New business uses fibre to help change women’s financial lives.
For too long women have been “left out of the conversation” on investing, leaving many thinking they are not smart enough to take part, an industry expert says.
“Part of the problem is the confusing and overwhelming industry jargon which causes many women to think that way,” says Victoria Harris, co-founder of The Curve, a platform set up to help educate women about the ins and outs of investing and to learn more about money.
She says there is a perception the world of investing is a boys’ club. Few women (compared to men) work in the finance industry and, because they have historically been the main income earners, men have been more exposed to financial issues.
“This has created a financial gender gap and, as a result, women have been left out of the conversation for a long time,” Harris says.
But now the narrative is changing - not only through the work of Harris in helping women become investment-savvy, but because of the high-speed internet connection her platform has through the Chorus fibre network.
In the two years since Aucklander Harris (with co-founder Sophie Hallwright) launched The Curve, a staggering 300,000 people (mainly women) have downloaded its weekly online podcasts, an achievement Harris says would not have been possible without being on a business fibre plan.
On top of that, the fledging business has attracted 17,000 followers on Instagram and has 7000 registered on its online newsletter database - proof of the huge thirst women have for financial knowledge.
“I couldn’t tell you what our data usage is, but we use a lot through the large audio files we have, on our phones and our social content,” she says. “Everything we do is online; our store is our website, our shopfront is Instagram.
“Being on business fibre is crucial in enabling us to get information out to our community quickly and it would be impossible to run the business without it.”
Harris, who spent 10 years working in finance as a portfolio manager, got the idea for The Curve after friends started asking for help with investing. “I saw there was a lack of confidence among many women when it came to handling money and finances and I thought ‘hang on, here’s an opportunity’.”
She says they began working with women in the 20 to 40-year age bracket but this has since broadened to encompass many others throughout New Zealand including teenagers, divorcees, widows - and even a 90-year-old. Some are also connecting from Australia and the United Kingdom.
Neither are they restricted to working just with women. “We’re not exclusively female, we’ll help anyone who is left out of the conversation; but we’re women so it’s who we mainly attract.”
She says the platform does not give financial advice but focuses on equipping women with the tools to confidently handle money and focus on investment opportunities. “It is a safe space for women to get investment-savvy, to learn about investing in a way that makes sense to them without the noise and confusion. We tell them no question is a silly question,” Harris says.
“Knowledge and education empowers them, creates confidence, freedom, choices and changes their lives; I find it very humbling and it’s what gets me out of bed every morning.”
While Harris has a financial background, Hallwright comes from a communications career in radio and television production: “She brings a creative element and helps turn boring information into something cool and easily digestible,” says Harris.
As well as their weekly Raising the Curve podcasts (which often feature invited experts), the company offers ideas like tips on saving through editorial content streamed on social media, and a six-week online course run through The Curve Classroom. There are two course intakes a year (in March and September), each one catering for 200 people.
Harris says The Curve is aiming for strong growth with goals to have half a million podcast downloads and a doubling of their Instagram followers and newsletter registrations by the end of 2023.
Dean Pointon, Head of Business and Networks at Chorus says The Curve’s example shows the importance of a fast, reliable business fibre connection for small businesses.
“Badnet (slow internet connection) is the enemy of productivity and can hold back businesses like The Curve which rely heavily on digital platforms to reach customers and run their business,” he says. “By contrast, a business fibre connection offers many benefits including being able to upload large documents easily, collaboration through video conferencing and reliable connectivity to the cloud.
“Fibre is the most popular type of broadband in New Zealand with over three million Kiwis now using it to connect to the Internet at their home or business. And as the Chorus fibre network has been built with future as well as current data usage in mind, it is well placed to support the growing digital needs of businesses as technology develops.”
For more information about business fibre go to: www.chorus.co.nz/business-fibre