Inspiring Women

Wanted: Unloved building materials + helping hands!

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 00:25:00 +1100

Wanted: Unloved building materials + helping hands!

Owning a business….Heaven or Hell?

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 17:57:00 +1000

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Owning a business is heaven.

Freedom to manage your day how you want, live by your values, control your owndestiny, you choose who you want to work with, you do what you enjoy.

Owning a Business is hell.

People don’t understand what you do, long hours, financial insecurity, few things are certain or predictable when running a business, you spend time on things you aren’t good at, the responsibility can become onerous.

The thing is, owning a small business can be both on the same day!

Some of us are better at creating more heaven than hell moments and running a business is a skills that can be learned. Wise owners know they need to keep evolving…and keep learning and trying new things.

When you learn more, the more rewarding and successful your business will be.

There comes a time when you need to make business decisions to upgrade and become more professional.

The biggest difference between business owners is their mind-set and attitude.

Mindset and attitude can be changed but it is a challenge to overcome without help.

A quick example comes to mind; women who constantly use the fact that they have children as to the reason why they cannot get certain business things done compared to other women who get heaps achieved, who have 4 children and never bother to mention they have any kids at all.
One uses it as an excuse, the other doesn’t see the problem at all.

Which one are you?

Book Review:: The Gift of Preparation by Carole Sandberg

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:20:00 +1100

I have been blessed to meet an inspirational woman lately who lives amongst us, her name is Carole and like many of us enjoys the gorgeous Northern Beaches as her home.

Carole could be any of us. She loves her life, enjoys her kids and her grandkids, she is a busy woman running a successful business. Sadly though, Carole husband passed away recently and like most of us would like to think, she had prepared for every eventuality.

When reality hit;

How well do you know your partner?

Would you be able to close accounts, close Internet accounts, do you know where all the documentation is? Do you have copies of them? Do you know their online passwords? Carole’s kids wanted their dad’s FaceBook page taken down, she didn’t had the passwords.

Carole has written a practical book that makes a difficult time less stressful for the loved ones left behind.

As Carole says“ In our society, more often than not, within a relationship, each partner has specific roles that they take responsibility for. Generally speaking, the modus operandi does not include keeping the other partner up-to-date with or specifically informed about any of the details. Our lives are filled with an enormous variety of activities and responsibilities, a lot of them simply taken for granted because one or the other in a relationship is taking care of things. But what happens when they are not there to do this?”

Death is something we all know will happen but we don’t usually know when…simple things like if you do all the shopping and cooking, would your partner know how to do it? They have to know more than how to just survive! Who always pays the bills in the house? Does the partner know how to do it too.

Pensions, insurance, private health cover, mortgages, vehicle registration, memberships, subscriptions, credit cards the list is endless! Imagine then dealing with these issues and more when you are suffering grief & loss.

Carole’s book is a simple guide and a great way to start that difficult conversation we all need to have with our parents, children, partner etc.

She has sectioned the book into Action to take now, At the time of Loss and Managing the Afterwards.

It is beautifully written and a must have book to get your life organised!

Her book was recently written about in this article in the Manly Daily or better yet, visit her website and order the book online here or phone her on 0412 256 689 to get your copy!

What's your communication style?

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:16:00 +1100

In my travels I meet a whole lot of people from many different industries.
So many of you business owners are getting your head around Social Media platforms and it's constant changes can be frustrating.

When you are a beginner, you start with one social platform (usually Facebook or Twitter or Linked In) and practice with that until you feel comfortable and then for some business owners they move into others.

Many people find one they are really comfortable with and settle into that one.....and start to ignore the others.
That's fine however don't expect everyone you know to want to communicate with on your platform of choice - and then complain about it!

Just because you may be a Linked In groupie fan doesn't mean that all the business owners are- they maybe mainly on Facebook because that's where their customers are or that's where they are most comfortable!

Even though this great graphic below is about Facebook, it could quite easily be about any of the other platforms.
I have definitely met Lurkers, Roosters, Gamers and Promoters and I sure know a Liker or 2 (& made great friends with them too!)

But if that is what they are comfortable with - who am I to judge as I know some people can categorize me in a couple of those labels to depending on the day I am having!!

So be aware, be patient with each other. None of us are perfect and part of that is what makes it fun too.

Try to post up a comment when you can on other business posts to let the owner know you loved, liked, agreed, think it's a great product or whatever is suitable to their post, tweet or update!

Source: themetapicture.com via Sue on Pinterest

When Past & Present Collide - THANKYOU

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Thu, 3 Jan 2013 19:13:00 +1100

Well a New Year has dawned again and even though there are plenty of new things quietly being planned for Inspiring Women in 2013 , a constant message has been coming my way & maybe yours too.....

Some very strong connections that I made 8- 10 years ago have quietly made sure that I had not forgotten what wonderful things have happened in the past and that it will continue in the present as well.

What a great message!

Celebrating at the end of the year, I caught up with old friends between Xmas and New Year and found out I have been already been working with "their children" totally unknown to me at the time!
I have not seen these people since they had left the Northern Beaches for the Southern Highlands 8 years ago....only sending the usual Christmas cards every year. (love you Janet & Eddie)

By the way the children in question are in their late 20's early 30's but still, these coincidences did not stop coming...these kids are the ones I am getting to know in my new role as Councillor when meeting different community groups. How wonderful to see that people who cared about their community have kids that are still carrying on the same message just on different ways!

Then another surprise from the past...

A wonderful letter arrived including a CD called "Pans on Fire- Recovery".
A tribute from the Marysville Bushfires , a thank you for all the work the Northern Beaches Business community had done in 2009 to help the Marysville townfolk.

As I was involved in both the Warringah Chamber of Commerce and Inspiring Women at the time I had managed to get the message out to the business community about specific needs required by the people of Marysville. You must remember that at this time in 2004, the financial climate for business was not good , most businesses had a cash crisis happening. However we did manage to get businesses to contribute stock and goods and use their community connections to get more items. They couldn't have been more generous!
A sad recollection of mine was of speaking to their final surviving executive member of Marysville Chamber of Commerce to arrange for support for both his business and the resurrection of their Chamber. Dealing with government officials was something I was used to and could find support quite easily from other wonderful people in Victoria. It was so unbelievably sad...

If you want to hear a little of the CD, watch the video above, with scenes of Marysville and the wonderful people who have created an oasis again in rebuilding. A longer explanation video is at "Pans on Fire- Recovery".

If you were one of the MANY that contributed- please read the letter below in purple from Genevieve Collette who many of you will remember. Her brother and sister & sister in law were living down there in Marysville at the time...
There were so many of you involved too many to mention but I THANK YOU FOR YOUR WONDERFUL GENEROSITY and YES WE REMEMBER THE PAST AND LOOK FORWARD TO A FABULOUS FUTURE!

After receiving the Pans on Fire CD from Leonie and Richard I couldn’t help but think back to that day/night time of great stress, anticipation, grief and gratitude.

It was my brother Greg who called us on the Sunday morning about 10 am to say there was a lot of loss and nearly the whole town of Marysville was gone but my sister and her husband were safe. Our first sighting was on the 6pm news there was Leonie and Richard in their large bus driving out of town. To this day I still kiss that bus and thank it for saving them. Richard said he couldn’t take the car as the cars were melting.

Late Sunday evening I made a call to a friend who had an empty shop in Dee Why that I had just swept out to do readings in only to be temporary.

I told her I needed her shop as a drop of point for people to bring goods for the Marysville townsfolk.

Emily was fantastic and just gave it to me.

The next day I put up a sign in the window.

“Bush Fire Appeal”

They need mobile phone chargers, toothbrushes and baby clothes/ nappies.

Little did I realize the size of the heart of the Warringah Community.!!!!!

A dear friend Sue Heins had sent out an SOS to the Warringah Chamber of Commerce as well as her women’s Business Group “Inspiring Women” which she is the founder of.

Passers by were amazing, they would come and stare at the pictures I had put up of the town read the sign, then cross the road to Coles or Woolworths and come back with You name it! Underwear nappies bottles, teats, sheets toiletries. It just kept coming and coming immediately I had a full time job.

