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Radical Candour: 6 Truths Women in Business Need to Hear



I believe radical candour is a love language.


Not performative bluntness. Not posturing for clicks.


But the kind of honesty that says: I care enough about your power to risk making you uncomfortable.


Because too often, women in business are coddled. Told to “trust the process,” “stay grateful,” or “just raise your vibe.”


And the result? We shrink our ambitions. We delay the real work. We build businesses on shaky foundations and then wonder why it all feels so fragile.


Sometimes what we need isn’t more inspiration. It’s the truth — delivered with respect, but without apology.


Here are six truths I’d share if I wasn’t worried about offending you.



1. A Man Is Not A Financial Plan


This isn’t about being anti-love or cynical about relationships. It’s about being clear-eyed about reality. Because here’s the truth: financial abuse is everywhere, even in the leafy, latte suburbs people assume are “safe.”


In Australia, 1 in 6 women have experienced financial abuse from a partner. That’s not just “rare edge cases” — that’s thousands of women in our own streets, playgroups, and boardrooms. And here’s the kicker: many don’t even realise it’s abuse until they’re trapped. Being cut off from money. Having their spending monitored. Being denied the ability to work or forced to hand over their income.


And yet, scroll Instagram right now and you’ll see the rise of the #tradwife — young women glamorising financial dependence as a lifestyle choice. The aesthetic? Aprons, vintage filters, and captions about “serving your man.” Cute on the surface. Catastrophic if you find yourself with no access to cash when things turn dark.


This isn’t about being anti-trust in relationships. It’s about making sure that your ability to walk away, to protect yourself, to choose differently — isn’t dependent on someone else’s bank account. Love is beautiful. But financial independence? That’s survival.



2. Procrastination Is A Privilege


Let’s be blunt: procrastination is a luxury most women never actually had.


I hear women agonise for months over their pricing psychology, tinkering with brand colours, or journalling endlessly about “charging what I’m worth.” Meanwhile, other women are down to their last $50, wondering how to pay rent or feed their kids. They don’t have time for manifesting or mindset hacks. They don’t get to procrastinate. They just have to get on with it.


And here’s the uncomfortable truth: many of the women who’ve built incredible businesses didn’t start with perfect systems, polished offers, or neat spreadsheets. They started because they had no other option. Survival was the motivator. They didn’t get the privilege of waiting until everything felt ready.


So, if you’re sitting on decisions — waiting for the right moment to raise prices, register for GST, or hire help — remember: waiting is a privilege. And the longer you wait, the more it costs you.



3. Pricing For ‘Accessibility’ Is Often Just Self-Sabotage


Women are conditioned to put everyone else first — children, partners, clients. So it makes sense that many of us carry that into our businesses, convincing ourselves that charging low prices is somehow noble. That by keeping our services “accessible,” we’re doing the right thing.


But let’s be clear: underpricing isn’t generosity. It’s self-sabotage.


Because when you charge less than your work is worth, you’re the one paying the price. You overwork. You burn out. You scrape by. And ironically, the very people you want to serve most suffer, because you don’t have the capacity or resources to serve them sustainably.


Accessibility should come from structures and creativity — sliding scales, scholarships, scalable digital products. Not from you running yourself into the ground. Keeping your rates low doesn’t make you more generous. It just makes your business more fragile.



4. Your accountant doesn’t know the questions you should be asking


This one ruffles feathers — but it needs to be said.


Most people assume their accountant is their business growth partner. That they’ll sit down and talk strategy, profitability, scaling, or how to finally start paying yourself more. But here’s the reality: accountants are trained for compliance. Tax returns. BAS statements. Lodgements. Ticking boxes.


That’s not strategy. And it’s not their job.


And yet — clients expect it. Not because they’re wrong to want strategic advice, but because the industry has done a terrible job of explaining who does what. Most accountants have never run a business themselves — not their own, and certainly not anyone else’s. So when you expect them to proactively guide you on scaling, profitability, or even cash flow… you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.


That’s why women running service-based businesses need to know the difference between a tax accountant and a CFO. One files forms. The other helps you build a business that actually works for you.



5. If your business doesn’t “need” to be registered for GST — it might not be a business


Here’s the line that makes people squirm: if your business isn’t even approaching the $75k GST threshold in Australia, then we need to have a hard conversation. Because right now, it’s not financially sustainable.


Let’s zoom out. There are almost 900,000 women-owned businesses in Australia. Do you know how many make over $1M in annual revenue? Just 1%. And only 12% crack $100k.


And here’s the harsh reality: these days, very few people can live — let alone thrive — on a business turning over less than $100k. That level of revenue doesn’t fund independence. It doesn’t fund choice. It doesn’t fund security.


So yes, if you’re not registered for GST, you don’t have — and probably aren’t planning to have — a real business. I said what I said.



6. Playing small isn’t humble. It’s expensive.


We live in a world that already works hard to keep women small, quiet, and broke. Don’t help it along by dimming your own light.


Playing small doesn’t make you humble. It makes you invisible. And invisibility is expensive. Every time you undercharge, swallow your opinions, pass up an opportunity, or shrink to avoid “ruffling feathers,” it costs you.


And it costs more than money. It costs your time. Your confidence. Your independence.


You are worthy of success. You have a right to financial independence. And you must prioritise yourself — not as an afterthought, not “when there’s time” — but as the foundation for everything else. Because if you burn out, undercharge, or stay stuck playing small, the people you want to help most won’t get the best of you anyway.



The Wake-Up Call


These truths aren’t here to shame you. They’re wake-up calls. Because too many brilliant women are still under-earning, over-giving, and outsourcing their power.


If one of these made you uncomfortable, good. It means you’re ready. Ready to stop waiting. Ready to stop playing small. Ready to build on solid ground.


Your business isn’t just about money. It’s about freedom. Choice. The power to walk away, to stand tall, to rewrite the rules.


So tell me — which truth punched you in the gut today? And more importantly — what’s the action you’re going to take because of it?



Small Business Support to Get You Financially Independent


My Worthy Collective is for women running service-based businesses who are sick of winging it — tired of the noise, the spreadsheets they don’t trust, and the advisors who don’t get it.



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