Tag: mentors

Yesterday, I had the privilege of speaking to one of the most inspiring leaders in the world, Ad Nederlof, from Vanad Group, headquartered in Rottterdam in the Netherlands.

I was speaking to a journalist yesterday and was informing them of the speakers at the upcoming North Queensland Entrepreneurs Conference. While it may be branded that, people from all over the world are embarking on travelling to Townsville for this conference - that is how high the calibre of speakers are.

The main speaker is incredibly dear to me, as he has known me for a very long time. He has seen me transform from a young enthusiastic business woman (girl), to a woman that has more confidence and knowledge in so many different areas of business and industry sectors. At long last I can say that to most companies - I can add value. I think that transition is obvious in so many ways, and when you see someone on that journey, it is quite interesting to say the least.

Yesterday was a pivotal moment in my life. That is a big call I know, but it was a conversation with my mentor that I didn't realise would have such an impact.

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I was rambling as I do about business, and explaining to him what I was doing - basically giving him an update. I had listened to him when he gave me some important, game changing advice,  and his strategy for my business made perfect sense to me moving forward, so the wheels are now in motion.

In fact, I was using this advice, and kicking some serious goals.

I'm proud of you

Then the bombshell. He said, "I am very proud of you."

I never look for praise, and while I do receive it from time to time, I suppose I never take it in. Two instances of late where I have, have come from my best friend of over 20 years, and of course, my mentor.

My father has passed

My father passed away a few years back and didn't really know what I did. My mother doesn't really know what I do. I am not the daughter that rings up and says "I achieved this today" and have been brought up not to skite about achievements. So, in some ways that has suppressed many of the accomplishments that have been made along the way. I don't talk about "winning" or "succeeding" or achieving a bucket list item to my family and friends. 

In many ways, my biggest outlet happens to be this blog.

For the man that I hold in the highest esteem, and admire most in the world, to say that to me, made me pause. Previous to that we were talking about the fact that I didn't think I needed people to praise me or to be acknowledged for my work. He called me out. He said, "of course we all like to hear that we are doing a good job."

I thought about it, and in my mind, it matters only when it comes from the unexpected or from someone that means a lot to you.

I look up to my mentor

In this case, I look up to my mentor. I admire his business accomplishments, ability to always make time for friends and his family values. They are the things that I respect in a person. They are the things that I want to be myself.

It is true that I am kicking goals, but its only because I am listening to people wiser than I will ever be. They are so smart that I can only dream of having half their intelligence. Talking to him yesterday reminded me that the sky is the limit. I really have the ability to achieve things that I never thought were possible. On top of that, I have a great team behind me routing for me and our brand all the way. 

For him to say that he is proud, meant something. He is right. From the right person, it means everything when you are acknowledged. How lucky am I to have such amazing people in my life? Blessed is all I can say.

If you have read this blog for a while, you may have realised that I am a country girl. I grew up in rural North Queensland in a small township called Charters Towers, just over an hour west of Townsville. It seems like a million years ago now, as I have been living in big cities for the past 20 years or so. I currently reside mostly in Melbourne and from there I have built a multi million dollar international business. What I have realised about business is that the  more mature my business becomes, the more flexible I am with where I work from. It certainly has got me thinking about where in the world people can build successful businesses from and what are the hurdles that they must overcome if they are not located in a major city.

I've always been aware that I have all the things in life that are necessary to become successful; mentors, learning and development, financial stability, and a community... and the right mindset. But it wasn't always that way, and the first thing that you need to know about being successful is that you have to have the right mindset and belief that anything is possible. It takes so many parts to be successful, but I guess for most of us, it just starts with a dream.

A few years back I embarked on global expansion. I say the word 'global' loosely, as I am a realist and know that global is such a big, ambiguous word used so freely in today's business environment. We have an ambitious vision for the company that hopefully will see the company expand into a global footprint capable of providing thousands of companies worldwide with a 'marketing eye'. All possible, but yet to be fully realised.

I've been challenged for my entire business life by whether or not business is more important than personal life. We all know the answer to that one and as much as we continually tell ourselves that this is the case, it is so easy to be lured into a false sense of security that only business can provide.

I love working. I really do. I wake up in the morning and cannot wait to get to the office. I've matured a little, and don't tend to work on weekends or in the evenings, although I do put in a solid 12 hour day, 5 days a week.

My high school friend rung me last week as I was driving out to Palm Beach and asked if I could be a business mentor to her. She was happy to pay me market rate, and would require a few hours of my time a month. It needed to be in a business environment and she would like me to be hard on her.

The latter... very easy for me as I am a seasoned professional on being hard on people when they need a kick up the bum or a little push in the right direction.

Then, today, my mentor rung me. Not to give me a kick up the bum, but to ask me how I am going. As I explained the latest developments in my business and a little update on my personal life, I was able to hear out loud what my dreams are for my business and how I planned to execute them. I couldn't very well just give him an overarching view like I can with my employees. He wanted to know exactly how I am going to make it happen. Am I going to enough meetings with the right people? Have I done enough research? Is it financially viable? Have I run it past some other people we mutually know that are very smart in business? What do I want the outcome to be? Do I realise how much work is involved?

The path to business success is never easy but as our entrepreneurial skills improve, our experiences increase and our understanding of the different business dynamics that exist from one organisation to another, it certainly does get to a stage that when faced with an obstacle, we are able to handle it alot better.