Sue Heins and Terry Rooke are damn good organizers.

I swear, we had boxes, we had tape we had labels and we had a whole bunch of volunteers who would turn up every day and help me sort through the mammoth amount of clothes/shoes/linen toiletries/ travel bags everything.

I remember a Monavale News agency had also put out a sign and were driving down daily delivering to us at Dee Why.

The shop was quite long and not that wide but it had a very tall ceiling and we stacked it to the brim.

The collecting seemed to take on it’s own momentum, people just continually walked in with several bags.

Terry had heaps of boxes donated from Brookvale Storage where she worked. Lots of gear came in those $2.00 bags so we just checked every item to make sure it was clean and suitable and began to pack. Towel boxes, sheet boxes, girl’s clothes boxes, books etc. This continued for over 3 and a half weeks.

Lots of fabulous memories stand out St Rose Primary School had a big ring a around and at least 20 full cartons arrived that kids had given freely; their special bears clothes and books. One father turned up the next day, apparently a very old Christening Dress had been mistakenly packed, we found it!!!

A lawyer Richard Smallwood had driven his 4 wheel drive up and down his neighborhood arriving with car loads and car loads of new blankets, sheets and much more. The Warringah Of commerce were fantastic, only one member of the Marysville Chamber had survived the fires.

Local residents had cleaned out their cosmetics their bathrooms and sent all new unopened beautiful perfume and toiletries. Make up etc.

Helen from Yoga Boga came with more carloads and stuffed money into my hand some one had given us for petrol!

With the sorting still going strangers were buying me lunch coming in offering phone numbers if we needed more help.

A lovely Collaroy Thai Restaurant Noakkai Thai donated all of the tips for that whole month and lots of lovely clothing.

Clients and friends like Michele Spur and her boys just turned up. Catherine Parry for their next Xmas wrapped up stacks of boy and girl Kris Kringles and little Ben at the only restaurant left standing handed them out to each child, for a new Christmas.

Radio talk back time gave the guys a good omelet recipe they loved it! So much so they had a read, we talked about Marysville, the guys bought me heaps of windup radios to distribute! Fantastic!

As was Terry Rooke driving the truck with all the gear and I in my Station Wagon headed of to Marysville but the roads were blocked to Alexander and Healesville so we headed to Euroa and stored it, then they took it on the back roads and it was delivered to the Marysville Co op where people could just come in and choose.

I have to say the strangest time was during my volunteering time at the Black Spur Hotel, Marysville where I cooked for 30-60 people who were visiting the area and on the other side of the grounds was the shop where survivors would come to get some clothes / shoes/ linen and disappear quietly.

Nira from Boobah swimwear in West End Queensland sent hundreds of swimsuits down. Ironically we arrived with her present on the day the new pool was opened that was on my second trip down, Ian Telfer lent me his ute!

Marysville is quietly reviving and I do thank you for your participation and gift and do hope you enjoy “Pans On Fire”!

Blessings Genevieve/ Leonie’s sister.

(PS hope you do get to Marysville one day soon)

Book Review by Sue Heins on The Diaries of a Corporate Princess

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:27:00 +1100

All comments are Sue Heins' thoughts only and are to be taken as such.

As most of you who have been through my Mentoring programs with me know, I'm not enamoured with self proclaimed "Princesses", "Queens" & "gurus" etc.
These descriptions are only by the person themselves and never by anyone who has actually used their services.
Hacy is a self proclaimed "Corporate Princess", all written with her tongue firmly planted in her cheek.
Though you can't help suspecting she really was a "princess" in her corporate life.

A quick synopsis of the book is of a high flying executive who suddenly finds herself without a job.
For anyone who has ever lost their job, been downsized or simply wants to change their life, this inspiring true-life story, The Diaries of a Corporate Princess, is a must-read and on shelves from November 2012 for start up business owners.

After 33 years in the corporate world and as a global general manager, author Hacy Tobias suddenly finds herself without a job at age 52. Written with a raw honesty and Bridget Jones wit, Hacy details the transition from a high-flying executive and ‘corporate princess’ to becoming her own boss and eventual ‘small business owner'.

Great lessons in human nature and how small business owners are confronted with many challenges, many of them from our own mind-sets.

Enjoy! Books available in all book stores mid to late December and can be pre ordered at book stores too.

How do you fit it all in?

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 11:23:00 +1100

The most common question I get asked at the moment is

"how on earth do you fit it all in?"

Please believe me when I say I DO NOT believe that being busy all the time is a good thing at all for your health however I am someone who does not sit still very well and well, "likes" to have stuff to do....up to a point that is!

In saying that I do believe that most people can fit in most things if they have a plan and recognise what is a priority and what isn't.

So many people think that having a busy life means you can't do other things, well I'm living testament that you can and you have love it too!

Prioritise what is important to you, what has to be done (whether you like it or not eg: housework, etc) and then you can fit other stuff around that too. Of course occasionally the wheels may fall off when things go wrong but that is the "unexpected stuff in life" that can happen along the way- the sooner you accept this fact and the sooner you will be a happier person because of it.

Fitting in civic duties around meeting local business owners has been easy as most of the events I attend work in well with seeing other people in between. In fact quite often attending a local event for Council means I will run into someone I already know in the business community!

As I just got reminded by someone on a phone call today, sometimes we are hardest on ourselves, there are emails we haven't responded to and other things which we think are important but the reality of it is, that the world doesn't stop spinning just because you didn't get everything done!

Learn to love what you have managed to get done as you'll get around to the rest when the time is right!

Off now to another 2 appointments- have a wonderful day!

Sue

The Rise of the Female Entrepreneur

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:24:00 +1100

Great blog here by Online Business Degree and infographic by Allison Morris. Well done!
This details the current state and influence of women entrepreneurs and my own observations and surveys have backed up here in Sydney with similar results!
I remember the first time I asked a bank for monies to start a business- it was in the 1980's and the bank very reluctantly would back me as long as an older male accompanied me to the interview. I was horrified at the time but asked a financial man along who said nothing the entire time. It was just his "presence" that was required!

Women entrepreneurs have come a long way over the last 40 years.
Before 1974, banks could require women borrowers to guarantee their loans with cosignatures from husbands, fathers or male business partners.

Today, women aren’t only starting small businesses faster than men, but they’re also creating more jobs. And the types of businesses and jobs they’re starting are diversifying workplaces in big ways.

Women-owned firms are more likely to be smaller and also more likely to offer workers benefits like venture profit-sharing and tuition reimbursement. Making employee enrichment more of a priority is only one of many positive changes female leaders are bringing to business.

Read in further detail here!

Councillor Learners Plates...

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Sat, 6 Oct 2012 14:20:00 +1000

The story so far....

I'm getting asked a lot of questions at the moment about how it works in becoming a Councillor etc. so I thought I'd share a little of the story as to what is happening behind the scenes.

As from the picture above, us new Councillors are still all in a"learners state".

There are night sessions running currently on information about how the council runs, who the people are who run the sections, how the organisation works, what feeds into what etc.

Soon there will be sessions on Meeting practices,Policies, Code of Conduct, Bullying and Harrassment etc and then we have a special weekend away where the Councillors concentrate on Leadership skills and recognising personality styles and communication etc.

Spending 48 hours with each other is going to be an interesting experience...

Soon we have a "dummy council meeting" on to practice running a council meeting etc. where we get the opportunity to put into practise what we have learned.

So even though it may look like not's much happening publicly it's because we still have our "training wheels" on as it's a fine balance between "information stuffing" and "information overload".

There are also some fabulous things we get to be a part of: Citizenship nights, opening nights at Glen St Theatre, Carers Week, etc .the public things that are the joyful parts of being part of the Community.

One of our Councillors was lucky enough to be part of handing over a $10,000 cheque to the Women's Refuge Centre based locally, she was glowing for hours afterwards!

