Eastern Suburbs Business Enterprise Centre has had the pleasure of bringing success to small businesses in many ways. To learn more about the success people have experienced through our programs, check out the testimonials by ESBEC clients and supporters.
Aboriginal Business Service
Business Advisory Service
Business Buddies
NEIS Program
Women in Business Mentor Program
Aboriginal Business Service:
Lani Blanco and Debbie Nelson, Yarn’n
The women behind Yarn’n, an employment and consulting service, are learning to entertain the attention they have received from their unique business name, a big thanks is do to the Aboriginal Business Service.
Lani Blanco and Debbie Nelson laugh as they share the story of visiting business adviser, Phil Schwenke. With the original business name at “four lines” long, Phil helped them understand the power of a short, unique name that captures their target audience.
With the name reflecting their love of a story, Lani and Debbie are also perfecting their business story, as they knock on doors of big business and government to engage them in the Yarn’n idea – helping connect the people who are all in their own way, involved in employment services for indigenous Australians.
“Private sector, public sector, Aboriginal organisations, state and Federal governments are all working pretty much in silos,” Lani explains. “We wanted to help the people who were looking at improving either services or employment outcomes for Indigenous people. This is our main goal – to position our business so we could help many.”
Both women have backgrounds in human resources and learning and development; Lani in the private sector and Debbie in the public sector. They met 20 years ago as founding members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Network and recognised then that their skills, experience and personalities were complementary.
They started talking about starting a business together about a year and a half ago. Then a friend recommended the Aboriginal Business Service in Redfern.
“We’d been talking about it for a very long time, but we had an initial fear of how do we go about this,” says Lani.
“Because you don’t know what you don’t know,” adds Debbie. “And we didn’t know a whole lot!”
They laugh about being confused over what comes first – the ABN or business name.
But Philip was able to answer all of their questions, and not only helped them with general business information, but also with shaping and fine-tuning their concept. Over three months Lani and Debbie saw Phil each fortnight for sessions that would often run up to two hours.
In the next three to five years, the goal is for Yarn’n to be supporting Lani and Debbie fulltime, with offices and networks in other states as well as NSW, and for the focus to broaden to providing diverse employment opportunities – for women, people with disabilities, and people from multicultural backgrounds, including Aboriginal Australians.
Without the Aboriginal Business Service, and the help of their business adviser Phil, Lani and Debbie say they would still be “sitting there talking about it, not knowing what the first step was.”
“He sprinkled some brave dust” says Lani, and Yarn’n was born.
Aboriginal Business Service:
Helen and Jurgen Empacher, GTE Fitness
Helen Empacher decided to seek the assistance of the Aboriginal Business Service because she wanted to ensure that her first step into small business would be on the right foot.
“It was to make sure we were on the right path and that we were setting ourselves up properly to be a success,” says Helen. “We didn’t want to fail the first go.”
Helen visited the Redfern-based Aboriginal Business Service with her business partner and husband Jurgen. Together they run GTE Fitness, providing fitness training services to individuals and small groups in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.
With bigger plans for the future their focus for the business was to provide for children’s fitness. With Helen’s background as a primary school teacher, partnered with her husband’s fitness skills, children’s fitness seemed like the most sensible step.
“The goal is to combine both skills, develop programs that are school-based, and go into schools and present them to Kindergarten to Year 6.”
Right now, Helen continues to work fulltime as a teacher while putting in hours before and after school for their business. Visiting the Aboriginal Business Service was part of the process to collect as much information as they could before taking GTE Fitness to the next level.
Helen and Jurgen had one session with Business Adviser Philip Schwenke, and received invaluable information that led them to change, for the better, the way they had planned to structure the business.
“Phil gave lots of different scenarios for how we could structure the business, in terms of taxation, and whether to set it up as a partnership or a sole trader,” Helen relates. “The other thing that was really helpful was showing us a few different places to approach in order to get some finance.”
Something that really left an impression with Helen was how comfortable she felt visiting the Service.
“I felt very welcome. Phil made us feel very at ease, and as an Aboriginal person sometimes it’s hard to approach others for help. It was nice to be able to walk into an office and feel like I had something to offer to the situation as well.”
Helen says she recommends the Aboriginal Business Service as a “safe and welcoming place” to discuss your business ideas.
GTE Fitness – 0433419434
Business Advisory Service:
Prevention is Better then Cure
Suzanna Edwards, Ar/Tec
Embracing the challenge of changed circumstances, Suzanna took a reality check when it came to her future career prospects.
Guided and assisted by the Small Business Advisory Service from the Eastern Suburbs Business Enterprise Centre, Suzanna Edwards started her own unique small business, Ar/Tec Consulting – preventative conservation and environmental monitoring of artworks, ensuring their security against the harmful effects of lights, temperature, humidity, insects, people and pollution.
When family life and her children were no longer Suzanna’s primary focus, she consolidated her academic background, a degree in microbiology, biochemistry, archaeology, and zoology from Sydney University. This led her to a position as an Environmental Officer then Science Officer in the Conservation Department of The National Gallery in Canberra. For the last seventeen years, this has introduced her to the specialist area of prevention, conservation, safety and monitoring of valuable artworks.
She found herself in this new niche, spending six years learning about temperature, lux levels, and the intricate details of controlling the environment in order to conserve art. Fascinated by the whole process, she fully absorbed the experience and relished the opportunity.
For the remaining nine years at the gallery she was also able to fulfill a responsible administrative role as Painting and Objects Coordinator.
In 2000, Suzanna had to come to Sydney for personal reasons. So, with careful planning, she began applying for jobs prior to the move.
It was at this point, having sent off some thirty resumes for jobs perfectly matched to her experience – in institutions, galleries, trusts – she began to realise her age was working against her, as she was systematically declined for positions. Her qualifications were spot on but at approximately fifty years of age, this was the problem.
Disillusioned with the process, Suzanna finally took a job as a pathologist, far removed from her specialty training in preventative conservation.
Once established in Sydney, Suzanna visited the Eastern Suburbs Business Enterprise Centre in June 2000, having heard about ESBEC through her son, where the advice of Centre Director, David Baumgarten, inspired her to take leave from her day job and complete a Small Business course.
