Best Business Advice
My blog theme for the month, as the title suggests, is ‘Best Business Advice’. Throughout my career I’ve had many people offer ‘nuggets of gold’ that have benefited me greatly, unbeknownst to them. That’s the amazing thing about advice, you never know what’s going to stick with someone.
Last week
A busy week for me last week – on Monday I was privileged to attend a Maybanke Anderson lecture in honour of the work the Sydney Community Foundation (SCF)’s do to educate our young people. I was delighted to hear Elizabeth Broderick AO (photo by Yann Le Berre) address how leaders must nurture themselves too. Leaders with a cause will only be useful if they are sustained both mentally and physically.
As Mother’s Day is fast approaching I spent some time with the RedBalloon marketing team, lifestyle writers and their mums as well as some amazing Camp Quality mums. It was a great morning of cupcake decorating, terrarium making as part of the Urban Yoga Wellness Retreat experience and Napoleon make-up masterclasses. Whilst this was a lovely event – I reminded everyone there that more than anything our mothers just want to have time with us. And I recounted my own story of spending the afternoon with my mum a few years ago at a candle making class – and more recently we did a chocolate walking tour together…
Three speaking engagements last week had me in three states! Firstly I headed to Logan, Queensland where I heard that 30,000 people leave the town to head to work whilst another 28,000 come into it. I wonder just how much time people spending travelling to and from work? I spoke to the Logan audience how employing local means you need to view things differently – wellbeing in the workplace is so very important to me, and having people arrive refreshed means they are better placed to serve your customers and your brand well. (How far do you travel to work? And how far do your team travel to work? Do you know?).
After Logan I headed back down the coast to Sydney for another speaking gig on the Starship Sydney out on the amazing Harbour; then onto Shepparton, Victoria where I was proud to be able to share my advice. It is great to get out and chat to small business owners in regional Australia.
During my travels, I also got to visit the Gravity Coworking Brisbane office for a Q&A as part of role as Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR). I shared my journey on how I became EIR… not everything goes to plan, no matter where you sit in your entrepreneurial journey – so I was glad we had Gravity to catch us when we slipped.
On top of speaking to loads of people last week I also attended a lunch in support of the work the Salvation Army do with their Red Shield Appeal and heard powerful stories of the work done by them and how it’s making a difference in so many people’s lives. How lucky we are they do the work they do!
And to top off another rewarding week in business, I spent Friday morning as the 5th panelist on Studio 10. It’s always so much fun in there with the gang speaking about all kinds of topics, including the returning of Shark Tank to a screen near you… soon!
Thought for the week
What I’m reading
“People miss worthwhile opportunities because their fear of failure blinds them from seeing the potential upsides” – there are some great insights in this article: I camped out with a tech billionaire. The advice he gave me was priceless.
33 lessons from the trenches of building a million dollar company – If 33 lessons seems like a lot, let me tell you… that is just the beginning!
This is Why Your Startup will Fail. “Stop focusing on gaps in the market—they don’t matter. Look instead at your own strengths… The holy grail is when your hourglass (or idea) has more sand than anyone else’s possibly could if they chose to pursue something similar. No need to whisper if you’re the only one who can do it.” An interesting take on focusing on yourself rather that what others are doing. Ask yourself, what is your unique gift you can offer the world?
On the blog
As the theme for May is ‘Best Business Advice’ here is my first piece of advice – look after yourself. The grass is always greener where you water it, read how I water mine…
SmartCompany’s recent survey gives some fascinating insights into The Future of SMEs and what that means for us business owners.
The entrepreneurial journey is not for everyone. I wrote about Start Up Challenges – a reality check up on the blog and highlighted some startups, as I believe it is always important to have some believing in your vision, along with yourself.
In the Media
It seems the Daily Mail enjoyed my blog post on rhythm! I really do believe that rhythm is essential to your personal wellbeing and the health of your business.
Where to get my books
Ready to Soar (how to turn your brilliant idea into a business you love)
Live What You Love (When Passion and Purpose Change your Life)
Quote of the week