So far we've had our "public photos" taken, email addresses allocated, mobile phones, keys to the mailbox... basically all the housekeeping has happened. Soon we should have our business cards (which will make life alot easier as I'm having all kinds of troubles remembering another new mobile no.)

Our first 'real" council meeting is Tuesday October 23, it starts at 6pm.

We hold a council meeting on the 4th Tuesday of each month (December & Jan have different arrangements and I thank the many of you who have already phoned and/or emailed already.

I can only speak for myself but am enjoying the teaching so far and can't wait to start being part of the process for achieving consultative community outcomes.

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young" - Henry Ford.

So you think you're worth it or are you being shortsighted?

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 19:36:00 +1000

Your small business gets asked to price for a job for a larger more established business and you're excited!

So what do you decide to charge them?

You've never dealt with a big business before. You're constantly told you don't charge enough - you've dreamed of getting these larger businesses as clients.

Here's your chance...you've been reading about self worth, you know your time & expertise is worth a lot.

So what do you decide to charge?

As some of you know, I get asked a lot of questions about businesses and I admit it's mostly from owners of small business.

However I do get asked questions from larger more established businesses and institutions about small businesses as well.

The question I get asked often by these large businesses is

"Why are they quoting us so much?"

"Can't they see that if they gave us a chance to try them and like them, then we'll be interested in recommending them to all our other departments?"

This question is asked of me so often now it is now becoming embarrassing.

They ask me "can't they see that if we can give them a go and like what they do we can keep using their services in many different ways? We can't afford what they are asking, no one else in our experience has asked so much?"

I love the small business community and want to encourage as many larger businesses to try the smaller businesses around them. However I believe that some small business owners get an opportunity and then blow it by not looking at the long term relationship that could be formed.

They lose the deal by asking way too much and treat this new large customer as an opportunity to make some big bucks and charge as you would a one off customer. WRONG!

Realise that most of these larger businesses are looking at you and want to trial your service in a section - the person who has approached you has a budget and a boss they need to impress with their savvy for trying someone different. Help this process (and yourself) by pricing accordingly with the idea that it could become a long term relationship which happens if they are happy with your service.

Just because they are a large business doesn't mean you charge them more or as much as a one off customer who you will never see again.

Let them be blown away with how great your service is, THEN you can negotiate your pricing!

It sounds so simple, but you'd be surprised how short sighted so many small business owners are when they get the opportunity to work with a larger established business.

If you've quoted for a job to a large customer and haven't heard back - then think about it from their perspective....are you still waiting for replies?

Happy quoting!

Spotters Fee for finding this for me!

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:47:00 +1000

How would $5,000 in your pocket help?

I am looking for someone who has the connection I am looking for.
And I am willing to pay for it.
If you can arrange this sale, earn $5000.00 spotters fee if the sale goes through from your contact!
You must have spoken to your contact first to see if they are interested.

I am looking for a charity or organisation that wants to make some money.

Many of you have contacts with charities, volunteers, on boards etc.I know that one of you will know the right person/organisation to profit from this opportunity.

The charity or organisation should have something to do with women and children preferably.

The charity/organisation would buy quality, well made, brand new fashion jeans and socks at a low wholesale price. They can in turn sell the jeans easily for up to 400% markup or for any profit they wish and could also provide some of the jeans for free to those who truly need help.

Quantities are 10,000 jeans and 100,000 socks.

Jeans are sized from 25-34 all Jagger branded and with tags. 6 styles. $15.00 each

Socks start at 3-5 year old boys and girls , 5-7 years boys and girls , 7-9yrs boys and girls and adult women socks. 50c each.

Or the sale could be jeans $10.00 each and socks $1 each.- as a different option.

If you know of 2 different organisations they can be split between both if you wish.

Guaranteed to get a larger quantity of jeans and sock than paid for!
To find out more, please call me on my mobile 0423 379 934 or email me sue@inspiringwomen.org.au with JEANS in the title.

Thank you to my gorgeous volunteers for modelling these jeans!

Be careful what you wish for..you just might get it?

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 17:17:00 +1000

A theme arose last week after having a week of fabulous & interesting conversations with some fellow Inspiring Women (who if course are fabulous and interesting women!).
These thoughts are my own and are not from one particular conversation that was had.

Everyone is of course striving for what they want, they wish for, what their goals are.

But how many people actually can see what the middle and the end of their goals actually look like?
Even those who have become successful now realise that their success has created more work for them.....

Does it ever stop? Will I always be tired?This isn't giving me the joy & excitement any more?

I remember 6 years ago being absolutely sure what I wanted to do...I read books, online workshops, tried to educate myself as much as I could about this direction I wanted to go in.
It seemed exciting, plenty of money could be made, there would be a demand.
Inspiring Women had a guest speaker who spoke and I was hooked as she lived and breathed everything I had imagined this was going to be!
I met with this speaker a few months later at another event and found out the lifestyle involved was not a dream one at all, in fact it was hard, lonely and unrelenting.
Big reality check!

What I have learned is to find someone who really has walked the talk and find out the pluses and minuses and make an informed decision from there.
Personally I decided not to go ahead, having had health issues earlier I knew that at that point in my life I would not be able to create what I had wished for, would not have the energy level required so I dropped it.

Sometimes you do get what you wish and work for and it doesn't seem to be what you actually wanted.
That can happen, but can be used to your advantage.
If your success is driving you to have no time anymore, then it's time for a change....

If you still love what you do in your business, it's time to go to the next level and get a coach to get you to understand how to leverage and do more with less.
This is critical:

if you are earning money just for yourself you are self employed.
If you are earning money from managing people (and this one we can get really stuck with) you are a manager.

To be a real business owner you need to be making money from the profits of your business and that's when coaching etc. really can help you achieve.

Finding the right coach is another whole topic, beware but the right one for you at a particular time of change in your business is essential.

In saying this though I also acknowledge that sadly age and life cycles do come into this equation with importance, especially for women.

Unless you are lucky enough to be Peter Pan, we do actually age and as women, security for our old age becomes extremely important. This starts as a small voice telling you to think about it in your mid 30's, becomes a louder voice in your mid 40's and a screaming irritant on your mid 50's!

It is so much harder for older women to become entrepreneurial if their personal finances are an unsettled issue.
However if you have a successful business that is growing out of control leaving you exhausted, unfulfilled then it's time to get a move on to a coach.

An extremely successful local businessman had a business for many years. After 15 years he was tired, resented going into work but loved the lifestyle the business provided him with.
He thought his only option was to sell the business and try something new.
What happened then was everything he tried didn't work as he didn't know enough about the new industries he bought into.

3 business later he went broke.

What he should have done was got in a manager and then taken 6,9 or 12 months off.
Got away from his business & recharged his batteries, found his mojo and come back to decide what direction his business could move to for it's next stage.

When business owners get tired, they can make rash decisions about their businesses but sometimes it's just that it's time for a well earned break.

Even employees get long service leave after 10 years here in Australia, what about the employers, the business owners?

So what ever you wish for in your business, I hope you make plans to consider what you will actually do when you get there!

Have you actually received what you wished for in your business when you started? I know I have!

The brave may not live forever, but the cautious don't live at all. - Ashley L.

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Sun, 5 Aug 2012 14:48:00 +1000

Courage takes many forms...

I have been privileged to meet many courageous people in my years on this earth.
People who have left their comfort zones and stepped out into the unknown and found adventure!

Whether it was packing up their homes and finding a new direction,leaving an unhappy relationship with no security in their immediate future or starting a new business venture just to name a few.
I've had to be courageous over the years and I'm sure everyone else has too.

This doesn't mean they weren't scared or nervous or even wondering what the hell they were doing - they just went out and did it anyway.
These courageous people sometimes get mistaken as strong, self assured people but the real difference I can see is that they actually just go ahead and "give it a go".
If it works it works, if not they try again differently.

So many people seem to only want to change if everything around them is "perfect". Well guess what?
Perfect never just happens by itself. It happens because someone went out and did something.

