Sam Sheppard OAM
Hall of Fame Alumni
The Buildmore Group
About Me - My Biography
Sam’s had an entrepreneurial spirit since childhood; by age 11-12 she was juggling 3 jobs, left school at 15, moved interstate at 16 for a fresh start and by 17 she had established a cabinet-making business while she purchased her first home to renovate with a $1,000 deposit. Sam’s energy and passion are obvious, given her profile and numerous major and international awards.
Having renovated numerous properties over a 20 year period, Sam completed her certification to register as a Licensed Builder. In February 2002 she founded The Buildmore Group Pty Ltd, she was in a serious car accident in April, by July she was back in full swing and by December she had 22 carpenters working full time. Buildmore is recognised and awarded for its quality and innovation, it is a boutique building company catering to discerning buyers who recognise quality and value for money.
In 2009 Sam spearheaded the innovative “Women into Building” initiative; a Sunshine Coast based project that saw Australia’s first sustainable home; designed, constructed & supplied primarily by a talented cross section of women representing most vocations within the building industry.
The historic, “Buildmore Women into Building Housing Showcase”, was Sam’s way of demonstrating there is a critical mass in the numbers of women working in various vocations within the Building industry. It was a celebration to elevate awareness and acceptance of the many women carving out successful careers in the industries and sought to inspire more women to consider the industries as a career destination.
Support and mentoring between participants was a key element of the initiative, as was the importance of connecting with networking organisations and self promotion.
The multi award winning project received international attention that led many women from around the world to contact Sam seeking advice and offering congratulations for promoting the construction industry to women with such positivity and recognition.
Through successfully encouraging thousands of Australian women to consider themselves as role models to other aspiring young women; Sam promotes gender diversity in the workplace as a positive, interactive way for organisations to increase their skilled workforce attraction, retention, effectiveness and to position themselves as employers of choice.
In 2012 Sam was awarded a medal of the order of Australia (OAM) for services to women, the building and construction industry and the community.
Her Story
Sam Sheppard has had an entrepreneurial spirit since childhood. By age 11-12 she was juggling three jobs, left school at 15, moved interstate at 16 for a fresh start and by 17 she had established a cabinet-making business while she purchased her first home for renovation with a $1,000 deposit.
Working in the office of a timber yard at 17 more than 2,000 kms away from family and friends, Sam realised her life was a little out of the ordinary. A licensed builder in an industry swarming with men, Sam would spend many years encouraging more women to get involved and recognise how much knowledge and inspiration they have to offer.
Sam renovated numerous properties over a 20-year period, and in February of 2002 she founded The Buildmore Group, a boutique building company specialising in providing exceptional quality and value for discerning buyers. Two months later, Sam was involved in a serious car crash, but even that did not hinder her progress. By July she was back in full swing and by December she had 22 carpenters working for her full time.
In 2009 Sam spearheaded the innovative “Women into Building” initiative, a Sunshine Coast based project that saw Australia’s first sustainable home designed, constructed and supplied primarily by a talented cross-section of women representing most vocations within the building industry.
The historic “Buildmore Women into Building Housing Showcase” was Sam’s way of demonstrating that there is a critical mass in the numbers of women working in the building industry.
It was a celebration to elevate awareness and acceptance of the many women carving out successful careers in this particular field and sought to inspire more women to consider the industry as a prospective and rewarding career destination.
It became an internationally renowned multi award-winning project, prompting many women from around the world to contact Sam in search of advice and to offer congratulations for her promotion of gender diversity in the workplace.
In 2012 Sam was awarded a medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to women, the building and construction industry and the community.
Sam has developed a unique and powerful personal brand as a thought leader, and is a much sought after public speaker and mentor, particularly for her advocacy for women in non-traditional roles.
At the much-anticipated launch of “Industry Women Central” in Canberra in June 2013, both Senator Kate Lundy and Sam Sheppard were announced as National Ambassadors. This Government-funded pilot initiative aimed to consult with the education and industry sectors to increase attraction, engagement, visibility, advancement and promotion for women in non-traditional industries through shared knowledge and collaboration. It is an initiative close to Sam’s heart, with so much potential to make a positive impact on women’s participation and community outcomes.
One piece of advice she wants to pass onto others is to be authentic by following your passion, developing your niche and being the driving force of growth.
“If you want others to follow and you want to be recognised as a leader, you need to be authentic or others will see right through you.”
Strategies for Success
- Be prepared to be vocal: sometimes it’s the only way to be heard; be proactive in building positive business culture; be innovative in your approach to growth; be provocative: stimulate dialogue about cause and effect.
- Network, network, network: I can’t stress the importance of developing and fostering your circle of influence enough. Having others champion for you cannot be underestimated.
- Be authentic: it is just as, if not more, important to build ‘Brand You’ as it is to build your corporate brand. You may sell your enterprise or move on, but ‘Brand You’ is with you for life. Think of your brand as your reputation and be mindful of how you represent yourself.
- Everyone deserves to be heard and it pays to listen.
- Strive to challenge yourself and those around you to strive for personal and professional greatness.
