For more than 8 years, Marketing Eye has been the outsourced marketing department for Steel Supplies Charters Towers. We develop yearly strategies, and implement them over 12-month periods. On a monthly basis, we do e-marketing, lead generations campaigns, brochures, social media, advertising and public relations. A newly launched website has been instrumental in ensuring that the company continues to grow from strength to strength.

Steel Supplies Website

Just days before Christmas, farmers throughout Queensland received a final blow. Not only had they endured years of drought, only to see some light at the end of the tunnel, but Chinese whispers had them flocking to the local newsagency to buy a copy of News Limited newspapers, to see if it was true that they were in fact "losing their land and livelihood".

As they read the newspaper advertisement, they considered the fact that they had no pre-warning, no consultation and no consideration - and realised more so than ever, that as a minority they have no power.

You are never as good as you want to be unless of course you are a narcassist and you think you know it all, and that your s*** doesn't stink.

The reality is for anyone who wants to improve their status quo, grow and be the best they possibly can, you have to be ready to put in the hard yards, take the set-backs on the chin, and move forward with purpose.

Marketing Eye continues to grow and with that we take an approach that is innovative and collaborative. I've never been one to make decisions without consulting others, and mostly that has kept me in good stead. When we second guess things, that's when it goes pear shaped. 

In the 17 years of being in business, I have screwed up an awful lot. Sometimes I learned my lessons, others I was taught a few more times before I actually got it.

I cannot say that I am not nervous about the upcoming North Queensland Entrepreneurs Conference. Of course I am! It's going to be awesome. Without sounding Trump-ish, "Let's make North Queensland Great Again".

Growing up in rural township, Charters Towers, has its positives and negatives. Firstly, with so much time on your hands, you really do have time to think, and dream.

The negatives, believe it or not, I forgot. But my journey back as an adult, the ‘small town syndrome’ hit me firmly straight in the face, knocked me back a few steps and as I was about to trip, I somehow found my feet and continued.

I have just spent over a week in regional and rural North Queensland. In the past few years, I have travelled north for a couple of reasons, but namely for work and for a charity I set up in the rural township of Charters Towers.

It's been humbling and a great reminder of what is important in life.

My absence for 10 days from this blog has been pertinent to where Marketing Eye is heading into the future. Last year we committed to giving to charity, namely through using our expertise, money and resources to build The World Incubator in Charters Towers.

I've made a few trips up North to speak with locals, potential startups for the incubator, Politicans and alike. I grew up in Townsville and Charters Towers, so this project is especially important to me.

It's been an interesting visit to say the least.

The realisation that everything isn't as it should be is startling. It is also very confronting. People are literally fighting for their survival. 

Making a conscience effort to be the best version of yourself takes a lot of soul searching. It also takes a lot of strength as you have to look yourself in the mirror and work out what is working and what isn't. Where you can improve and where you don't have to.

About 3 or so years ago, I made a momentus change by looking deeply within myself and exploring what I could possibly achieve in this lifetime. I set goals for everything imaginable, including the life of my dog (check out Instagram account @thereal_pippasmith), my health, my family, my career and so on.

I broke up every area of my life and worked out how I could live it better than I have lived it before. And you know what, it mostly works. Except you will slip up like I did on a few things, but they will mostly be things of the heart where your reaction isn't quite what you would have planned for it to be. By slipping up, you have the opportunity to change and work on that area, while you keep developing yourself and achieving the goals set out in front of you.