If you are prepared to stand up in front of audiences many times a week – at some point you are going to truly embarrass yourself – and today was my day. I was one of the debaters at the AIM great debate in Canberra – ‘Real women don’t need quotas’ was the topic and I was the final speaker for the affirmative. The iconic Ita Buttrose headed the opposing team. I had thought that I would be clever and…
The ideal scenario is that we start a business that is highly successful, that has a unique place in its market and that continues to innovate to meet changing market needs. Others often regard our success in these terms. But there is very much a personal side to the building of the business. It obviously takes effort, ideas and persistence. Whether a founder of a business or a manager or team member… at a personal level we all want to…
I was truly humbled last night at the Eastern Region Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the Year celebration event to be honored with winning the ‘Industry’ Category. This means that I on behalf of RedBalloon go on to represent that category in the National Awards in November 2011. Peter Berner was the MC last night and as I took to the stage he quizzed me on the why and how of being who I am. I have clearly said that it…
I recently attended TedX Sydney as a guest of PwC… I enjoyed most of the content… but this speaker particularly resonated with me. I particularly enjoyed the way Saul Griffiths approaches the data of the impact he personally is having on the planet.
I wonder what it is like to work for a business that has been around for 100 years? IBM turned 100 and Fortune wrote up a great article on ‘Lessons from IBMs 100th anniversary’ The five lessons are: At the start, convince the troops you’re a company of destiny, even if that seems crazy. Build a cult-like culture that people either buy into, or run away from. Bet the company once in a while. Make people talk about you. Hand…
Having arrived from an overnight plane from Beijing. I was a little worse for wear on Saturday morning. I was concerned that I would not keep up with the day. How wrong I was. The TedX Sydney event was first class – true to the vision of Ted and a mix of local and international ideas. There was a strong music theme to the day. Four Play String Quartet were mesmerizing as they electrified the sounds from their stringed instruments…..
To achieve mega growth – you best have a plan… I am in Beijing this week for an educational event. It is great to see first hand what we hear so much about in the media in Australia. The last time I visited Beijing was in 1986, only a decade after the Cultural Revolution, when tourists used a different currency – and there was no hot showers. Where I am now almost unrecognizable as the Beijing I visited 25 years…
I think one of the great things about doing what I do is the people I get to meet. On the weekend I was presenting for the Entreprenuer Organization and one of the other speakers was the energetic, enthusiastic, and effervescent Amanda Gore. Amanda must be one of Australia’s most famous speakers – and it is years since I had seen her in action (she has spent much time wooing audiences in the US). What a delight to listen to…
‘Sharing’ is the new business opportunity. People often ask me ‘what is the next big thing?’ Occasionally one get’s an insight into what the world ‘might be like’. Here are some things we know: There is an anti ‘stuff’ movement – not only can we not store everything we own (we live in smaller spaces in cities – and self storage is one of the fastest growing industries) but we are increasingly concerned about the cost to the planet of…
Imagine running a business based on fun - that's what I decided to try when I left a very serious corporate career in marketing to set up RedBalloon...
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The ‘success’ quiz.
I am often asked after speaking engagements “what is it like to be successful?” – I answer that ‘success’ is in the eye of the beholder – each person has their own definition, success is a personal notion; for some it is financial security – for others it is the depth of their friendships. I happened upon an old survey that I completed years ago. I’m not sure where it came from (as I had it in a spread sheet)…