Commencing in August, the six-week course enabled Suzanna to realise her ambitions and passion for her learned skills in preventative conservation of artwork, and to fulfill her desire to manage her “own show”, specialising in such a delicate and unusual craft.
She liked the professionalism at ESBEC, coupled with an encouraging and positive attitude towards her, where, instead of meeting with rejection, she met with an honest appraisal and the necessary tools and lessons required to set up her own small business.
Formulating the business plan was one of the key goals, ensuring her steady and definite path towards her consultancy.
Within the first three months Ar/Tec Consultancy had a lucky break, winning a contract with the Olympic Games exhibitions.
From its inception in September 2000, it now has an impressive raft of private clients and institutions like Macquarie University where Suzanna monitors the Museum of Ancient Cultures, the Museum of Earth Sciences and the Biological Museum.
It is a constant commitment to success that leads Suzanna Edwards to identify clients, as part of the essential marketing component to any successful small business.
She is assisted here through networking at ESBEC functions, while touching base with ESBEC to continuously update skills like BAS and GST training courses.
Suzanna concurrently studies her Masters Degree in Egyptian archaeology, and half way through the course, finds this a wonderful balance to her business life, giving her a fuel and passion to keep striving to make her consultancy work.
Suzanna feels confident her business will succeed as she explains:
“I offer a specialty service to private clients and institutions, for a reasonable rate, I write a comprehensive report which is an official and confidential document that can be referred to by insurance companies and the client to ensure the safe conditions of their very valuable artworks. I am also trained in insect control and couriering valuable pieces worldwide.”
Armed with her technical equipment- the lux metre, psychro dyne and hydro graph, she is able to work on retainer, installing her equipment on site, and with complicated charts, graph temperatures, UV rays, and humidity. She is able to regularly interpret this complex data for her client, in ongoing reports.
Suzanna attributes preparation and a willing attitude to her current business status.
She is ready to tackle the challenge in shaping a rewarding business on her own merits with the assistance of the small business advisory resources of ESBEC and her own brand of very hard work, determination and the knowledge that artists and their works will be better for it.
Business Advisory Service Helps Bluefly Take Off
Craig Colnan, Bluefly Computer Technologies
Bluefly Computer Technologies is an IT consulting firm specializing in the provision of computer systems, security consulting and support for small and medium size businesses.
Established in 2003, Bluefly is owned and operated by directors Craig Colnan and Tony Tuccillo, who both have over 20 years experience working in enterprise level data centres.
Their idea for the business was to take the skills and system designs used by large, enterprise size companies and scale them to smaller businesses at an affordable price. Their clients range from home office professionals to multi-site medium sized businesses.
When Craig and Tony were starting the business, they discussed options for obtaining business advice with an associate and he suggested contacting a Business Enterprise Centre.
‘We each have a great deal of experience running corporate departments, including developing budgets and strategic plans,’ explains Craig.
‘We assumed that the same knowledge would equally apply in running our own business but we weren’t entirely sure. Essentially, we were concerned that we didn’t know what we didn’t know.’
Craig and Tony were put in touch with adviser Ellis Sofair at the Eastern Suburbs Business Enterprise Centre. They asked Ellis to review their business plan and critically comment on aspects of their strategic direction, particularly in terms of target markets and promotional activities.
‘Ellis was an excellent sounding board in clarifying issues and identifying opportunities which we might otherwise have overlooked’, says Craig.
“Of particular value was Ellis’ assessment of our advertising efforts, he helped us to see our offer through the eyes of the target market and suggested changes that we might make to strengthen our approach. Tactical advice, such as where we could achieve the best results for our advertising dollar, also proved invaluable”.
Ellis also encouraged them to focus on their understanding and experience of business concepts, rather than technology, as a differentiator when presenting to prospective clients. “In a nutshell, we speak in plain English and we help our clients to resolve business problems, not push technology at them. They find that approach to be very refreshing.”
In terms of future development of the business, Craig is clear that the Business Advisory Service is a valuable resource which he will be likely to use in the future.
“Before embarking on any significant investment opportunities or service offerings we would be inclined to bounce the ideas off the BEC. The BEC business advisors have a great deal of valuable information to impart. They are like an expanding knowledge base because they also learn from the experience of their clients. In turn, this helps them to be better analysts for the next client.”
Business Advisory Service Helps Lay Down The Law
Jason Elias, ELIAS Recruitment
Lawyer Jason Elias established ELIAS Recruitment in 2000 in response to a lack of personalised attention available from existing recruiters.
The business focuses solely on legal recruitment, and caters for all positions in the legal industry including lawyers, HR, marketing, paralegals and support services.
Jason’s decision to start his own business was prompted by a desire to work more with people than documents:
“I loved the legal field but not actually being a lawyer. Recruitment allows me to utilise my understanding of how law works and my networks to assist clients to find suitable people and lawyers to find suitable jobs.”
Jason first found out about the Business Advisory Service when he saw an ad in the local paper for the small business course.
“I felt weak on the financial and admin sides of running a business and wanted to gain knowledge on these areas. I liked the idea of learning in a class situation and mixing with others confronting similar issues.”
After completing the course Jason regularly sought advice from adviser David Baumgarten, to benchmark the progress of his business and explore new ideas.
“David constantly assists me on good management ideas. He sees issues with experienced yet fresh eyes and can play devil’s advocate very effectively.”
This was particularly the case when Jason was looking at expanding his service offering by developing an online jobs board. “David provided good feedback and offered invaluable tips on how to realise the idea.”
Jason envisages the advisory service to be an ongoing resource for his business.
“It can be quite isolated running a small business, but ESBEC provides a constant referral point where I can get objective, agenda free and relevant advice. It’s good to sound things out with someone who has seen what succeeds and what does not.”
FOOSH PTY LTD AND ESBEC, JUNE 2003
Josh and Robyn were respectively working in the print and IT industries. Having accumulated a wealth of valuable experience, they decided they had the know-how and confidence to open their own business some eighteen months ago.
The decision was the right one. Foosh Pty Ltd, complete web and print solutions made easy, is now a growing concern.
Having researched the industry in detail before opening, they realised what a huge market there was and how many businesses were looking for printing and web design.