Sometimes you see or hear of people who need to talk themselves "up" to get the courage to do things- this happens in sport a lot. However in business this can be a problem as it means you have to produce what you say you are going to do and unless you really can provide that amazing service or awesome product that you promise, you end up with very dissatisfied customers, clients and suppliers.
Making excuses doesn't work if you have to use them regularly...

It can take courage to keep going, especially when things gets tough and you lay awake at night wondering if you are moving in the right direction.
Most small business owners have courage, some use it regularly, others hardly at all.
But everyone had it when they originally started their business, it was a step into the unknown.
They took a chance. Some people are risk adverse, small business owners aren't.

Maybe its a good thing for longer term owners to sit back and remember how they felt when they started, the adrenalin, the excitement, the nervousness of wondering if it will turn out as you hope it will.
Long term owners can become complacent, predictable, stuck in routines.

I have been lucky enough to meet people who have courage in conviction and ideas and I know they would've made a great business person.
Sometimes courage is needed when you least expect it and you have no other choice. Especially when bad news comes along. For example, as women you all know someone who has been diagnosed with cancer- you know that person has no choice except to be courageous and quite often that person surprises themselves as the courage comes from no where but from somewhere deep within.
They just didn't know it was there.

Courage is not living without fear.
Courage is being scared to death and doing the right thing anyway.

- Chae Richardson

I'd like to honour each of you who I know had the courage to start your small business, may you find the courage within to continue your amazing lives.....

Time is, time was, but time shall be no more.

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:34:00 +1000

Photo I put on Face Book

I always thought of family photos as something you do with a young family, not elderly parents.

Recently I was asked to bring my father with me to a photo shoot as the photographer happened to see a photo of Dad on Face Book. As you can see from the picture above Dad looks a little like a French Santa.
One of my daughterly duties is to take him out for breakfast and find a place for him to sit in the sun. He says he remembers as a young man seeing elderly people sitting on park benches in the sun and wondering why they bother.
Now he says he knows why - the feeling of warmth on your bones is one of the last pleasures in life.

The reaction to the photos that have been taken have been amazing to me.
Some have described his face as kind, others as hard, others as wisdom.

When I look into those eyes I see a vacancy- a mind that has almost left the body behind.
They connect with mine sometimes with a plea and sometimes with love.

So I've decided to share some small snippets about my fathers life.

His name is Paul and he is 86 years of age and has seen many things in his life time that people should not see.
In one way, age can be a blessing as some memories start to fade.
Paul was born in Vienna, Austria and grew up in Grinzing, a wine growing area on the outskirts of Vienna that is now in modern Austria a tourist wine tavern area.

A Wine Tavern in Grinzing

After watching his father flee the country during WW2 to Australia and witnessing too many atrocities he immigrated to Australia in his early 20's to be with his father, leaving behind his mother and sister.
He became very homesick in Australia and went back home to Vienna to bring his girlfriend back.
His girlfriend had meanwhile fallen in love with his best friend so he met the woman who became my mother and brought her to Australia.
My mother was told she could never have children by doctors during WW2 due to injuries she sustained.
Paul didn't want children so he thought she was a perfect match.
Obviously the doctors didn't factor in that my mother could heal and be able to bear children.
One of the things that surprised Paul was that he did fall in love with his children, in his own way and in his own time.
As he has become older he has expressed that love in different ways.

Now he just wants to go, he is surprised he is still here and alive. He almost left last year and thankfully now I have had a wonderful opportunity to capture him in these photos as a lasting memory.

Funnily enough, the experience of having his photos taken made him quite animated afterwards and he told me he enjoyed it very much and it made him reminisce about how long it had been since he had had a professional photo taken.

Many thanks to photographer Angela Cushway from WillowBelle Portraits for capturing a moment that I would have never have thought of!
Time is, time was, but time shall soon be no more.

Cash flow crisis OR Profit & Loss?

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Mon, 2 Jul 2012 21:16:00 +1000

How do you know if everything is OK financially in your business?

Do you look at your bank statement? No money there so you must be running at a loss??

Do you speak to your accountant? Do you actually know?

I spoke to a business owner who was depressed because sales were down, you don't have to be a mind reader to know virtually any small business selling goods is having challenges at the moment.

However the person then told me their accountant was happy as their sales turnover had increased BY 30%!

This person could not see this was fantastic news!

They had set the goal of increasing their sales and not only achieved it; they smashed it.
But was that person happy?

Not one bit.

Why? Because they didn't have much money in the bank. Why? Because as the sales went up so did the expenses however they had never looked at how to cut costs - ever....

You don't have to be a genius to work out that if you cut your expenses as your sales are going up, the more profit you will make. Sounds easy doesn't it?

You would be surprised how many small business owners don't look at how to find cheaper suppliers, check bills with competitors for Telcos, Electricity or in the case of this business owner, just look at their bank accounts.

So do your small business a favour, check to see what costs you can cut as everyone is striving to get your business as their business, you can use this to your advantage.

Go on, I dare you to!

How to Wow

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:16:00 +1000

For those of you old enough to remember the jokes about used car salesmen and other professions that were considered untrustworthy....
"there is a new generation who seems to have totally missed this"

You know when things sound too good to be true??
An internal BS antenna should rise...

When someone is trying to sell you something and it sounds like the answer to ALL your problems?

Last night I had the chance to catch up with an old business friend to chew over some collective thoughts about what is happening in the current business world around us.

And we both agreed on the same thing.

We seem to have a generation of business people who are turning into the used car salespeople of yesteryear... over promising and under delivering...

The problem is bad news about bad service experiences travels fast...

This is common when businesses start marketing their wishes instead of building up a business reality and putting it into practice.

As my friend put it - small fish in a big pond trying to be big fish...

These people like to tease...they're promising the world...and it's all a game.
You've probably seen these businesses, hurry and buy now-it's selling out fast, only 2 tickets left, hundreds or thousands of people have tried this and you will miss out.....they are the guru, the princess, the queen of etc. etc. etc.

Sadly someone in the end usually gets hurt...quite often the over sold customer who gets quite upset, sometimes it's other businesses who believed the marketing hype.
The REAL Wow factor in business is the old adage under promise and over deliver -not the other way round!
If you don't follow this philosophy, all it does is leave a bad experience as a lasting memory of your business....remember most customers don't complain to you- they tell at least 7 of their friends instead!

Have you had an experience of over promising recently???? I'd love it if you shared!

“Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.” ~Reggie Leach

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Wed, 6 Jun 2012 11:53:00 +1000

Congratulations to the newest group of graduates from the Women in Business Mentoring program for 2012 in Sydney!

The ladies have been a wonder to watch and excitement grows with anticipation of the possibilities and future directions of these incredible businesses and their owners.

This program matches each business woman with a Mentor. Sometimes the Mentor is another woman and sometimes it's a man, what the Mentors have in common is that they have been successful themselves and know the challenges along the way. These people are together for 5 or more months and learn about each other along the way.

What is success??

I can show you what success actually looks like!

It is never a straight path but one of learning from mistakes, taking wrong turns and always learning from them.

Learning is the most important part!

If you keep making the same mistakes over & over again you are not learning from them are you? You're probably just stubborn!
And just as detrimental is making no mistakes at all..(this is actually a version of paralysis by analysis) where you are doing nothing at all so you never make a mistake because everything has to be perfect before you do anything.

If you are like most people, you will think that success comes from the "big moments in life" IE: the multi million dollar customer, the offer too good to refuse for your business, the 25 branches you plan to open around the country, retiring early in life etc.

Let me tell you it isn't. That's quite often what others people's perceptions are...

And often it takes something major to happen to realise that is is all the small joys and wins that makes the entire journey a success, not just one event.

What would I know?

My major "thing" that woke me up what being told by specialists to "make my will" before they operated on me and to finalise everything in my life before I went into hospital...that was in 2003/04.

There was no guarantees- I may live however the quality of my life may mean I would end up in a nursing home.

Up till then I had a successful business that was still undergoing some major growing challenges management wise as operationally it was strong and secure. I was still young and indestructible.

Can I tell you that you have a whole new appreciation of life in general after that?

