“It’s not about being the best or having the most but sharing the knowledge and experience you have so that someone else can succeed as well.”
Anna Von Zinner of Book Me Now! is an Author, International Speaker and Thought Leader.
Until early 2021 she worked as a corporate support person to senior administrators and on multi-million dollar projects for the Victorian State Government in Australia. Anna has also worked in Universities in senior corporate support and at one time in her career, she worked for a temp for over ten years, so has seen what life is like working in many industries and doing a wide range of tasks. She has a degree in Communications and is always focused on positivity and connecting with others.
At Book Me Now! Anna helps first-time female authors over 50 to figure out how to plan and write their dream books, through weekly one-on-one online coaching and mentoring sessions, especially if they don’t know where to start.
Anna says that being a member of HerBusiness is like being a member of the best business library, best pool of resources and the most supportive like-minded cheerleaders and unofficial mentors that you can ever find. She says that it’s not about being the best or having the most but sharing the knowledge and experience you have so that someone else can succeed as well.
Anna has a story about everything to do with corporate life, sees detail in the world around her that others miss and truly knows what it’s like to be awesome.
Anna has co-authored two Amazon bestsellers and regularly speaks on various fear-related topics, including “The Subtle Art of the Stupid Question.”
Who’s your favourite entrepreneur and why?
That’s a really hard question! My tip-top number one would have to be Oprah Winfrey. I love her need to share everything that is good attitude and her generosity. On a more down-to-earth level, I follow several people because I like what they are doing and how they present their message in different ways to appeal to their audiences. Suzi Dafnis and Michelle Falzon are of course top of the list because I know that I will learn something new and/or have a laugh every time I interact with them. There are others as well. I like my Naturopath, Brenda Rogers, because despite enduring some major life setbacks/challenges in the last months of 2023 she has reinvented herself and her business and is now growing her business very successfully. In the Her Business membership I really enjoy interacting with, watching and learning from Cat Matson. I was lucky enough to catch up her and a group of Brisbane-based Her Business members in December and it was such an enlightening lunch. (I have so much to learn and think about for my own business.) There are many, many more entrepreneurs who I watch, admire and learn from but these are probably the few who influence me the most at the moment.
Why did you start your business and what gave you the idea?
I was working for the Victorian Public Service in an administrative support role when I reached the age where I could access a part of my superannuation. I was hating my job because when you are good at what you do, bosses tend to dump everything new, difficult or something that no-one else wants to do upon you. (I was given one too many high-level interdepartmental committees to be secretary to – aaaarrrrgggghhhh). I had to get out for my own sanity. This was at the time of COVID and I had started an initiative whereby I wrote a daily email to my office colleagues in an attempt to keep us connected while we were working from home. I loved doing that. When I decided to leave I knew that I had to get back to my roots of editing and writing. I had been editing as a freelance consultant for many years on top of working a full-time job and I knew that was where my genius lay. Couple that with my gift of drawing people’s ability to achieve things they thought were impossible out of them, I knew that I could help people achieve their dream of being an author. Writing is not hard but getting your content out of your head can be difficult for someone who doesn’t know where to start. This is what I could do to help aspiring authors. Did you know that 95% of Americans want to write a book? There are approx 330,000,000 Americans! You can do the math for yourself. (There are no Australian figures.). Only 5% actually write their books – still an astonishing number!
What do you enjoy most about running your own business?
I like that I get to choose who I work with. I love that I get to look out the window into my garden as I sit at my desk. I love that I have a global business serving authors in Australia, Europe and Asia. (I’m still looking for those US authors.) The time differences are not an issue when you find someone good to work with. I like that I can work at times that suit me and if I want to be working while I am travelling I can also do that. COVID gave us all the opportunity to work with Zoom (or some other variation) and time and distance became less of an obstacle.
What three pieces of advice do you wish you’d been given when you started?
- Know who your ideal client is and serve them exclusively. It will give you immense joy and your client a far better experience.
- Say “NO” more often. If it does not serve you don’t do it. Work is work and if you aren’t enjoying your work it is not worth doing. I firmly believe that like many successful entrepreneurs will say when you love what you are doing it is no longer work but a pleasure. That is what I strive to achieve.
- Build “me time” into each and every day. Taking that time to do something you enjoy and is just for you every day can make the difference between suffering through your work or chomping at the bit to get back to it. I’m a knitter and I have to knit every day. I’m also a TV addict. I like to combine the two so I am always productive – hahahaha. But, I might take time out to watch the UK and US news at lunchtime while I knit a few rows. It keeps me happy and I can get back to my client work in a happy frame of mind.
What advice would YOU give someone thinking about starting a business?
Find yourself a mentor or supportive network to help you on your journey. You don’t have to know everything about every aspect of business. Acknowledge and concentrate on your zone of genius and find others to do the things you aren’t good at or don’t like to do. Concentrate on your genius and serving your clients. Surround yourself with positive, supportive people. If you have that you can achieve anything.
What skills and knowledge areas would you recommend those starting out in business get acquainted with quickly?
Don’t be afraid of the numbers. Know what money you are making, what money you can spend and what you need to put aside for future expansion (or a rainy day). Pay yourself regularly. Have a plan for what you are going to do and who you are serving. Keep learning as much as you can to keep improving your client experience.
What does your IDEAL business look like? Even if you’re not there yet, what would it look like if your business was ideal?
My ideal business would be 7-8 clients per year who start from knowing nothing about how to start their books to writing their bestselling non-fiction books. They can be located anywhere in the world (as can I). My business is mobile so as long as I have a laptop I can work anywhere, any time I choose. My clients are women over 50 who are ready to share their stories and knowledge with the world.
What problem does being a Member of the HerBusiness Network solve for you and your business? And, how?
Being a member of HerBusiness is like being a member of the best business library, best pool of resources and the most supportive like-minded cheerleaders and unofficial mentors that you can ever find. It’s not about being the best or having the most but sharing the knowledge and experience you have so that someone else can succeed as well.
Learn more about Anna and Book Me Now!