They also understood how much there was to learn about the practicalities and knowledge necessary to manage and maintain a successful small business. This is where the role of the Eastern Suburbs Business Enterprise Centre became invaluable.
A friend recommended the BEC as a vital resource for small business people.
As Josh said, “I approached the BEC eighteen months ago and they have proved to be an excellent resource – affordable, helpful, and keen to assist with any problem”.
“We can fire off emails on a range of simple or more detailed questions and we receive a quick and well-researched response”.
“Robyn, my business partner, has completed the financial course through the BEC and I have studied marketing. I have found out how to get letters and flyers into the right hands, where to start with this, and the motivation to go ahead.
We now have our systems and connections in place and are ready to embark on a full on marketing drive. This is crunch time and we feel very confident having the BEC as our hands on resource.”
Foosh Pty Ltd has also been able to benefit from the ESBEC Business Buddies Program. For the past six months they have been able to use their Business Buddy, an ex CEO, as a sounding board for practical and real advice on how to manage certain aspects of the business.
He has answered management questions, and commented on things they might not otherwise have noticed. He has gone through costing, factoring in bad payers, and working out that 2% could be non-payers.
Again Josh comments, “Our business buddy helps with the practical stuff – hands on, he has been there, done that. He was able to tell us when our marketing material was too technical, and we could change it quickly to target our audience and move on.”
Into the future, the BEC will be there as a strong and reliable business resource, a much needed tool for the competitive business environment, and a friend on their side.
Again Josh cannot recommend the BEC highly enough, and is always mentioning it to friends. No doubt there will be other courses Foosh Pty Ltd will find they will want to attend in the future.
Business Advisory Service Helps Girotondo Grow
Ernesta Dias, Girontondo Childrenswear
In 1992, Ernesta Dias left her job as a store manager for David Jones and bought a shop selling nursery furniture, which she named Girotondo (‘merry-go-round’ in Italian).
After 12 years in women’s fashion, including buying, merchandising and store management, Ernesta wanted to run a business of her own.
‘I bought the shop just because I wanted to get some knowledge of small business and see what it was all about. I found the change was a bit hard, I had a good background in merchandising but not in the practical side of it: administration and follow-up, advertising, publicity etc.’
Ernesta decided to fill in the gaps in her knowledge by attending several courses in these areas through the Eastern Suburbs Business Enterprise Centre.
‘The courses were very good – for example taxation, I learned all the things that you need to take care of. As a store manager for David Jones, I had a secretary who was keeping track of the invoices and payments, so I knew what had to be done theoretically, but the practicality was missing.’
Ernesta soon realized that the profit margin on the furniture was limited and in 1997 she abandoned the line altogether. She then expanded the range of children’s wear and added Manchester and some gift items.
Business improved and in 2000 Ernesta added toys to her product range. With the success of the shop she was able to turn her mind to other possibilities. A visit to Hong Kong as a translator for another business planted the idea of importing products herself, rather than buying everything through local agents.
Having been very happy with the first courses she had done through ESBEC, Ernesta came and discussed the idea with business advisor David Baumgarten. “I had seen David at the courses and knew that he was always available to help and was very supportive.”
David suggested she do the Exporting and Importing course which proved to be of enormous value.
“You learn a lot about importing and the kind of money you really need to invest. It was a big eye opener and a terrific learning experience.”
With the shop now running at full capacity, Ernesta has been talking to David about making some of her own products. She has started importing blankets which she has had specially made for the shop and is using an Australian designer to create prints for children’s raincoats and umbrellas.
“I would certainly recommend anyone to use the advisory service and to do courses,” she says. “When you are in business you need to educate yourself. Even if you only get one idea from a course it’s worth it.”
Business Advisory Service Gives Baby Business A Boost
Moira Forrest, LUV-BUB Baby Massage
Moira Forrest passionately started LUV-BUB Baby massage in late 2004. She is a registered nurse with several qualifications in the field of baby and infant care. Her enthusiasm and excitement about promoting infant health and bonding between baby and parents led to the ‘birth’ of LUV-BUB.
When she first started her business, she immediately attracted 60 clients in her first year, mainly through contacts and referrals. Half way through her second year, business started to slow and she recognized a need to start marketing.
Moira had heard of the Sydney Business Advisory Service (BAS) through the internet and decided to contact for some help and direction.
Together with David McLeod and Brian Walshe of the Sydney BAS, Moira reviewed LUV-BUB’s current marketing, including presentation materials, target market, business logo, business cards, promotional brochure and public relations.
From the first session, Moira discovered new target markets and changes that needed to be made to marketing materials. During the second session, Moira and David discussed the revisions and next steps. She was very excited to get out into the market and test her new marketing tools.
“The support and guidance by David and Brian at the Sydney BAS was amazing,” says Moira. “Their guidance and expertise gave me both the focus and tools I needed to get my business going again…… I just picked up the Village Voice today and I have this fantastic article about my business, thanks to their support.”
Moira is so inspired by what a little marketing can do; she is now enrolled in the Department of State and Regional Development’s Home Based Business Marketing program.
Business Growth Through The Business Advisory Service
Angelique Milojevic, Web & Zen
Before starting her own full time web production company, Angelique Milojevic worked a number of years in architectural and web design businesses, for other people. Realising her passion and interest in the ‘web’ industry she started her business part-time, doing freelance web design.
As both her business and passion for helping customers grew, she made the leap and is now working full time on her business, Web & Zen.
With the move to full-time self-employment, Angelique quickly realised she needed to learn more about operating a small business. Being a ‘website’ expert, Angelique searched the web for information on learning to operate and grow a small business in Australia.
In her search, she came across the NSW Department of State and Regional Development Small Biz website and found numerous courses, events, workshops and the Sydney Business Advisory Service.
She first came to the Sydney Business Advisory Service (BAS) through a networking event and as she says, ‘I was immediately hooked on their services and expertise’.
Angelique has been involved in a number of the Sydney BAS services including the business facilitation with David McLeod, both the Home Based Business Marketing and Better Systems programs, and the Business Planning workshop.
The one-on-one support and guidance by David has helped her clarify business growth strategies from both a marketing and systems perspective. The Better Systems program coupled with one-on-one support from David helped Angelique streamline her business administration tasks, allowing her to be more productive!