Success for me became a whole string of small achievements, dressing myself, walking a certain distance without being exhausted, etc.

The big moments in life seemed to be less significant and the joys came from the small achievements that came from noticing things and people around me.

I suspect that many people as they get older in life realise this too as even the most "crusty old character" always seems to soften in old age.

Success is when you realise that you will always keep learning, loving and wondering about what you do in life, even in business.

One of the most common sayings I hear is that "Until I did this course I didn't know what I didn't know"..

There are two great sayings I believe we should constantly remind ourselves about are:

“It is what you learn after you know it all that counts.” ~John Wooden

“As knowledge increases, wonder deepens.” ~Charles Morgan

If you believe ignorance is bliss, good luck to you~ as I believe the more information you know about, the easier it is to make an informed choice as to what direction to move to next.

When we have an open mind success has a funny way of finding us!

What success have you had in your business lately that you have maybe forgotten to acknowledge and be grateful for?

Take yourself to work day

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:01:00 +1000

I find myself feeling Déjà vu but not quite....

A few weeks ago I had to move out of my beautiful office and back home due to the company that owned the offices (a serviced office business) moved and restructured and couldn't fit all of us little businesses back in.
Sadly, many of us who worked there had got to know each other well, said goodbye and many moved into larger premises and their own new offices spread out across the city of Sydney.

The thought of moving my office home gave me the shudders as memories came flooding back.
This will be the 3rd time I have moved my business to a place I call home.
As this is the 3rd home I have moved an office into, each time was at a different stage of life and each came with it's pluses and minuses.

Home Office no. 1

The first time was in my large house with a then large extended family living within it.
Add to the mix 2 dogs and a cat with at least 3 teenagers and you have my first home office.
I was in my early 30's, we employed 2 tradies (as we owned a trades business) and the house was never still!

This wasn't the office but a close resemblance!

Daily deliveries of parts and equipment, coupled with the realisation that you can't teach teenagers to answer the phone professionally meant soon I had organised a separate telephone line into the house to stop the stress. I learnt many things about mixing family & business and within 18 months we moved out into our own factory with 10 telephone lines with 8 staff and 2 part timers & usually 1 apprentice.

Pluses:

You can wear what you want if no one is coming to see you
Procrastination can mean you get more house work done if avoiding a particular task (this can also be a Con) the plus is a clean house
You can pop out to pick up that mail etc. and just divert the phones to your mobile and no one need know
You can keep an eye on the kids when they get home and hear about their day or sort out any emergencies
Your time is yours and there is no time spent in traffic getting to the office
Our neighbours loved the fact they knew someone was at home as they were retired so it gave them piece of mind
Working with family (this is a plus & a minus)

Minuses

Being dressed like no one will ever see you means you may not get your head into work mode, some people need to dress in work clothes to make them work better and be more focused
Friends can think you have plenty of time as you're at home and can drop in unannounced for cups of tea making you lose valuable working time
Customers can drop in outside of "working hours" just because they know you live there
If you aren't self disciplined you can waste your day very easily (see one of the pros of having a clean house above)
Your home no longer becomes your sanctuary- separation of family and work can become blurred, you start to pop into the office late at night etc. Discussions become about the business and a real passion killer is waking up and being asked about Mrs Smith's job first thing in the morning...before you've even got out of bed!
As above- the turning point for me to move the office out was when a delivery man walked straight into the house (as he knew there was someone always home) without waiting for the door to be opened at the same time I walked out of the shower and into the hall, luckily I was wearing a towel (though it was a small one) No Privacy!
Working with family (as mentioned, it is a plus and a minus)

Home Office no. 2 happened in my late 30's.

I was now single and recovering from a major brain operation when I started planning Inspiring Women. This time I lived in a unit on my own and could do as I pleased and it gave me pleasure to look out the windows at the glorious trees and hear life happening outside. The downside at that time was my concentration levels weren't how they used to be and my tolerance for stress had been diminished. I was now older and feeling a bit wiser.

Pluses

Your stuff is exactly where you left it last and you know when you're about to run out of something because only you used it last.
You know that getting out for a walk is not only beneficial physically but is great mentally too. I realised my best creative thoughts came when I moved, not sitting at a desk.
You can pop out, arrange your day to suit when you work best without the guilt factor
Meetings at home can be fun- I used to have Inspiring Women committee meetings and it felt great to share my space for more creative thoughts
I preferred having a routine to start my day before work, it consisted of a small walk that ended up at the beach for a morning coffee starting at the ocean, then walking back and changing into work clothes to start my day. The ocean soothes the mind.

Minuses

Sometimes you feel isolated and wish there was someone to bounce ideas off
I could become too focused and lose track of time and find myself emailing and phoning people too late in the day/night without even realising it (as there is no one to remind you of the time of day)
Door to door salespeople interrupting your train of thought
Friends who phone wanting you to meet them because they have free time and think you do too
Your feeding habits become a bit sloppy (read into this lazy)

Which now bring me to Home office no.3

As I mentioned, I was feeling a bit nervous about this.

I am now late 40's, in a steady relationship with a semi retired darling at home.
Would this be a mistake?

How funny to then realise that my darling was as nervous as me!
"Would I watch him like a hawk and give him chores to do?" (no, I'm too busy just getting my work done)

"I would realise that he is lazy..." (Really??? Do I have to be at home to notice that??)

Initially I resisted when I was asked if I want a sandwich for lunch.. for years I got my own lunch but I thought, why not? I make dinner so why can't he make me lunch? It's works & it's working well.

As I relax more into how my day works best for me...I'm now:

Taking walks again when it suits me to get creative
Don't have to wait until I drive to the office to send stuff out anymore
My events are less tiring to prepare for as I'm not lugging items in & out of an office and transferring it all to my car and then taking some of it home and taking other items to the office- it is all on one spot.
On football nights- I can disappear into the office and get some things done without feeling guilty about not spending time together
And speaking of spending time together; now it is more spread out over a day instead of a couple of tired hours together before falling into bed
I don't feel bad about going to night meetings anymore as I'm glad to get out of the house & I'm less tired!

My biggest challenge so far is remembering where I have put things and also being asked to do personal chores for my elderly father.
However as this stage in life, it seems to be a good place to work from as it means I can be more flexible and still keep working effectively around the hours that I have.

I know for everyone it's different.
I know of some people that need to walk around the block and come in through their front door to feel like they have started work.

I miss having time to get my head into work mode- just a couple of steps and I'm there (this "taking yourself to work" business should take a little longer, surely?)
I miss the drive home where you get the chance to empty your mind of work and transform into a (insert your role here) partner/wife/mother/carer/entertainer/referee/homework checker etc.( I walk out the door and after 4 meters I'm in the kitchen where defrosting meat can mean a chance to pop back and check the computer)
and I miss having a regular decent coffee.....

However, technology has changed dramatically over this short period and being mobile is no longer the difficulty it once was and laptops & WIFI hotspots have all made working and moving around so much easier...

So life from a home office now will be a very different experience from my previous ones and one I am enjoying from a different perspective. Even though I've already been offered 2 offices, I am going to see how well this works this time as I feel that this is where I am meant to be.

What's your experience?

Networking - is it for you?

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 16:12:00 +1100

It isn't just what you know, and it isn't just who you know. It's actually who you know, who knows you, and what you do for a living. Bob Burg

The topic of networking is always an interesting one..

There are many people out there who still haven't tried or found the group for them.
And even more amazingly, there are plenty of people who have never attended a networking group at all.

People seem to have preconceived ideas of what happens in a networking group.

I find it amazing when someone just tries one and says "nup that's not for me" without seeing what other groups are like.

They are definitely not all the same!

As someone who has attended many different networking groups for 16 years, I can honestly say that lots groups are very different from each other.

Groups? (I hear you ask) yes there are many groups:

Business Women's networking groups,
Chambers of Commerce,
Business Enterprise Centres,
BNI's ( Business Networking International),
BRG's (Business Referral Groups)
SWAP (Salespeople With A Purpose),
Mastermind groups the list goes on......

