pm:** Networking, conversation, and connection We'll have light food and drinks covered—all we ask is that you bring your curiosity, your questions, and your perspective. **Reserve your spot today - RSVPs will close 48 hours before the event.**

Networking Drinks for Builders & Doers

**🍻 The Entrepreneur Club – Last Friday of the Month Drinks** **Not your average knock-off drinks.** Join us for a monthly gathering of entrepreneurs, builders, creatives, and self-starters who believe business is more than just work, it’s a personal growth journey. Whether you're scaling something or just starting out, this is a space to meet others who think like you do. **💬 What to Expect** ✅ Real convos with people building something ✅ A place to bounce ideas, swap challenges, and share wins ✅ Opportunities to give value and get it in return ✅ Chill vibes, no pitches, just smart people in good company You don’t need a title or a polished pitch, just curiosity and the willingness to connect. **🗓 Format** **6:30pm** – Arrive, grab a drink, join a convo **8:30pm** – We wrap, or roll on elsewhere 📍 **The Oxford Scholar** We take over a corner of the bar (Back Bar or Atrium), look for the crew with ideas in one hand and a drink in the other. **🎯 This is for you if** * You want more entrepreneurial people in your life * You’re building something, or want to be * You care about growth, not just small talk Bring a question. Bring a challenge. Bring your curiosity. Last Friday of every month. Let’s make it count.

Unrealistic Expectations: Improv Speaking Games for Business & Life

*NOTE: doors will be locked after 6pm, so there will be someone there to get you into the lift and up to the right floow.* *The generous people at Compass Offices have allowed us to use their Collins Street Office for this event. Check our their co-working space here* https://www.compassoffices.com/locations/360-collins-street/ **Unrealistic Expectations** is an entertaining, slightly chaotic evening of business and life related improv speaking games designed to help you practise action over certainty. Sign up as an audience member or a speaker, both are fun and packed full of laughs. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "This was a safe environment to fail." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Audience reactions are hilarious." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I learnt that it was not as scary as I thought." **6:30** Arrival + Drinks **7:00** Games Begin **8:15** Wrap Up + Hangout ❓ **Why we do this** Entrepreneurs are often told their ideas are unrealistic. Too big. Too early. Too hard. This night is for people who feel that fear and want to build the courage to act before they have all the answers. **Volunteers get 1-4 minutes to talk on wacky topics:** * Pitching a slide deck they have never seen before * Taking questions from the audience on a topic they know nothing about * Being handed a random object from the office and explaining your "revoulutionary discovery" * Explaining a graph that has no numbers or legend * *More "fun" and chaotic games to come...* **Spectators get front row seats to:** * Brave attempts and clever recoveries * Watch brilliance appear under pressure * The exact moment someone realises they are more capable than they thought * And...comedy gold! 🎲 **How the night works** Some people will step up. Some people will sit back and enjoy the show. Both are welcome. You don’t have to participate but most people end up tempted as the night goes on. We’ll rotate through a variety of short games across the evening. Each one stretches a different entrepreneurial muscle: • Thinking out loud • Explaining half-formed ideas • Handling pressure • Committing before certainty 😉At the end of the night, one brave participant will receive a completely meaningless but highly coveted honour. 👀 **Who this is for** • People building something and tired of waiting until they feel ready • Anyone who wants to build the courage to act before they have clarity You don’t need confidence You don’t need experience You just need a willingness to give-it-a-go **Because most worthwhile things start with unrealistic expectations.**

Girl Founders Council - Focus Group - Founders and Builders Session 1

**Location:** East Melbourne Library - Booked Private Meeting Room ([Local Studies Room](https://bookings.melbourne.vic.gov.au/bookings/asset/4a01e0fe-5b8f-44b0-9be1-b5dbe63194fb/Local-Studies-Room)) **Spots:** 8 maximum *This is the first one. Come help us figure out what it becomes.* The Founders Council is a weekly gathering for women in Melbourne's south-east who are building something — a business, a side project, a creative practice, an idea that keeps coming back. It is not just a networking event. It is not a workshop. It is a council — a small room of women who show up weekly (or help out the one-off joiners to the group) to give and receive honest input from people who are in the same season of building but might be doing it alone. You will meet other girls who are building something too, let's help each other out with whatever each of us is working on. Share your inputs and ideas. Because I believe we have so many skills and pieces of knowledge that can help the person next to you. This can be your accountability group come when you can, touch base and keep yourself accountable with what you planned to build. **Session 01 will run like this:** We will start with a quick round of names and what everyone is working on — thirty seconds each. Then the council opens. Anyone who wants to bring something gets fifteen minutes — a problem, a decision, a pitch to test, something they need honest eyes on. (You can also treat this as your accountability group where in your 15 minutes you can share what your plan is for this week. Then come again next week to check in and plan the next week) The group responds. Not with prescriptive advice. With real honest reactions from people who get it. We close with each person naming one thing they are doing before next week. That is it. That is the accountability. Then the last thirty minutes are open — coffee, conversation, the kind of talk that only happens when the room is right. **You do not have to share anything.** Come and contribute to the group. Listen. Give your perspective on someone else's problem. That seat is just as valuable as any other. **Who belongs here:** Women aged roughly 20 to 40 in Melbourne who are actively building something. Early stage, side hustle, just an idea — all welcome. The only thing that connects everyone in the room is that you are building and you want to be around others who are doing the same. **What to bring:** Yourself. Coffee. Optionally — one thing you are working on or stuck on that you would like the group's eyes on. **Spots are limited to 8.** Small by design. The council only works when the room is small enough for everyone to have the time to share and get the response. *This is a weekly event. Come once or come every week — no commitment required. The door is always open.* Started by Veronika — Building an app for couples, and someone who started this group because she needed it and could not find it.

Catch up to be part of this exciting multi-location event

We are meeting at Prohibition Food and Wine (1395 Toorak Rd, Camberwell VIC 3124) to plan out our exciting 3 venue event happening soon! Come for a coffee with us and understand how you can be part of this event to bring people together to enjoy the truffle season. What are we doing? We are creating a voting competition for 3 venues, we are looking for people who can contribute to it and bring an exciting event to the market while meeting fantastic faces of Melbourne. We will bring farmers, restaurants and other venues into the plan and want to connect with people who are as excited as us to bring this event that will have 10s of thousands of participants to live!

📚 #InPursuit – A Book Club for Builders, Thinkers, and Doers