Tag: entrepreneur - Page 7

I'm so busy right now. I am working very long hours and am in the office each morning before the sun rises. Not that I want to complain. I am doing something that I an incredibly passionate about and every single part of my business is going ballistic, so it's "time" to take it all the way.

When things go a big 'crazy' I call in the experts - my mentors. I ask them what they think about what I am doing and whether or not they think it will be successful. It's like having an educated bouncing board that have been there and done that.

The most amazing thing happeneda few days ago. I went to a pool party in Atlanta and a guy came up to me very excited at the opportunity to finally meet me. He had never met me before, but had heard things about me. But his real reason for wanting to meet me is that he is a "fan" of my blogs, tweets and really anything I put on social media.

Not the creepy type of fan. The genuine person who appreciates honestly, vulnerability and someone who is fearless in sharing her real life.

So, I thought I might start a few blogs about who I really am.

The mentor

To use this word seems strange to me because I feel like I am not old enough or experienced enough to be anyone's mentor, but it just so happens that I am a mentor to a lot of people and that is something I have to take seriously.

I'm an ideas person. The one that comes up with a thousand ideas, then shares a few with friends and makes one or two a reality.

It's so exciting when you come up with a great idea, but mostly, it's about how you can make it happen that determines whether you will truly be successful with the outcome or not.

Never give away everything, it's as simple as that.

Too many entrepreneurs get so desperate that they give away the kitchen sink when in fact all their prospect wanted to know was that they could do a good job.

As an entrepreneur, it's hard to start a business and to keep it going year-after-year profitability creating value and jobs. But many do so very successful, and yet those who fail seem to do so falling often on their own sword.

Somehow we got through the end of financial year in Australia. There's a lot to be done to make sure that everything is in order; every box ticked, every invoice accounted for.

My team made that deadline and for that I am thankful. No late nights, just a lot to be considered. My headspace over the past 2 weeks feels like there is so much in there, that it is impossible to take in any more.

I am in strategy phase. What's next? Where to from here? Who is doing what? What does the next 5 years look like? What does the next 10 years look like? 

Then of course, what about me? What is going to make my life more fulfilling in the next 5 years? Next 10 years?

It was enough to make me burst into tears.

Yesterday I caught up with one of the founders of Kookai, Rob Crombe, to talk about a community initiative that I am working on in Charters Towers in rural Queensland.

He asked me a question about success and I paused for a moment to reflect on how I would answer a question which eluded to me being successful.

I've recently changed the narrative of my business. It's not something I took lightly. Re-defining what value you provide to the market place can be game-changing, or business destroying. 

If you look at Uber for instance, they could have failed, but yet they succeeded. Is it sustainable? Most probably. Is it worth the market value associated with the business? Not really. Did they not only change their original narrative, but create a new narrative for the entire industry - disruptive in design?

After spending some time in New York talking to hundreds of entrepreneurs from around the globe, I am rejuvenated and ready to tackle my next challenge.

The world is your oyster... yet so many of us still spend far too much time behind our desks.

It's hard to leave the comfort of your cushy office chair, surrounded by what has become our most familiar items; our desk, our computer, our coffee cup and an endless ream of notepads.

I challenged myself as the new year came around to be more effective in the office. While I will never have a 4 hour work week (who really does?), I certainly plan to utilise my time in the office on productive "on the business" not "in the business" tactical items.

The sharks were circling. Their prey nervous. Beads of sweat popping and streaking. Hands raised to wipe their brow.  Vocal chords faltering. Knees buckling under pressure. Sensing weakness the sharks go in for the kill.

That’s the basic principle of a television show called Shark Tank and the show on which it is based Dragon's Den. Shark Tank has just started airing in Australia and has been running in the US since 2009. The Sharks comprise of four entrepreneurs, with a combined wealth of somewhere in the billions of dollars who must judge the business presentations of ‘wanna-be’ entrepreneurs.