Ann Mawhinney is nothing short of an impressive woman.
A career starting as a registered nurse, Ann, rose through the ranks to run regional, rural, and remote hospitals and health systems.
Her last position was as CEO of a medical speciality industry body.
A self-professed crusader rabbit, Ann has been actively involved in local, regional, state, and federal healthcare and community issues and has chaired or been a member of over 40 committees and boards.
Her lifelong need and search for a truly natural, sensitive skincare and passion to help people with dry, irritated, compromised and sensitive skin, find an affordable, and natural solution to their skincare problems, led Ann to start her business Maloola Natural Skincare.
At Maloola Natural Skincare, the skincare range is made from pure, natural, and organic ingredients that are formulated, manufactured and distributed by Ann herself.
Who’s your favourite entrepreneur and why?
“ Suzi Dafnis: as a self-made, talented and dynamic micropreneur who has a generosity of spirit that is contagious.
Lisa Sasevich: she is a self-made entrepreneur a dynamic powerhouse and most importantly a philanthropist. ”
What do you enjoy most about running your own business?
“Freedom – the buck stops with me. I have been the Boss in my previous life for many years so this was the sensible ( albeit scary) evolution.”
What three pieces of advice do you wish you’d been given when you started?
- Have a bigger picture re your marketing – a website is not the holy grail of your business and when it launches – it won’t magically pull traffic and conversions.
- It will never be 100% perfect or meet your standards (I am a pedant!), it is okay to refine brochures, etc as you go.
- It will take longer than you think.
What advice would YOU give someone thinking about starting a business?
- Ensure that you look very closely at your budget – do your research especially if you are supplying a niche market.
- Always listen to the quiet voice in your head and ignore the well meaning advise of others
- Continue to learn, research, add to your skillset, never become complacent.
What skills and knowledge areas would you recommend those starting out in business get acquainted with quickly?
I would recommend you write a business plan and budget as soon as the idea for a new business comes up – why?
- You will learn a lot about yourself and your commitment to the idea.
- You will also learn what is needed to make a business tick.
If you cannot do it yourself don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Make sure you know backwards the Standards, Laws, Legislation, Regulations, ISO Guidelines, Quality control procedures and processes that are relevant to the services you supply.
Have a good accounting system in place or a trusted accountant.
What does your IDEAL business look like? Even if you’re not there yet, what would it look like if your business was ideal?
- It would be in the top 5 boutique skincare range providers in Australia.
- It would have stockists throughout Australia.
- It would provide one – on – one skin consultations and have webinars on skincare tips.
- Sales would be generated from stockists as well as, online platforms.
- It would be showcased in magazines as the go-to natural skincare solution for dry, irritated and sensitive skin.
What problem does being a Member of the HerBusiness Network solve for you and your business? And, how?
“Isolation – as an introvert I know the importance of networking but its not my skill set. HerBusiness is a safe space! I am hopeless at marketing and very much value the expertise of Suzi and all the members and I think I was starting to lose motivation so being accountable to others is excellent for me, especially with like-minded women.”
Learn more about Ann Mawhinney and Maloola Natural Skincare here.
