The Spirit of an Enterprising Leader: From the Sewing Room to the Global Stage – The Inspiring Story of How Carol Hanlon Built a Fashion Empire and Dedicated Her Life to Lighting the Path for Small Businesses Everywhere
Empowering others with empathy is one of the ultimate powers in the universe. And leaders with passion, resilience, and determination to support others are much needed in our world today.
With that passion and a resolute mind, Carol Hanlon leads and inspires. Her story is that of courage and excellence. Her heart, mind, and entire being are inspired to do what she does, always—making a difference to the entrepreneurial, micro, and small business sector, whether that is local, state, national, or global. “My passion is supporting and empowering women in business and also fashion and creative entrepreneurship,” she shares.
In the heart of Western Australia, Carol Hanlon stands out as a well-known figure of entrepreneurial support through her many small business projects. Today, she is globally renowned as the Founder and CEO of several transformative organizations, including the Belmont Business Enterprise Centre Inc. (BBEC | BEC Global) and TCF WA Inc. (TCF Australia | TCF Global), which drive innovation from their headquarters in Belmont, WA, across Australia and its global networks.
Her leadership extends further through the BPW Business Incubator, where she provides business support opportunities for women in business. By weaving together these powerful networks, Carol Hanlon has created a legacy of empowerment that connects entrepreneurs with international opportunity, ensuring that small businesses and creative industries have the tools they need to flourish on the world stage.
A Journey of Empowering Enterprising Spirit
Standing apart from the crowd in her mission to create not-for-profit projects across many small business and industry sectors, Carol’s drive provides opportunities and business skills that entrepreneurs and MSMEs need to know. According to her, entrepreneurs and MSMEs ‘do not know what they don’t know.’ She creates small business support topics broken into smaller topics, so busy business owners can access the skills they need to grow and expand their business.
In her five-and-a-half decades of a vast career that began in the early seventies, Carol’s leadership expertise regarding empowerment of women, including organizing projects, speakers, and events, spans numerous sectors. To date, these sectors have included exporting, importing, cyber security, disability employment, fashion and creative industries, innovation, energy efficiency, racing industry, global supply chains, sustainability, trade exhibitions, fashion incubation, small business awards, innovation festivals, global conferences, networking events, and global village sewing projects, to name just a few.
From a Sewing Machine to a Fashion Empire
Carol’s journey did not begin in a boardroom but at a sewing machine. At the age of thirteen, she was already taking in orders to earn her own income, a testament to her early drive and independence. By fifteen, she had left both school and home to find her own way in the world. This bold start led her to establish the Carol Hanlon fashion label in the early 1970s. During an era when very few women dared to run their own companies, Carol Hanlon built a brand that would eventually find its way into hundreds of boutiques across Australia and international markets for over two decades.
Her life was a constant juggle of high-stakes responsibilities, mastering the art of managing people and operations simultaneously. While she grew her fashion label, she also managed the administrative side of her former husband’s racing stables. For twenty years, she looked after the business admin and the apprentice jockeys and stable hands who lived with the family, including her two children, Rachel and Luke, born in the ‘70s.
She was entirely self-taught, learning through trial and error how to navigate a world that was often stacked against women. “I learned first-hand the many barriers that women face when trying to grow a small business. Because I had to teach myself everything, I realized exactly where the hurdles were and why so many women felt stuck.”
Carol Hanlon divorce resulted in her closing her fashion business and relocating across Australia.
Lighting the Way for Others
In 1994, her change of direction resulted in her being the founding manager of a not-for-profit community organization providing support to entrepreneurs and small businesses, a support centre she wished she had access to during her early years.
This has become a thirty-two-year journey that continues to grow and evolve every day. She focuses on helping entrepreneurs and MSMEs to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel, providing them with the specific tools needed to jump over the many hurdles of the business world.
She understands that for a busy business owner, large problems need to be broken down into small, manageable pieces. Her work is more than just giving advice; it is about creating an environment where micro and small business owners can access specific skills exactly when they need them. Carol’s life has become a bridge between the lessons she learnt, growing her own small business that she now shares on the global stage where she empowers thousands. “My goal is to support entrepreneurs who need to know they can make it through. I want to help them find their way over the many hurdles they encounter so they can grow without the same struggles I faced.”
A Global Mission for Local Success
Carol’s reach now extends into countless sectors, from projects that include cyber security, exporting, global supply chains, and trade missions. She remains deeply connected to the creative roots of her career, often working on projects that involve fashion incubation and sewing initiatives in small villages. Her ability to translate complex business issues into simple steps for a local designer or a tech startup is what makes her leadership so unique.
She continues to look for the next project to assist the emerging entrepreneur who feels overwhelmed by the unknown. By focusing on her small business projects that include training, mentoring and networking linked with community support, Carol Hanlon is ensuring that the next generation of entrepreneurs have a clearer path and a stronger foundation than the one she started with all those years ago. The story of her impact is still being written across every industry she touches.
