Upon her move to Inverloch on the south-eastern coast of Victoria, Susan found that restarting her business and continuing her love for shooting family and children’s portraits would take some patience and connection-building with locals. But by getting involved with her local community, networking and embracing technology – such as Photoshop, blogging and social media – Susan has been able to recreate and grow her successful photography business, even in a regional location. Since then, Susan has also developed a video production business, Ochre Productions, that assists small business in create video and visual content. Susan says that her favourite part of running this visual content creation business is getting behind the camera and creating as well as getting to know the people she photographs, and their story. She says she’s created long-term connections through her photography. She’s found that being a member of the Australian Businesswomen’s Network (ABN) has helped her business greatly. She says listening to the ABN podcasts have been inspiring and educational. She’s also found the Entrepreneurs’ Roundtables to be particularly helpful as it gives her a chance to get out of her more remote location and network with other hard-working businesswomen, some of whom she’s been able to create networks and do business with. Susan’s advice for up-and-coming businesswomen in regional or remote communities is:
- Find a local network or group to get involved in.
- Listen to and take advantage of ABN podcasts and other resources.
- Don’t be afraid to reach out – contact others in your industry who might be able to help grow your business.
This post was co-authored by Courtney Sweeney. Courtney is currently completing a journalism internship at the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. She studies journalism, political science, and public relations at Michigan State University in the United States.
