Her Story

Anneke van den Broek ventured into her very first business endeavour at just six years of age, breeding and selling mice. After working for a while in marketing and management, Anneke’s love and passion for her furry friends eventually motivated her to switch careers and launch her lucrative pet care products company, Rufus & Coco.

While Anneke was evidently business savvy from the early days, a major reason behind her shift from marketing and management to business, was her love and passion towards her furry friends.

Anneke earned the importance of courage and determination early on:

“At the age of five, my father sat me at the edge of our large pool at home and told me to tell myself five times “I can do anything I want to if I try”. Each time I mumbled the words, he told me to say it louder (with his strong Dutch accent), until I was almost yelling “I can do anything if I try!” That day I swam for the first time to the end of pool and back unaided.”

With a desire to provide the very best to pets around the world, Anneke has driven Rufus & Coco to the numero uno spot in the pet care industry, and the brand is recognised nationally and internationally. Rufus & Coco has received six Australian Business Awards for their innovative range of products.

Her determination and courage to try new things has led to the national and international success of Rufus & Coco. In her efforts to create the highest quality of pet care, she has been recognised as one of Australia’s 50 most influential women entrepreneurs by Rare Birds. In 2012, she was the recipient of the Anita Prabhu Women in Business Award. Being a part of the business community is also incredibly important for Anneke, who is an active member of the Sydney faction of the Global Entrepreneur’s Organisation.

Having achieved a great deal of success in a career spanning two decades, Anneke is determined to support other women in similar situations.  As an extensively-experienced executive coach/mentor, she believes that with the right support, anyone can achieve their goals.

Strategies for Success

• Love what you do: This can never be stressed enough! Your business partners, employees and customers will feel and respond to your passion, and you will personally need the energy that this gives to keep forging ahead through tough times.
• Work with great people that are the right fit for your business:  Both internally and externally; and ensure they know and embrace your shared vision and their role within it.
• Follow your gut instincts:  Seek advice, listen to the (many) opinions people will share, but bear in mind that at the end of the day where will these people be if/when it fails? It is up to you to consider all the options and make THE decision.
• Listen to your customers:  They are the heartbeat of your business and will tell you what’s working and what’s not.
• Continually develop yourself: I belong to The Entrepreneur’s Organisation, an international network that allows entrepreneurs to share inspiring stories and experiences that feed fires of inspiration and knowledge. Also, I commit to ongoing personal development. Both help to build essential resilience.