One of the highlights of the Sydney BAS has been the alliances she has made with other small business owners – ‘I have made many business alliances which has helped both my business and me personally.’
Angelique feels more confident and inspired from the skills and alliances she has gained from the Sydney BAS. This has translated into business efficiencies and growth for Angelique and Web & Zen.
Business Buddies
Elizabeth Edwards, Bassinets and More
Five years ago Elizabeth Edwards left her job in customer service and started a business hiring out furniture and goods for babies and young children. Her goal was to have flexible work hours so that she could spend more time with her own children.
Elizabeth’s father had worked in the same industry so she knew it was a viable business idea, but it took a couple of years to get the business fully established.
Elizabeth then decided she wanted to increase the income from the business. She set this as a goal with her life coach who suggested she seek advice from Business Buddies to help her reach it.
“I lacked planning and strategy skills and knowledge,” says Elizabeth. “There wasn’t really any structure to the business – I hadn’t stopped to look back at things, neither did I have a plan or strategy for the future – so I needed to address these issues.”
Elizabeth was teamed with Business Buddy Ray Moore, whose expertise and experience assisted Elizabeth to evaluate options for growing her business, improve her time management, and learn how to plan.
“Ray helped me learn to distinguish between good and bad sales, and I applied this to concentrating on profitable sales. He assisted me to do more focused marketing, and I applied this to my advertising strategy – the vast majority of my advertising budget is now targeted straight at the parents of babies and young children.”
As well as learning how to market her current range of products more effectively, Elizabeth was also encouraged to add new products to achieve further growth.
“Ray advised me to consider enhancing my product range with complementary products – which I looked for and implemented – and now I have increased the average income per customer hire. This particular strategy has also increased the level of service provided to individual customers as they can obtain more goods in one place.”
Elizabeth particularly valued the ability to talk to someone who was as interested in her business as she was.
“I enjoyed having the opportunity to discuss issues and be challenged in business areas, as being a small business owner can be very lonely in terms of business interactions. The fact that you are in ongoing communication with a Business Buddy gives you incentive to implement the things that you talk about, and so you move forward. The meetings are inspiring and you become more enthusiastic about what you are doing as you can see the results as you make changes and implement good ideas.”
In the future Elizabeth will seek other complementary opportunities to grow her business, and anticipates using the Business Buddies service again to develop a sound strategy and plan for future growth.
“I have become far more competent and confident in my business since I started with Business Buddies. It has been the biggest help to me of anything I have done, and working with Ray has been fantastic. A deep level of trust has developed between us, and I believe that this is a major factor in the success of our partnership.”
Business Buddies
Sue Boreham, Greg’s Supercheap Furniture
Merv and Sue Boreham are a husband and wife team who run a new and secondhand furniture retail business, Greg’s Supercheap Furniture, in Logan City, Queensland. They took over the family business in 1999 when Merv’s parents retired and run it as a partnership, employing two casual sales staff.
A drop in sales and turnover led Sue to approach Business Buddies for assistance, particularly in the areas of financial management and understanding the impact of inventory.
Sue located Business Buddies via the internet and much of her communication with her Business Buddy, Sam, was done via email. Sam had a wealth of previous retail experience which proved to be an invaluable source of advice.
‘Sam helped us to understand and identify bottlenecks in our stock and taught us how to analyse our inventory. I learned to identify profitable stock – which was not necessarily the stock with the highest profit margin. We completely revamped our inventory and reintroduced what our customer wanted, not what we thought they wanted.’
Sales and turnover increased as a result, much to Sue’s delight. She also found that working with Sam rekindled her excitement about running a small business and allowed her to identify both the problems and the potential growth areas within the business.
‘It was great just knowing that there was someone there with a wealth of knowledge, who didn’t think our questions were silly and who truly understood the business we were in. Sam forced me to look at issues and assisted in pointing out some of the gold mines that I had overlooked because I was too busy letting my business run me instead of me running my business.’
Since 2000 Greg’s Supercheap Furniture has won several business awards for customer service, marketing and retailing. Sue sees Business Buddies as a valuable resource for future growth of the business, particularly in the areas of marketing and customer service.
‘I would absolutely recommend Business Buddies to other small businesses. It is fantastic to have someone to tap into with relevant experience that is so relatable. It’s like having a lifeline thrown to you as you are sinking.’
Business Buddies
Heidi Dening, Jump Start Personal Training
After almost a decade as a physical education teacher in schools, Heidi Dening decided to set up her own outdoor personal training business, Jump Start.
Several factors inspired her to start the business: not only did she love outdoor exercise herself, but she enjoyed working with adults and was concerned about the growing levels of obesity in Australia.
Heidi’s health and fitness company has now been running successfully for seven years and she employs six personal trainers as well as an assistant for customer service and clerical work.
In the early stages, however, Heidi found that her lack of business knowledge and experience was a problem, particularly with regard to the financial side of the business.
It was this desperate need for financial advice which led Heidi to contact Business Buddies after seeing the service discussed on television.
Heidi was teamed with Business Buddy Brian Carney, who met with her every fortnight to explain her finances and set up systems to manage them effectively. She found that Brian had a very personable manner and was able to teach her about finance in layman’s terms, which she particularly appreciated.
‘I can now read profit and loss statements and have a far better grasp of what I should be looking for,’ she laughs. ‘I’m able to compare month to month, quarter to quarter, year to year to understand which areas of my business are my strengths and therefore which areas are best to make money.’
Heidi plans to put her newly gained financial knowledge to good use in the future. ‘I want to work smarter, not harder. To be the best at what we do, and to find ways to include passive profit streams within the business.’
She would definitely use Business Buddies again and has recommended the service to many other small business operators.
‘It is very difficult when starting a business to get the information you need from people who are not trying to rip you off. Since Business Buddies I have paid numerous people to help me with different matters that they said they were experts at, but none of them were as good as my Business Buddy.’
Business Buddies
Monte Elissa, MediGYM/The First Step Health and Fitness
Monte Elissa provides fitness and therapy programs for older people who may not feel comfortable attending a regular gym or who suffer from chronic medical problems. His clients range from those in their early fifties to one member who is 90!