I remember when Inspiring Women was about to start on the Northern Beaches of Sydney many year ago. I had women phoning me asking if they would have to set goals, their husbands had told them it would be a gossiping group, that there was something bizarre about business women networking - the reasons were fascinating!
And when they then decided to go, they came up and said it was nothing like they thought it would be- hard nosed businesswomen all making business deals then and there on the spot!

Where did that come from?

Each group is there for a specific reason or demographic. (Though sometimes they forget that)
There are groups for local small business, groups for professional business people, groups for referrals, groups for corporates, groups for ideas, groups for support the list goes on.

It's good to belong to at least 2 groups, especially when you are starting out....

is for where your target market is (ie.your customers- if you are a business to business service/item)
and
the other is for you the business owner, where you can relax amongst like-minded people and get your business "back into perspective".

Back into Perspective??

Many people who work long and hard in their business and don't get out much tend to lose perspective in what is actually happening in the business world. They don't know what others have been trying sucessfully or unsuccessfully or that there is a new trend emerging.
I have spoken to business owners who have been unaware of the GFC, change in customer buying trends, people who have phoned just to ask "am I the only one going through this?" If they came out and met others, they would know.

Yes, it can be nerve wracking especially if you are a first timer,walking into a room full of people you don't know. But if you smile and put out your hand, no one knows you are feeling nervous except you!
And, if you are new, there should be someone in the existing group looking out to make sure you aren't left alone and that you are introduced around.

Remember - EVERY person in that room was a newbie once themselves!

Networking is a tax deduction as it is a Marketing expense- remember Marketing???

A fabulous speaker recently reminded a group of business owners that networking was one of the many aspects of marketing...something business owners tend to forget.

Meeting other business owners they can strike up strategic sales alliances between them, especially if they both offer services and goods to the same target market and something you do when you have created a relationship with another business owner.

So get out there - meet some new people, get out of your comfort zone just for an hour or two and start meeting people- who are just like you!

What's in a Business name?

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:39:00 +1100

Business names, they're straight forward aren't they?

You've agonised over the name and finally you register it and it's yours.

But did you choose an easy to remember name, is it relevant to your customers?

Large corporations change their names and look every 4 years or so keep the marketing feel fresh.

Over the past 15 years I've met many new businesses who proudly say their business name however sometimes the name has no indication at all about what their business is or does.

Why should I bother to "guess what you do?"

Why are you making it hard for your customers to remember you?

That's fine if you are in a creative type of business however the business is not about you- it's about your customers and clients.

Your customers are bombarded all day long with marketing messages from businesses around them. It's on most of the trucks and vans you drive by, it's in all the newspapers and magazines, it's on TV, it's on the radio, it's on the street signage. If you live it the city it's almost everywhere you look.

Is your customer really going to have the time to guess what your business does?

How long do you think they will bother working it out?

If your business deals with conservative customers, the customer looks at the business name for a clue of "are you who you say you are?" If the business name has no relevance to the customer, they will not trust you.

For example, "Mary's Magic Money" is not a good name if you are a financial advisor- too girly for a start and the name does not give you confidence that they can handle your money.

Another frequent error I've seen is businesses with a specific location name. A great local example of that here on the Northern Beaches is Green Street Smash Repairs.

Yes, they used to be on Green Street but had to relocate to Chard Road in Brookvale and now the name has no relevance at all.
It seems to be a car thing as Mosman Smash Repairs is now in Brookvale too (sorry guys I know you're friends of mine but just had to point it out).

Some people try to come up with really witty names, sadly most of them only mean something to the business owner and if you have to keep explaining why you've named your business a certain name I suggest you start thinking of one more relevant for your customers to remember easily.

Never try to name a business by yourself, no matter how much you love the name!

You must ask other people what they think and get some honest feedback! ( Sometimes friends and family find it hard to give feedback so ask an acquaintance or two).

Before I started any of my businesses, I always had some honest girlfriends give me feedback to run names past them. Remember, if your customers don't feel connected to the name your battle to be remembered by your customers increases tenfold. Why make it hard for them?

A great example of a great, memorable business name is "I Hate my PC". You know exactly what he does - fixes computers, it is memorable and you think of this phrase often when you need a repair person. Needless to say, David the owner has a dry sense of humour which comes through on his website as well.

Unless you have a large marketing budget to brand your "hard to remember" business name, why not just make it easier on yourself and your customers who will love you for making their lives easier when they want to recall your business name to refer you to someone.

This is a great chart about naming your business...

where does yours fit in?

New Year’s Resolutions for your Small Business?

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Mon, 9 Jan 2012 15:51:00 +1100

You small business owners are an optimistic lot!

No matter how difficult the previous year has been there is always a renewed optimism at the beginning of each year that THIS year will be better, bigger, and more profitable and so on.

You’ve managed to relax, wind down over the Christmas break (if you’re lucky) and now the ideas for your business are rushing in!

Congratulations on getting reinvigorated again-that means you have a fabulous break and are ready to make some changes.

So what did you decide to do?

Redesign your website?
Get more involved in Social Media?
Concentrate on SEO so people can find your website?
Write more blogs?
Write that book?
Put on more workshops?
Work ON your business instead of IN your business?

As well as the above I can guarantee you that one of the things that many small business owners decide to do is more face to face networking.

But are you a sprinter or a long distance runner?

As someone who has organised events for 15 years for different organisations I will tell you a little secret......

The first event of each year is always well attended for just about any organisation.

Why?

Because everyone decides that they will make more of an effort to attend face to face events (seems to be a common resolution).

However; as the year winds on life gets hectic, busy, family issues and coordinating events to attend become a challenge. Many small business people drop out and their attendance becomes a memory. If this is you, I have privately been calling you “the sprinter”- quick out of the gate but no stamina and forward planning as these distracting events in life seem so much more challenging as the year progresses than it does at the beginning of the year. Yes, things pop up to challenge you and make it difficult to attend but you know what?

Usually if you make the effort, there is someone at the meeting you were supposed to meet and you missed out! How can I know?

Let's just say that for every person that has said they have a problem at home and can't attend, there is someone at the event with the same problem and looking for someone to share about it or has already worked out a way of handling it.

One day when I am brave enough I will write a blog of the funniest excuses I have been given as to "why I can't attend this event now".

Why do I have to be brave? For fear that some of you may recognise yourselves and I will be hunted down for revealing the excuses!

The long distance networkers make the distance over the year. They know they cannot attend everything, so they measure out their time and pick and choose and keep up attendances all year. They have learned how not to burn out. Networking burn out? Yes it does exist – I have seen it plenty of times, especially those small business owners who are hungry to soak up everything on offer. It often takes a couple of years, but it does happen.

So what can you do about it?

Take some time out now and plan your events. If you are a new small business owner you will probably need at least 2 types of regular networking events – one where you find and network where your clients/customers are and another for yourself, to reinvigorate your enthusiasm for your business or learn from other more experienced business owners.

If you have owned your business for a while and know your clients and have a strong client/customer database you probably need a networking event to give you more ideas or find out what is new for small business.

There are several benefits to networking as a small business owner. Overall, networking can help you build your knowledge and skills from others in order to increase to overall performance of your small business. The thing is, many small business owners will face the same issues. With networking, you can talk to someone who may have faced the same challenge or at least get suggestions on solutions.

The extent of the benefit will largely depend on how much you get involved. Remember, it’s a great way to meet other local business owners and share stories!

So don’t be a sprinter in 2012, when you have your ideas book out (collecting and writing down all your new ideas for your business) don’t forget to plan your networking events you plan to attend and I’m sure I will see you at one soon!

May 2012 be everything for your small business that you plan it to be!

Need inspiration for your biz for 2012? Check out these amazing business women from 2011.

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 10:56:00 +1100

Need inspiration for your small biz?

Looking for some role models to keep you motivated when you are feeling overwhelmed?

Who says that women are not capable of establishing careers in business and balancing home life at the same time?

Women, for the record, may still learn a lot from their male counterparts in the business world but they have now gained a very solid foothold in making their own names all by their often nderestimated “girl power”.

