Ambassador of 2020 Lenovo ThinkBook mentoring program
Update as of 13 Jan 2020. I felt compelled to update this post as the situation in rural Australia has materially changed. Whilst the bushfires continue to rage I am regrouping with Lenovo to work out how best we can put our energy, time and resources into supporting the community.
Stay tuned for an update…
I wrote this post on how we can impact bushfire affected areas and wild life last week.
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19 December 2019 : I’ve woken up (again) this morning with Sydney skies filled with smoke. I wonder what I can do to help? The fires, drought and the ongoing hardship in our rural and regional communities leaves me feeling helpless.
This is when I think what best ‘talents’ and resources can I bring and how. Whilst agriculture, farming, forestry and other businesses are being hit hard. I know that many other businesses are being hit hard too. There are other businesses that are starting up (and scaling up) in the bush too.
Perhaps one of the best ways I can support those in rural/regional Australia is to offer my talents to mentor and help them with business success.
Lenovo ThinkBook, and I have come together to launch a program for 2020. I’m proud to be selected as the ambassador, because I believe that this will give me the reach to support businesses anywhere in Australia.
More than ever businesses need big business to support small businesses. To ‘buy local’ and support Australian communities.
My job will be to help profile these businesses – because often that is the hardest. For small businesses to be ‘noticed’ by the big business. And that is businesses not just in the cities, but in regional and rural areas.
It’s a year since I read the NBN report on the ‘registration’ of new businesses that showed the more businesses are being started throughout rural and regional Australia – as the NBN is switched on.
The number of women starting businesses in areas that are now connected is twenty times the pace of growth that’s happening in areas that are not connected. Technology is empowering business owners to be more financially and professionally independent, and to create new businesses.
Then I think to myself, how can I help them scale.
I reflect on Shelly West, who travelled from western Queensland from her family Herbertsvale property (Mt Isa district) her husband working the land (as best he can in the climatic circumstances) and she had started a business inviting people to experience this incredible country. A five day hike, glamping experience. Most people want to have the ‘rural’ experience – but Shelley created Trek West to make it happen. Who knows who else we can uncover as part of this program.
Technology (including Lenovo ThinkBook who engaged me for this program) and connectivity are critical to the success of any business. All businesses need the right technology for the right job. Customers can be found any where and everywhere. Services as far ranging as virtual EA, to architects, CAD drawing, graphic design and coding… can be offered from anywhere.
The tyranny of distance diminishes.
I have travelled in the last few years to speak in many regional and rural areas – I do this because I want to share what I have learned, and maybe have an impact in those communities. I have travelled to Darwin, Mt Isa, Cairns, Bundaberg, Townsville, Rockhampton, Toowoomba, Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Shepparton, Bendigo, Geelong, Moe, Mt Gambia, Hobart and many others. And whilst I’ve loved meeting the communities it is not enough for me to travel there for a day or two. Building businesses requires ongoing and consistent curiosity and access to learning, mentoring and business contacts.
I needed to find my way to help (all) businesses but particularly rural Australia in this time to thrive, not just survive.
Lenovo ThinkBook is a perfect ally having launched the ThinkBook mentorship program, because technology is the enabler for businesses everywhere.
A robust, fast and light computer to go anywhere and everywhere with them. Many ‘commute’ or travel a few times a month to conduct face-to-face business meetings in the major cities, but the rest of the time they’re business (and life) is enabled by technology and connection.
As a role model for others and an advocate for small business, I do my bit to share what I have learnt. The most important thing for us to do for start-ups in the community is to encourage people to have the vision. What is it that they really want to achieve? You can be world-class at anything anywhere in this country now. That’s transformational for Australia to be on the global stage.
2020 you will still see me dashing around the country with my Lenovo ThinkBook in hand (I do love it’s speed and size). But please take a note on how to join me in the 2020 mentoring program and share it with anyone you know who we could give the best gift right now – which is the gift of knowledge, mentoring and support.
For more details on how to be a part of this mentoring program simply click here. Perhaps 2020 is the year that I will get to meet and support you in your business growth.
Also published on Medium.