Monte first came up with the idea while giving a talk at a university on the health problems of an ageing population. As a registered physiotherapist, he was always interested in exercise as therapy and realised that the baby boomer generation would need widespread medical and health services as they aged.
Monte has now been running the business for two years, and in 2003 achieved public acknowledgement of his success when he won a local community business award. However as Monte is the first to admit, it wasn’t all plain sailing – which is where the Business Buddies service was able to help.
‘I became the fish in the fish bowl and therefore did not have a clear picture on my vision.
I needed to improve my cash flow and I needed ideas for marketing, how to raise consumer awareness of my service. I had spent a lot of money with little response. I needed encouragement and a sounding board for ideas.’
Mosman BEC introduced Monte to Business Buddy John Rawson, who helped him to assess the financial position of the business and encouraged him to get referrals to improve the cash flow.
‘John was very patient and understanding with a down to earth view. He gave me a much needed boost of encouragement to door knock and catch up on contacts. He made me brain storm for ideas to improve the business, and set tasks and timelines. As a result my customers increased and therefore so did my turnover. I achieved a clearer message in my advertising and defined my target market.’
As well as the sound business advice and a fresh perspective on the business, Monte also appreciated the comradeship and support offered by John.
‘The worst thing about being the boss is that you have no boss to tell you what to do – we all need good advice and a kick along from time to time, which is what I received. Thank you John!’
Monte anticipates that he will use the service again to resolve business issues and encourages other business owners to do the same.
‘Anyone who has been in business for a period of time and is looking for refreshing business ideas and invaluable insights to progress their vision, should seriously consider contacting Business Buddies. A sincerest thank you to John Rawson and David Baumgarten for their contributions. Thanks guys for setting me straight!’
NEIS Program
NEIS Has Big Impact on Graphic Design Business
Stephen Fletcher, Big Impact Graphics
Stephen Fletcher started his graphic design and print business Big Impact Graphics after working for ten years in the hospitality industry. His aim was to provide a one stop shop for design, printing and sign writing so that clients could source all their visual design work from one supplier. Four years on he is at full capacity and is now considering employing subcontractors to meet the ongoing demands of his clients.
Stephen heard about the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme after completing a year of graphic design studies. Although he had started designing logos for friends, he felt he didn’t have the necessary contacts and financial knowledge to successfully run his own business.
‘I had some knowledge of the marketing and advertising side of business from my graphic design course, but felt I was lacking in my knowledge of financials and accounting. Writing a business plan on the NEIS course was really helpful, it became my business bible and having those guidelines gave me the confidence to go ahead and do it.’
Stephen particularly enjoyed meeting other inspiring and creative people on his course, and seeing how excited they were about running their own businesses. The mentorship provided by ESBEC also gave him confidence and helped with decision making in the first year.
After working hard for three years Stephen is now financially stable and feels his business skills have improved immeasurably. ‘I have a much better knowledge of the business world and I feel reassured about my ability to communicate with others.’
Now at full capacity, Stephen acknowledges that he needs to take on staff so that he can build the business while meeting the needs of his present clients. ‘I know there is more work out there but I have no time to chase it or deliver on it. I can see where there are opportunities for new clients but I don’t want to risk under delivering by taking on too much.’
Although Stephen admits that opening up his business to others is a frightening prospect, he also acknowledges the need to take a step back and allow his business to expand. ‘I remember a quote in my NEIS course about how it’s easy to let the business run you, whereas you want to run the business. So I know I need to let go a bit and take on more of a managerial role.’
Would he recommend NEIS to others? ‘Absolutely. Hard work and faith from others and yourself will allow you to succeed and learn a whole lot along the way. And one day you might pass that on to someone else starting their own business!’
NEIS Helps Craig Paint Brighter Future
Craig Ruddy, Artist
When Craig Ruddy won the prestigious Archibald Prize for his portrait of Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil, it was the culmination of years of hard work and a heartfelt desire to be true to his artistic talent. However it was also the structure and support of the NEIS course which allowed Craig to turn his dream into a successful business.
After completing his studies in design, Craig successfully applied his creativity to the commercial world of graphic design, interior design and event management, but knew his real career aspirations lay elsewhere.
‘I moved around in the field then I’d take a year off every now and then and get back into the painting or drawing. Then I’d run out of money and go back into graphic design again,’ he admits.
When a friend told him of an artist who had completed the NEIS course, Craig seized the chance to turn his passion into a full time career.
‘Doing NEIS made me feel more comfortable about pushing myself and going to approach galleries and so forth. Writing the business plan, and the whole process of having to put the proposal together, helped put me into the future whereas I was never one to plan in the past. And that does help, it helps you to structure the future and create that. And see the big picture.’
Craig also found that the encouragement of David Baumgarten at ESBEC pushed him to complete the course and believe that he could achieve success with his painting. All that was lacking was self-belief and a support structure, as David observes:
‘I could tell when Craig applied for the NEIS course that he had a special talent and great potential – he just needed a framework to help him take the first steps and believe that he could make a go of it.’
Craig completed the NEIS course in 2001 and by early 2002 found himself exhibiting his work at the Sydney Fringe Festival. As a result his work was taken by a commercial gallery, Graphis in Woollahra, and started to sell.
Encouraged by his success, Craig entered a self portrait for the 2003 Archibald Prize which was exhibited in the Salon des Refusés. The portrait achieved considerable acclaim for its innovative style and the curator invited Craig to speak at the gallery, introducing him ‘as the new kid on the block.’
For the 2004 Archibald Prize Craig was determined to paint Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil, but with only a few weeks to go before the deadline, the elusive actor was proving difficult to pin down. After weeks of calling his agent and being refused, Craig was finally able to snatch a brief hour with David during rehearsals for the actor’s one man play.
The two men connected, and the extraordinary portrait, a frenzy of charcoal on old colonial wallpaper, went on to win both the Archibald Prize and the People’s Choice Award.
Having survived the intense glare of the media, Craig plans to join David Gulpilil in Arnhem Land to complete a series of paintings of David and his community. The encouragement he received from doing the NEIS course is still with him as he prepares to promote this next body of work.
‘The hardest thing was to make the calls to the galleries, and the encouragement and support I got from NEIS really helped me. And even now, I’m thinking, right, I should be chasing galleries to exhibit the work that I do of David Gulpilil in Arnhem Land. A lot has happened in quite a short time but it’s really been a great experience!’
