A friend of mine is in trouble. There was a man and  a business involved. We all know it..... STD - Sexually Transmitted Debt! She fell in love, bought a business with her love and then the man runs off with someone else. My friend was left with a pile of debt including lawyers' bills  and a business slowly going to the wall.

The most troubling thing though was that she had never done a budget and hadn't so much as looked at her business finances. This meant that she was not able to make informed decisions about her true financial state. She had made investments such as a shop refit, floors and window upgrades and had lifted stock levels and tried new things to sell. The only problem with this was a lack of profit to support it. There was no research and certainly no financial plan. Now she wants to sell the shop but anyone looking through the books will know it.

This unfortunately is a true story and one I see played out time and time again. Many women stick their heads in the sand when it comes to finance. I too have been guilty of this. It is boring and doesn't necessarily support what we want to do. Out come the rose coloured glasses again and we just see what we want to see.

Well girls it is time to get serious about finance. Don't stick your head in the sand. Do a personal budget, see a financial planner, do a course and if in business a financial plan. Take control and nobody will be able to give you STD!

Starting a business is daunting in the extreme for most people but when you are a woman the barriers seem so much greater. Time management with children, husbands whose careers often take precedence and our own lack of confidence are all real challenges we need to overcome.

Project-u is committed to supporting and developing women entrepreneurs. To do that we have developed a new program called 'Launchpad for Ladies'. This program will be a major project for 2007.

Launchpad for Ladies will focus on support, resourcing, finance and the myriad of challenges faced by Women Entrepreneurs. As well as seminars and coaching we will offer bootcamps, networking events and a marketplace to enable women to buy services and products from other women. Initially the service will be physical but over time there will be a virtual program available for those unable to attend seminars in their region. Currently the program is only available in Western Australia but will be available nationally and internationally later in the year.

The current seminar outline includes a business start-up program called 'Lady to Launch' and a business improver program called 'Million Dollar Lady'. 

 Click here if you are interested in joining the program for 2007.