“Get a mentor or someone to be accountable to.”
Clare Vandine of UpsideDown Productions originally started her business to escape the corporate world.
One of Clare’s first jobs in Australia was working for a bank when they were doing a rebrand. Clare was assigned a project to create functional Microsoft Word and PowerPoint templates for around 3,000 users.
An external graphic design agency was also involved, and after presenting the final templates to all the internal staff, she told Clare how amazed she was at what she’d done. She asked for Clare’s help as she needed templates for her own agency as well as multiple clients who had the same need.
What started as a side-hustle because Clare was saving for a mortgage, became a full-time business when Clare realised that most designers have no idea how to give their clients beautiful AND working Word and PowerPoint templates.
Clare’s business, UpsideDown Productions, helps Brand Managers, marketing teams, graphic designers and anyone who needs their branding implemented in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint in a way that accurately reflects the brand and is also easy to use. She does this by developing automated templates that are customised to their client’s exact requirements.
Clare has been a member of the HerBusiness Network since 2022 and says that one of the greatest benefits is being connected with a large group of like-minded women that have similar issues and can provide answers and support. Clare also loves being accountable through her Growth Group and learning new skills through the online business sessions.
Clare’s biggest piece of advice for anyone starting a business “Get a mentor or someone to be accountable to. I never really knew how to do this, but now I’m really loving being part of a Growth Group through HerBusiness. The best thing is that they understand what you’re going through and can offer advice and support as they have often been in the same place themselves.”
Who’s your favourite entrepreneur and why?
Richard Branson. He has this great ability to look at things differently and see opportunities, but he always tries to pair it with his love of fun and adventure to engage people.
Why did you start your business and what gave you the idea?
Originally I started my business to escape the corporate world. I’d had enough!
One of my first jobs in Australia was working for a bank when they were doing a rebrand. I was assigned a project to create functional Microsoft Word and PowerPoint templates for around 3,000 users.
An external graphic design agency was also involved, and after I had presented the final templates to all the internal staff, she told me how amazed she was at what I’d done. She asked for my help as she needed templates for her own agency as well as multiple clients who had the same need.
What started as a side-hustle because we were saving for a mortgage, became a full-time job when I realised that most designers have no idea how to give their clients beautiful AND working Word and PowerPoint templates.
What do you enjoy most about running your own business?
I like the independence that allows me to have flexibility, to choose who I work with, which jobs to take on, where I work from etc. I like having a team of knowledgeable staff that have been with us for many years, which enables me not to be on the tools anymore.
Like everyone, I get a buzz when we help someone save lots of time and frustration and spreads the news. We are half-way through a project at the moment and the client has already referred us on to someone else!
What three pieces of advice do you wish you’d been given when you started?
- Get a mentor or someone to be accountable to. I never really knew how to do this, but now I’m really loving being part of a Growth Group through HerBusiness. The best thing is that they understand what you’re going through and can offer advice and support as they have often been in the same place themselves.
- Measure your sales, financials, marketing etc. frequently and be aware of what results you are really achieving from these.
- Get a bookkeeper! I used to enter all the paper receipts in MYOB. Nothing more, but it took hours and when I finally got someone to do it, I realised how much time I had truly wasted!
What advice would YOU give someone thinking about starting a business?
- Get some education early on. You don’t learn this stuff in school and business is a specialised topic. I’ve learnt many lessons along the way but it’s a much, much slower way to go about it.
- Try to work out a subscription model early to provide passive income and regulate cash flow.
- Setup systems from the outset to document your processes.
- Try to stash a pot of money away before you start for a rainy day :)
What skills and knowledge areas would you recommend those starting out in business get acquainted with quickly?
- Resilience :)
- Understanding your numbers
- Leadership and delegation skills if you have staff
- What does your IDEAL business look like? Even if you’re not there yet, what would it look like if your business was ideal?
UpsideDown would ideally be bringing in twice as much revenue as it is now. This would mainly be coming from some sort of subscription model (but I don’t know what this can be at this stage!!). I would have more time to step away from the day to day to focus on growing the business and updating our technical skills as things are changing so fast.
What problem does being a Member of the HerBusiness Network solve for you and your business? And, how?
Connecting me with a large group of like-minded women that have similar issues and can provide answers and support. Being accountable through my Growth Group and learning new skills through the online business sessions.
Learn more about Clare and UpsideDown Productions.
