Samantha Meurant is the powerhouse behind The Rural Compass, a podcast dedicated to spotlighting women in business who are working hard in rural and remote areas across Australia. Each week on this podcast, women from rural and remote areas speak about their businesses and how they manage their business while living in a rural or remote area.

Mrs Meurant is also an established artist originally from Toowoomba and now based in Cunnamulla, running Samantha Meurant Art as well as Bubbles and Brushstrokes a painting workshop that sees her travelling across the outback. This multi-passionate entrepreneur uses storytelling to educate and empower women across regional Australia. Recently, she began a joint venture with one of her podcast guests, Tori Kopke. “I believe in community over competition, a venture with Tori meant more value for my audience and additional content to help rural business women grow,” says Mrs Meurant. Tori Kopke is a Texan transplant based in Cunderdin, Western Australia, and describes herself as “a small business lover and marketing guru”. Her business 20/20 Marketing Solutions provides regional businesses across Australia with realistic marketing solutions.

Geographically, a joint venture did not make sense. However, it definitely was not enough to stop them. A clear vision and a desire to educate and empower women, the two embarked on a Marketing Mini Series under the Rural Compass Podcast. But, it could not end there. They have now gone on to co-found Big Ideas Rural, a virtual space designed to empower, educate and connect rural business women across Australia.

“We want to walk with women every step of their business journey. We want to celebrate wins with them, we want to empower them. We want to minimise the challenges of being a rural woman in business by providing resources and a community of like minded women,” says Mrs Kopke.

Readers also enjoyed Kylie Martin