A Lifetime of Industry Expertise
With over fifty-five years of experience in the small business world, Carol Hanlon has seen the industry evolve from every possible angle. Her career is split between twenty years as a fashion designer and over thirty-two years as a leader in the global non-profit community. She is the founder and CEO of two major organizations: the Belmont Business Enterprise Centre Inc. and the Textile Clothing Footwear Resource Centre of WA Inc. Through these hubs, she coordinates annual award programs and innovation festivals that shine a light on the hard work of local entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Her success began in the 1970s in Victoria, Australia, where she took her fashion label through the entire business lifecycle. She managed everything from design, manufacturing and wholesaling to retail and international export. This deep, practical background means that when she gives advice today, it comes from a place of real-world experience. She knows what it feels like to be on the factory floor and in the designer’s chair. “True expertise is born from doing the work. I have spent decades being ‘hands on’ working across all aspects of running a small business, and that allows me to speak the same language as the entrepreneurs I support today.”
Global Impact and Economic Empowerment
Since moving into the non-profit sector in the mid-nineties, Carol’s impact has reached staggering proportions. Her organizations have assisted over forty thousand entrepreneurs and small businesses from Belmont, WA, across Australia and the globe. She has made it her mission to ensure that women in business have access to the mentoring and training they need to thrive. Her reach is truly international, taking her from local workshops in Western Australia to the United Nations Commission Status of Women (CSW) range of events in New York.
Every year, she hosts NGO Forums as part of UNCSW parallel events focused on the economic empowerment of women and gender equality. She uses these platforms to showcase global role models, and how small businesses can contribute to SDGs global goals and how to remove the barriers that stop women from succeeding. Whether she is helping with a small sewing project in a rural village or speaking to global leaders, her focus remains on giving people the skills to change their own lives. “Economic empowerment is the key to a better future for everyone. By helping one entrepreneur gain the skills they need, we are creating a ripple effect that touches families, communities, and eventually, the entire global market.”
A Continuing Legacy of Service
Carol’s work shows no signs of slowing down. She continues to bridge the gap between small businesses and the vast opportunities of the global economy. By organizing small business awards and innovation festivals, she provides a stage for new talent to be discovered. Her life is a testament to the fact that when a leader combines a practical business mind with a heart for service, the results can transform thousands of lives.
She is still actively involved in training and mentoring, always looking for new ways to make complex business topics easy for busy owners to understand. As the world of commerce continues to change with new technology and global shifts, Carol Hanlon remains at the forefront, guiding entrepreneurs through the challenges of the modern market. Her story of service and excellence continues to unfold with every new project she launches.
A Legacy of Global Recognition
Carol’s lifelong commitment to small business and the empowerment of women has earned her a place among the most respected leaders in the world. Her mantle is filled with accolades that span continents, reflecting her reach from Belmont, Perth, Western Australia to international stages in Europe and Asia. She has been named a National Small Business Champion in Australia and recognized as one of the Top 50 Small Business Leaders by Inside Business. Her induction into the WA Women’s Hall of Fame stands as a testament to her deep roots in her home community.
Her influence stretches far beyond Australian borders. She was honored as one of Australia’s Women Icons of APEC in the Philippines and has received multiple awards from the Women Economic Forum, including the Iconic Women Creating a Better World for All award in India and the Exceptional Women of Excellence award in the Netherlands. From being named the Woman of the Decade in Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Perth to receiving a Bronze Hall of Fame honor at the Women Changing the World Awards in the United Kingdom, Carol Hanlon has proven that a compassionate heart can spark a global movement. “Recognition is not just about a trophy on a shelf. It is proof that when we work to empower others, the world takes notice. These honors belong to every small business owner who dared to start something new.”
Service Beyond the Boardroom
A formidable list of professional roles and board positions backs Carol’s expertise. She has served as a local government councillor, an accredited business facilitator, and an accredited company director. Her leadership has guided organizations like Business and Professional Women WA, where she served as State President, and she remains a vital voice on the boards of BEC Australia and the AIBEF. Her skill as a BEC manager was also highlighted when she was named the Best National BEC Manager in Australia.
Her dedication to service is further highlighted by her role as a Paul Harris Fellow with The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. Whether she is working with the G100 Australia MSMEs or acknowledged as 100 Champions of WA, Carol Hanlon brings a wealth of knowledge and a steady hand to every project. She has successfully balanced the demands of creating and delivering small business projects with the practical needs of the many thousands of entrepreneurs and MSMEs that she assists. “True leadership is about service. Whether you are sitting on a national board or helping a local startup, your goal remains the same: to provide the skills and the support that allow others to shine.”
A Journey That Never Stops
Even with a lifetime of achievements behind her, Carol Hanlon continues to look for new ways to make a difference. Her story is not a closed book but a continuing journey of excellence and empathy. She remains focused on the belief that entrepreneurs do not know what they do not know, and she strives to create projects providing support for those missing pieces of the puzzle. Her life stands as a powerful example of how one person can start with a simple sewing machine and end up contributing to the face of global entrepreneurship.
As she continues to facilitate awards, host international forums, and mentor the next generation, Carol Hanlon remains a beacon of hope for small businesses everywhere. She is a leader who understands that the best way to predict the future is to create it, one small business at a time.
Her small business empowerment projects have touched the lives of over forty thousand, and her impact will be felt for decades to come.