Who’s your favourite entrepreneur and why?
Janine Allis, Owner of Boost Juice. I first saw her on Shark Tank and felt she was a strong & successful business owner who has navigated the Australian business landscape with great success. I then saw her on Survivor and saw another side of her personality that I really admire.
What do you enjoy most about running your own business?
Meeting new people and getting to know them & their businesses is a major plus.
I also love the freedom & not having someone looking over my shoulder. Of course, it’s much harder than turning up from 9-5 but now I’m doing it for ME.
What three pieces of advice do you wish you’d been given when you started?
- It takes time to build a brand and a business & not everyone hits the ground running with a heap of clients on the books.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself, work hard & good things will come.
- Try not to compare yourself to others – you have your own special gifts to share & you need to find your “people”.
What advice would YOU give someone thinking about starting a business?
- If you are passionate about your business idea then you should share it with the world.
- It goes back to the story about the tortoise & the hare – slow & steady wins the race.
- Get your plan in place, suck in all the information that you can & just keep going.
What skills and knowledge areas would you recommend those starting out in business get acquainted with quickly?
Skills & knowledge areas would depend on the type of business but you need to find your “people” who will support you as you grow. I have found HerBusiness & members to be integral in my adventure so far.
If you’ve never run a business before (like me) there is a lot involved:- business registration, tax & GST, super, what to do & how to do it, marketing, networking, how to sell yourself & your products, insurance, employees, the list goes on.
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 include having a full book of clients but still with the flexibility to fit personal stuff in when I want to. Perhaps a sub-contractor or 2 is also an option down the track.
What problem does being a Member of the HerBusiness Network solve for you and your business? And, how?
The support, networking opportunities, training and relationships have been invaluable to me & I’ve only been a member since February. Working from home after being in an office has been hard & networking events are a great way to get to know others & build my confidence as well as my business.
The Goals Group is amazing as we have been matched really well & it gives me accountability for my progress and the Training covers a wide range of topics and I have attended most as I build my business.
If I don’t use the knowledge myself I may be able to help one of my clients to implement something into their own business from what I have learned.
Learn more about Debbie Mynett and CanDo VA Solutions.