NEIS: Success.com for Docdownload
Steve Irons, DocDownload
DocDownload is the brainchild of Steve Irons, a technical writer with over thirty years of industry experience behind him.
His website docdownload.com.au is an online resource for Australian businesses and allows immediate download of templates for legal, business and technical documentation.
After taking time out from work to study, Steve found it difficult to get another job in the industry. Centrelink suggested he put his extensive experience to good use by starting his own business, and directed him towards the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme.
The scheme gave Steve the structure and support he needed to get the business underway. He also particularly valued the ongoing mentoring throughout the first year of operations.
‘I come from the corporate world and so I’m used to reporting to somebody. When you start out in business on your own, you could easily do nothing and you’ve got no feedback,’ says Steve.
‘This is particularly the case with my business because when you’re working on the internet, every now and then you sell something but nobody will ever write to you and say, this is great. So it was really important to me to have David and Matt at ESBEC giving me feedback about how I was doing.’
Steve found that the NEIS course made him formalise his business plan and think through all the ramifications of his business idea. He also received invaluable assistance with the financial planning for his business.
‘Mentor feedback means I’m reporting to somebody, so I have to explain my results. I was too optimistic in my initial planning so David brought me in and worked through my numbers with me – I really appreciated that.’
Not only is Steve achieving success with the website, but it has also given him a new identity within the industry, which has led to more work opportunities. ‘My attitude has changed and so has that of the head hunters who are placing me for work’, he smiles.
For Steve, the main impact of NEIS was motivational, getting him on track with his business and giving him a positive outlook for the future.
‘The mentorship during the scheme was very useful in helping me get it right and in giving me the confidence to take on a huge challenge for a single individual.’
For details of NEIS businesses visit www.neisdirectory.com.au
NEIS: A Window of Opportunity For Glowing Panes
Craig Williamson, Glowing Panes
‘Five years ago I never thought I’d be living in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney running my own window cleaning business’, laughs Craig Williamson.
Craig’s business, Glowing Panes, was made possible by his participation in the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, which he completed in early 2001.
A former optic fibre technician, Craig was looking for work when he saw the scheme advertised at Centrelink in Bondi Junction. He found the inspiration for his business on the streets outside.
‘I used to come up to Bondi Junction and I noticed that the signs outside the shops over the footpath were always really filthy. So I thought I could start a business to clean the signage.’
Craig plucked up the courage to come in and see David Baumgarten at ESBEC, and the following week found himself on the NEIS course.
‘The course gave me the direction to have a proper business plan and the knowledge of what steps needed to be taken. Actually sitting down and getting in to the real nitty gritty of insurance costs and council regulations – you tend to gloss over those things on your own so it made me do things properly.’
As a result of the market research which Craig undertook during the course, he discovered that shop owners wanted their windows cleaned more than the shop signs, and were prepared to pay more for that service.
Council regulations also had an impact on Craig’s ability to clean the signs out on the street, so the business naturally evolved into window cleaning.
‘Things didn’t quite go according to plan in my first year,’ admits Craig. ‘I was way too optimistic in my sales forecasts. I wouldn’t have survived without NEIS, and it gave me the incentive to carry on because I knew the support was there.’
Craig also found the course was valuable to meet other aspiring business owners, as were the networking functions organised by ESBEC which he attended after the course.
‘I clean windows for some of the people in my course, and I also have a labour hire agreement with a couple of the guys I met there. When we need extra help we hire each other out for a few hours, although it’s harder now that we’re all getting busy.’
Craig now has a range of regular customers and plans to franchise the business in the future. He would also like to give something back to NEIS, perhaps by volunteering for a panel.
‘I’d absolutely recommend the course to others, if you’re serious about starting a business. Even if you may think you’re not quite ready, I’d say still give it a go because the course itself gives you a bit of a spur on as well’.
For details of NEIS businesses visit www.neisdirectory.com.au
NEIS: A Fresh Start For Local Business
What do books and music, organic pasta and a tapas restaurant have in common?
Apart from providing an enjoyable evening’s entertainment, they are just three of the hundreds of small businesses that have been launched in the Eastern Suburbs through the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme. The State Government-funded scheme assists jobseekers to start a business and provides training plus mentoring and financial support for the first year.
Alina Duncan of Swap Books and Music opened her shop in Bondi Junction six months ago, after completing the course in 2004. With a background in music retail, nightclubs and radio, Alina wanted to open a store where lovers of books, CDs and films could make exchanges and new discoveries. Through the course Alina learned how to manage the financial side of the business, negotiate the lease for her shop and successfully promote the store.
“My business has grown monthly since the day of opening and I feel I am getting established in the community,” says Alina. “I love what I do and am so happy with the way the business is growing.”
Anna Eoclidi of Pasta Emilia feels much the same way. Raised in the region of Emilia in Italy, Anna learned the art pasta making from her grandmother. Her Bronte-based pasta lab opened in May, producing fresh pasta using organic ingredients and traditional recipes.
Anna chose to complete the NEIS course to help her write a good business plan and learn how to effectively market her products to health food shops, delis and restaurants. She has worked hard to develop the packaging and promotion for the pasta products and is about to commence regular production.
“Food has been a passion throughout my life,” she laughs. “There is so much appreciation for quality traditional pasta in Emilia, where I come from, and I thought it would be great to bring it to Sydney. It was fantastic to work on my business plan with the NEIS group and to meet other people who are excited about new ideas and ventures.”
Providing another great taste of Europe is Maria Tirso, whose Spanish tapas restaurant Ibiza has recently opened in Maroubra Junction. With 18 years experience in the hospitality industry, Maria was inspired to start the business when the restaurant where she was working closed down. Married to a Spaniard and with a talented chef as a father-in-law, she decided to take over the site and open a new restaurant.
Maria completed the NEIS course to give her the business skills she lacked and to gain support for the business during the first year. “I have lots of experience in hospitality but the course helped me think about business management and marketing,” says Maria. The restaurant offers lunches to cater for the office people in the area and a tapas-style dinner menu, with flamenco entertainment planned for the near future.