Less egotistical, intuitive and compassionate are just some of the qualities that Australian businesswomen possess, making their presence a threat to male Aussies in the entrepreneurial world. So, move over blokes because the sheilas are here to teach you some tips on how to step up your game.

Here are Australia’s top 10 female entrepreneurs to inspire you:

10. Diana Williams

Photo source: theage.com.au

Founder of Fernwood Women’s Health Clubs

Who would have thought that her self-experience drawn motivation to engage women into weight training at a time when the fitness industry was losing ground would lead to the creation of one of the most successful business franchise models in Australia. Williams’ revenue is estimated at $88.2 million to date. Thanks to her vision of operating the business on a national scale with 77 health clubs and having more than 80,000 members across the country.

Making this concept a concrete reality in the business world is not only bounded by her desire of making money but also with the passion for giving women of all walks of life the chance to empower themselves by taking care of their health. This she expresses in the Venus Program which she has developed in her Fernwood Foundation. The program supports the company’s mantra “We exist to empower women to shine!” which aims to help women boost their physical image as well as their self-esteem.

9. Gina Rinehart

Photo source: news.com.au

Chairman of Hancock Prospecting

Entering Hancock Prospecting after the death of her father, Lang Hancock, founder of the said company, with cash-flow problems and a 14-year legal battle over Hancock’s assets, Gina’s determination to bring back Hancock Prospecting back to its feet paved the way for making the company the leader in the iron ore industry in West Australia.

One of her accomplishments as a businesswoman is naming a mountain range (Hancock Range) after her family in 1999 as a form of commemoration for their contribution to the pastoral and mining industry in the Pilbara region. Not only that, she even has acquired 10% stake in Network Ten, aka Channel Ten, which is one of the major television networks in Australia. Soon afterwards, she did the same thing with Fairfax Media Limited which is a big departure from her previous corporate transactions.

8. Therese Rein

Photo Source: thepunch.com.au

Founder of Ingeus

Before she became the first wife of Kevin Rudd, Australia’s Prime Minister from 2007-2010, she already has gained prominence being the founder of the international employment agency Ingeus. This company has become the major provider of employment in Australia since its birth in 1989 as an, initially, a small rehabilitation company called Work Directions. However, she was forced to sell the company in 2007 after her husband became Prime Minister. Her revenue is worth more than $120 million.

Therese’s accomplishments is not only limited to establishing an employment provider that has more than 70 offices in 8 countries including Australia. She was bestowed by the Australian Human Rights Commission in December 2010 with the Human Rights Medal for her dedication to protecting human rights and providing proper equal employment to people of different social and historical backgrounds, especially those with physical disability.

7. Janine Allis

Photo source: saxton.com.au

Founder and CEO of Boost Juice

Boost Juice was inspired by the smart observation of Janine Allis who noticed the widespread of juice bars in the United States. Having thought of this together with her husband, Janine decided to bring this idea of opening a juice bar in Adelaide in 2000. This move led to an estimated revenue of Janine at $143.7 million based on 1,850 stores established across Australia and in UK, Ireland, Thailand, Mexico, Indonesia, Macau and South Africa.

Based on reports, Janine’s idea of putting a juice bar in Adelaide sparked a craze among Australians over juice bars that after two years of the operation of the first store, a new store was opened every four days. This has established Boost Juice to be the fastest growing franchise chain in Australia.

6. Iris Lustig-Mar

Photo source: lustigmoar.com

Co-owner of Lustig & Moar

Founded by the late Ted Lustig and his then son-in-law, Max Moar, Lustig & Moar is one of the most prestigious property developers in Melbourne. This company is known for having developed Park Hyatt in East Melbourne and Grand Hyatt on Collins Street. After the death of Ted Lustig in 2003, Iris took over his position and took control of the company together with her former husband Max. She also inherited the office building and other property assets of the company. Iris’s revenue amounts to $154 million.

5. Charlotte Vidor

Photo source: news.com.au

Co-owner of Toga Group

Having established Toga Group with husband Ervin Vidor, Charlotte Vidor is another successful female entrepreneur who has made a name in the property development industry in New South Wales. The growth and success of this company can be attested by its 1,800 employees as well as its interests in funds management and aquaculture. Charlotte Vidor’s net worth is estimated at $285 million.

4. Maxine Horne

Photo source: vitagroup.com.au

Co-founder of Vita Group

Together with her husband David McMahon, Maxine Horne established Fone Zone in Brisbane with its first store on the Gold Coast in 1995. Fone Zone is considered to be Australia’s most successful specialist mobile communications retailer which is largely independently owned by the couple. This company specializes in mobile communications and leads in advancement in mobile technologies.

The growth of the company is attributed to the hard work and and unique business skills of Maxine who leads a staff of almost 800. This even led to the creation of 123 company-owned stores and 22 dealers across the country. Maxine Horne’s net worth is estimated at $ 297.8 million.

3. Julia Ross

Photo source: smh.com.au

Founder of Ross Human Directions

Julia Ross founded Ross Human Directions in 1989 in the midst of the most undesirable circumstances in her life: breakdown of her marriage, getting pregnant and a limited opportunity for a senior corporate position especially for a single pregnant woman like her. Instead of getting torn by this situation and giving up on her ambition, she went on her own in establishing one of the most successful and largest recruitment and HR services providers in Australia. The company has expanded its operations in other countries Britain, New Zealand, Ireland, Hong Kong and Singapore.

At present, Julia is the managing director as well as a major shareholder of the company having a market capitalization of $32 million. Her revenue is estimated at $392.9 million which lands her the number 3 spot among the most successful female entrepreneurs in Australia.

2. Naomi Milgrom

Photo source: vogue.com.au

Owner of Sussan Group

Bestowed with the Ernst & Young Champion of Entrepreneurship Award, Naomi Milgrom has established her name in the business of fashion successfully as she continued to take control of Sussan Group after buying it out from her parents Marc and Eva Besen and siblings in 2003. Naomi’s responsibilities include looking after 550 stores and 4,500 employees around Australia with the House of Sussan, Suzanne Grae and Sportsgirl under the company. Holding the 2nd spot as one of the richest and most powerful Australian businesswoman, Naomi’s net worth is estimated at $496 million.

1. Jan Cameron

Photo source: themercury.com.au

This Tasmanian business powerhouse has gained fame in founding outdoor wear chain Kathmandu which she later sold at about $300 million in 2006 to a private equity company. But this move just led to her buying and restructuring Australian Discount Retail in April 2009 which is now Retail Adventures. This company manages operations of the chains for Chickenfeed, Sam’s Warehouse, Crazy Clark’s, Go-Lo and my place It’s Home, with 8,000 employees and over 330 stores and annual sales revenue nearing $1 billion. She leads the female pack being the number one entrepreneur in Australia. – International Business Development Australia

Reference: www.smartcompany.com.au/entrepreneurs/20100304-female-entrepreneurs.html

Do you feel someone was missed in this list? Then send in your suggestions by posting below.

What's in a name?

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:43:00 +1100

My job is a little like a walking/talking directory....

Being well connected in the business community over a long period of time means there's many business people I know and have met over the past 15 years when I was getting my own business off the ground and when I became involved in various business organisations.

The great thing about it is that when people contact me looking for someones expertise 99.8% I do know who to refer them to- and usually try to refer to more than one business as of course there are lots of businesses who do similar things.
Sometimes I ask extra questions so I can get the right information to get them connected with the right type of business for them as getting the right type of businesses to work together is what works out well for everyone.

Of course this also means I get a lot of newsletters in my inbox from many different businesses.

Most of the newsletters I am OK with, some have not asked my permission to put me of their mailing list-which is why I have now added the Spam Act on the home page of our website.

Some business people think that just by meeting someone they have automatically got the right to put them on their mailing list (not true) please read the Act as you can easily damage your marketing reputation by doing this.

As I do get lots of newsletters I try to read all the ones from people I know so I know what is happening in their businesses...and what is planned for the future.