Alina at Swap Books: 9369 3287
Anna at Pasta Emilia: 0432 969 426
Maria at Ibiza restaurant: 0421 275 262
For details of NEIS businesses visit www.neisdirectory.com.au
Major Success For Worldwide Workers Through ESBEC
Matthew Major completed the NEIS course through ESBEC in 1997.
In his own words: “The benefit of the NEIS course is that it made me sit down and really think about the enterprise thoroughly and completely instead of just having good ideas which were not properly developed”.
NEIS provided a sound starting block for Worldwide Workers, which is now an international recruitment business employing some 12,000 people. As a budding entrepreneur Major realised the importance of creating a solid foundation for his business.
Initially he wanted to write his business plan from home, without attending the six-week NEIS programme.
However, he realised the necessity of having a starting block with focus – it made him ask the important questions before setting out on his enterprise.
He also gained much from working with his peers, facing up to comments and criticisms with like-minded people. The course provided him with extra confidence in a constructive structured course environment context.
Worldwide Workers began operations in mid 1997. Its head office is at 234 Sussex Street, Darling Harbour. It now boasts offices in Cairns, Melbourne, Holland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.
Backpackers can register with Worldwide Workers overseas, at one of these centres and when they arrive in Australia they present their visas so as they can begin work in one of the following areas: bar work, fruit picking, banking and finance, reception and secretarial work, warehouse work, teaching, nursing or envelope stuffing.
Backpackers can also join the Worldwide Workers Club, for $99.00 – which allows them priority access to Worldwide Pickers, and other discounts, as well as $300.00 worth of free internet access.
All in all there are 10, 000 Worldwide Workers Club members and another 2,000 casual members.
Matthew Major has therefore established a highly successful, lucrative business, thanks to ESBEC, and to summarise he says: “If you are serious about business, the NEIS course is a great start.”
It is through the assistance of ESBEC, established in 1985, with funding sources from state, federal and local government, and sponsorship from local businesses and organizations, that such business success stories are possible.
By delivering services on behalf of state government like NEIS, as a registered training organization and other programmes, like the women’s mentoring programme, ESBEC allows for individuals to realise their success.
ESBEC delivers NEIS services in Outer West, Parramatta (Central Sydney), Chatswood, Dee Why (Northern Beaches) and Eastern Sydney and inner city.
ESBEC’s “mission statement” is to provide high quality practical assistanceand business skills training, which builds and creates sustainable local enterprises, and job opportunities in the eastern suburbs and Sydney metropolitan area.
ESBEC has a five-star rating from DEWR because it is in tune with what the client needs, and being a BEC it has a lot of add on services to compliment its NEIS programme, as well as strong linkages into the business community and a personal approach to relationships formed with the client.
ESBEC is one of 150 BECs operating around Australia and one of 49 BECs in NSW.
The Director of ESBEC, David Baumgarten, feels that the real value of the NEIS program comes from creating the valuable grounding, foundation, discipline and practical application of business principals: it is also about making business dreams into reality or putting a lifestyle and destiny into one’s own hands.
One of the main successes of ESBEC is the Business Buddy mentor program, with more online services being offered all the time. It has been positioned to assist NEIS businesses that have been going for more than two years, and that require feedback.
Another vision is to reposition small business services, with an identifiable branding mix of services on offer to establish Newstart businesses. There are also changes planned at ESBEC and with a dedicated NEIS director online for all NEIS participants, they can encourage NEIS participants to network with each other and support each others businesses, supported by a NSW business directory, www.neisdirectory.com.au
Women in Business Mentor Program
Tracey Cools, Efficient Living
Tracey Cools from Efficient Living was fortunate to gain the advice of not just one, but four inspiring women when she undertook the Women In Business Mentor Program.
Tracey began her building sustainability consultancy seven years ago when she noticed a business opportunity in the emerging industry of energy smart homes. Working for a building company in an architectural drafting role, the then 20-year-old became privately licensed and offered consultancy services to her employer, before responding to demand and going out on her own.
Her training and skills were serving Tracey well – to a point.
“I was a technician; I provided a great service to my clients and had a passion for my industry,” she explains. “This got me work, but I had no business plan, no structure, and no systems for dealing with paperwork or cash flow.”
Wanting to overcome these limitations, Tracey signed up for the “life changing” program.
Mentor Roxanne Neylon of association management company CAMEO initially helped Tracey prioritize her client base and gain control over client relationships, and advised on cash flow management options.
Tracey found a second mentor in Mary Morel, whose company The M Factor provides business writing training and small business marketing.
“Mary was a fabulous help in the putting together of my business and marketing plan,” says Tracey. “After just a couple of months of Mary’s guidance I nearly doubled my client base and received many other positive sales leads. I diversified my risk and increased my income. I also gained a clear vision of the future direction of my business and a step-by-step plan of how to achieve it.”
Car-pooling to Sydney’s northern beaches introduced Tracey to another, unexpected, source of support.
“Sue Heins from Inspiring Women took me under her wing and provided invaluable advice on partnership options and staffing. She helped me realise what it would take to balance work and personal life, and assess if the business I had dreamed of was in fact a lifestyle decision that was right for me. She has been a huge inspiration.”
And finally, Jackie Palmer of Palmers Chartered Accountants offered to provide after-course support, helping Tracey organise her legal obligations including setting up staff contracts, job descriptions, procedures manuals, reviewing insurances and taxation obligations.
Tracey also found the workshops and presenters “brilliant”.
“I found I didn’t sleep properly after coming home from our sessions my head was so full of new and exciting ideas.”
The plan now is to expand Efficient Living by one new employee every six months. There are organisational and financial goals that must be achieved to facilitate this, including offering a greater range of services and moving into interstate markets.
But aside from all the invaluable business advice and insights, Tracey is especially grateful for the support and understanding she received from those in mentoring roles.
“My friends and family do not understand why I want to be a business owner; they see it as a stressful lifestyle decision. My mentors all have passion for success in their own business and have achieved great things. Listening to and understanding the ups and downs of their businesses and life journeys has allowed me to believe in my own path.”
Corinne Kemp, DKC International Conference and Event Management
Corinne Kemp came away from the Women In Business Mentor Program this year with a new business adviser and a strategic five year plan that is about to guide her through the purchase of her own business premises.