Funnily enough - there seems to be about 4 business that have a very similar theme for their projects for 2012, with very similar wording....with almost the same message.

I am pretty sure that none of these people know each other and this phenomenon is very similar to when your phone rings after being quiet for a long time and 2 other people try to phone you at the same time!

A collective thought has struck these people....all with a wonderful message coming from a well meaning heart.

I ask that if you are about to launch a new program, workshop, subject for 2012 - be very specific about who you are targeting and have a couple of different ways of wording your new product/item as I fear there may be a battle of similar sounding marketing messages for 2012 that may confuse the general public.

If you find someone else is saying the same thing about their product using the same words - make sure you have a backup plan of some marketing messages worded very differently in case your message is already taken.
The holiday period which is about to start maybe a good time to think of creative ways of getting your message across.

Maybe a Thesaurus will become a girls best friend in 2012?

Women in Business Mentoring Program for 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Thu, 8 Dec 2011 14:29:00 +1100

The Women in Business Mentoring Program run by the NSW Department of Trade and Investment has helped more than 7,000 women business owners to grow their business since its launch in 1995.
The Program brings fundamental knowledge to achieve business success with the aid of co-operative learning and mentor guidance.

Its proven methodology offers a combination of five business education workshops, two networking events and 10 hours of mentoring by an experienced business owner over five months, to assist you with your business growth. The Program offers an empowering environment where women feel comfortable to discuss their business issues and offer solutions to each other.

Come and join other business women who want to get ahead in their business, work on strategies together with each other as well as with your business Mentor.
These programs have been tried and tested and are known to work well for those who put in the effort required to make change and be guided out of your comfort zone by experienced Mentors.

Here's just one testimonial from a Mentee who finished the program in 2011.

"The program has exceeded my expectations. Great to have a mentor with a strong management consultancy background, experience in working in a partnership and practical understanding of growth models and how these could apply to our business. My mentor's ability to listen, support and nurture has been so useful at this stage of my business partnership. I have gained many useful insights from my mentor and enjoy his exploratory approach – delving into issues and exploring options in a very lateral way. Has helped me make some very important strategic decisions and assisted me and my partner work through some sensitive issues and develop a shared future vision for the company."
Andrea from Appetite Communications

Don't miss out and find out more at our website here or look at the NSW Trade and Investment website here.

A common saying that is heard during these programs are "I didn't know what I didn't know", so why not find out for yourself?

Business Grants for Women

noreply@blogger.com (Inspiring Women) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +1100

See the title to this blog?
This is a commonly used term to search for business grants online or Australian Grants and Loans - but THINK AGAIN!

I have heard that at least 2 different networking groups are putting up links to a website that promises business grants for women as the website will do all the online research for you.
It's called Australia Business Financing Centre, based in Canberra so it must be involved with the government, or is it?

Interestingly in small text at the bottom of their website it says
"The ABFC is an independent research organisation not affiliated with any government agency."

Oh , a research organisation....of a for profit research organisation...
But they have all these winners of grants all over their website, so they MUST be successful, right???

WRONG!

They know most business people looking for grants don't have any time, so who's going to read everything on their website.

However in their FAQ's is the following:

Has the Centre helped fund the Recipients and Success Stories on this site?

We make no claim that any recipients listed or success story profiled received funding as a result of Australia Business Financing Centre services and products unless specifically stated. We provide both resources to the public to show that monies are available for those who qualify and that its much easier than most people think to get funding if you understand the process and take action to apply.

Hmm, so all those stories about who got grants aren't necessarily from these people!

Any business or organisation who gets a grant is listed publicly for a period of time as being the successful organisation that received assistance - this is public information for anyone to read (or put on a website). So they are just showing you everyone that has won a grant that is publicly listed, NOT the ones that they have been successful in applying.

Interestingly one of the recent "success stories" is a business that was recommended to go to their local BEC and apply for a Mentoring program. Anyone can do this without paying the charges asked from this website of:

The tax-deductible fee for this service, is $374 for the first installment and $277 for the second installment, in 30 days.

A local business last year paid $600 for a book that listed every single local, State and Federal grant for all over Australia. The book was huge- it listed winners of previous grants listed by States and she dilligently went through it, phoned the receipients of grants and then realised there was nothing suitable for her new product.
She phoned the research centre and every suggestion that was made to her, she already tried... much to their surprise.
She ended up getting her money back.

The sad thing was that the book was already out of date as many grants are only open for a short period of time and had closed by the time she had received the book.

I actually could point her in the right direction and she did receive some assistance.

So where do you go? Where do you look?

The following are the websites that the researchers are using to find if you are eligible.

They are all free- they are from different Government departments and they are up to date!

Save yourself over $600.00 and just look at the following websites that the researchers use to find if there are is grant for you.

Check out
http://www.business.gov.au/Grantfinder/Grantfinder.aspx ( a bit slow to load up the website but it gets there)

http://www.grantslink.gov.au/ On this website you will see they have a warning about people claiming to get government grants for your business…..

http://www.ausindustry.gov.au/FindAusIndustryGrantsandAssistance/Pages/FindAusIndustryGrantsAssistance.aspx

http://www.business.gov.au/BusinessTopics/Grantsandassistance/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.enterpriseconnect.gov.au/Pages/Home.aspx This is great for manufacturers!

http://www.business.nsw.gov.au/assistance-and-support/grants for NSW grants.

And by the way, if you have a not for profit group or charity, I highly recommend Our Community who have all kinds of wonderful resources and recently got themselves a grant as they were helping other organisations receive grants. So they started up the Australian Institute of Grants Management.

http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/best_practice/best_practice_main.jsp

This community is set up to assist charities and other not for profit groups and their information is always clear and concise, though you do have to pay for some of their information.

And just a last word on grants, most new small businesses do not qualify for a grant.
The most common mistake I hear is people saying there should be a grant for a new start up businesses.

My question to you is " why should there be?"

If you are not prepared to take a risk, take a bank loan, mortgage your house- then why should the goverment risk their money on you? Especially if you are not prepared to do the same!
Some grants involve going 50/50 with your money as well as theirs, some involve paying for training, assistance with imports and exports, manufacturing, green energy, tax refunds for Research & Development plus so much more.

All these websites have departments who are friendly and will assist you for free!

Inspiring Women

Wanted: Unloved building materials + helping hands!

Owning a business….Heaven or Hell?

Edit Entry

Owning a business is heaven.

Owning a Business is hell.

The thing is, owning a small business can be both on the same day!

Book Review:: The Gift of Preparation by Carole Sandberg

What's your communication style?

When Past & Present Collide - THANKYOU

Book Review by Sue Heins on The Diaries of a Corporate Princess

How do you fit it all in?

The Rise of the Female Entrepreneur

Councillor Learners Plates...

So you think you're worth it or are you being shortsighted?

Your small business gets asked to price for a job for a larger more established business and you're excited!

"Why are they quoting us so much?"

Spotters Fee for finding this for me!

How would $5,000 in your pocket help?

Be careful what you wish for..you just might get it?

The brave may not live forever, but the cautious don't live at all. - Ashley L.

Courage is not living without fear.Courage is being scared to death and doing the right thing anyway.

Time is, time was, but time shall be no more.

Cash flow crisis OR Profit & Loss?

How to Wow

“Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.” ~Reggie Leach

Learning is the most important part!

“It is what you learn after you know it all that counts.” ~John Wooden

“As knowledge increases, wonder deepens.” ~Charles Morgan

Take yourself to work day

Home Office no. 1

Pluses:

Minuses

Home Office no. 2 happened in my late 30's.

Pluses

Minuses

Which now bring me to Home office no.3

Networking - is it for you?

They are definitely not all the same!

Groups? (I hear you ask) yes there are many groups:

Back into Perspective??

What's in a Business name?

New Year’s Resolutions for your Small Business?

Need inspiration for your biz for 2012? Check out these amazing business women from 2011.

What's in a name?

Women in Business Mentoring Program for 2012

Business Grants for Women

Courage is not living without fear.
Courage is being scared to death and doing the right thing anyway.