No wonder she would not hesitate to recommend the program to other women in business.
Corinne began DKC International Conference and Event Management two years ago as a home-based business after working as a consultant event organiser. A background in the public sector led her to believe this area was not being properly serviced by event managers.
“I had really struggled to find conference organisers that understood the government sector and government processes,” recalls Corinne.
Corinne believes the key to her company’s growth is that DKC takes great care to match their clients with conference organisers who understand the context of a particular conference, and not someone “who can just run an event”.
“For example, one of our recent jobs was running the Commonwealth Government’s National Community and Business Partnership Awards across the country. Because my background is in social policy and the not for profit sector, I headed up the conference and managed the event team,” says Corinne.
Two years on, DKC International Conference and Event Management was experiencing steady success had moved into office space , but Corinne knew she needed some extra help.
“I was looking for a program or resource I could use to support me through the next phase of growing the business. And for me, the Women In Business program presented the right balance of topics and issues; it wasn’t a course that just focused on marketing, or just on financial management. Of course the mentoring aspect was really appealing as well, and that it was for women, as I think there are specific needs that women in business have as opposed to the general business population.”
Although her general business skills were sound, Corinne recognised that financial management was not her strong suit. She says that the BEC could not have teamed her with a better partner than Kathryn Williams, of Kathryn’s Mint (www.kathrynsmint.com.au).
“It was a match made in heaven,” enthuses Corinne. “She was a fantastic support. She mentored me throughout the program but we have kept in touch well past the end of the program, and her business advice goes well beyond financial management and commercial advice, which is essential for all small business owners.”
Kathryn gave Corinne the tools to think beyond the next 12 months, to plan both strategically and financially to support both personal and business goals for the longer term.
“I now have a five year business plan in place, and I have a clear focus on the direction I want to take the company in. And I think that’s probably reflected in my work as well. Since developing a strategic direction, I feel empowered and I am seeing the company grow steadily as I attract the right kinds of clients I want to be working with and enjoy the satisfaction of successfully running my own business.”
Jane Hall, Allerjean
Jane Hall found the Women in Business Mentor Program allowed her to build a much bigger picture for her business.
Together with business partner and chef Jean Davy, Jane operates a beachside café offering wheat and gluten free products to allergy sufferers. The café had been open for almost a year when Jane applied for the Women in Business Mentor Program.
Jane wanted to develop more wholesale trade for the food products, and eventually franchise the business. She was teamed with mentor Kit Peters who had extensive experience in franchising, and helped her to develop a broader vision for the business.
‘Working with Kit was excellent – it was good to have somebody from outside the business looking in to give us the big picture perspective, which is always such a problem for small businesses.’
Working with a mentor allowed Jane to identify the different aspects of the business and focus on the areas with the biggest growth potential.
‘We were running the café, selling products at both the wholesale and retail levels, and also part consulting to people with severe allergies. We ended up taking out some of the seating in the café and employing more staff who could cook, so that we could get the product out there and really develop the wholesale side of the business.’
One of the major challenges in the business was working as a partnership with two very different people. ‘Kit showed us how to build on the fact that we have expertise in different areas, so that we could contribute to the business in a holistic way.’
Jane also found the interaction with the other mentorees on the program really worthwhile. ‘It was great to understand that you’re not all by yourself, that everyone starts from no knowledge and experience. Sharing our experiences really helped.’
With a PhD in marine ecology and a background in environmental policy, Jane admits she had no business skills at all when she started out. ‘I had never even worked in a café during the holidays!’ she laughs.
‘So doing the mentor program really fast tracked my learning about what business is about. It brought out what were the important things – knowing the guts of your marketing, your financial control, what your business plan is about. Even if you don’t write it down, as long as you are thinking about it, that’s what counts. So it made me feel confident that I can control the management of the business.’
Shan Lawson – A Virtual Lifesaver
As a Virtual Assistant, Shan Lawson provides personal and executive assistance to consultants and SMEs through her business A Virtual Lifesaver (AVLS), run from her home on the Central Coast.
After working in her business for a few months Shan realised that although she knew a lot about administration, her broader business skills were lacking.
“Working for a large company had shielded me from various areas of business as there were departments to handle each aspect. As a sole trader I was every department! I wanted to get up to speed with the actual running of my business quickly and I felt the Women in Business course could do this.”
Shan joined the Women in Business Mentor Program in March 2004 and was teamed with mentor Olivia Fenlon, a business trainer with a background in Industrial Mediation.
“Being a mediator means that Olivia is great at hearing both sides of proposals and allowing people to make their own decisions by offering different aspects of the idea. Rather than just tell me what to do she allowed me to find my own way through our meetings,” says Shan.
“I often make emotional-based, very quick decisions and Olivia helped me to slow down and consider issues from different angles. She also gave me examples of things that have happened to her in the past so that I could learn from her ‘mistakes’.”
Through the program and her mentor’s assistance, Shan radically refocused her approach to her business and started to view it more from the perspective of an entrepreneur than an employee.
She also enjoyed the contribution of the presenters at the workshops held regularly throughout the course.
“Each of the presenters really knew their stuff. They’ve all been where we are now and they were willing to answers our worries and concerns.”
The workshops also allowed her to share experiences and knowledge with the other participants and support each other to work on their businesses.
Now that she has a broader vision for her business, Shan plans to expand her client base to include interstate areas as well as overseas clients. She enthusiastically recommends the Women in Business Mentor program to other women business owners.
“I don’t know of any other program that offers this much knowledge and support for new businesses. It is targeted perfectly to women starting out and having your own mentor to call upon when you need help is tremendous.”
Michelle McCallum, Colour Design Studio
Equipped with a ‘natural eye’ for colour, appropriate qualifications, experience working in the paint industry and market research that indicated a gap in the market, Michelle McCallum established Colour Design Studio in 2001.
The gap in the market indicated that clients wanted ‘an expert, in colour, to assist them in creating the right look and atmosphere for either relaxation in the home or image and productivity in the work environment’.
Michelle developed a service to assist residential, commercial and corporate clients in the selection of interior and exterior colour schemes, including paint colours and surface finishes (i.e. tiles, pavers, carpets, bench tops, laminates etc) and artwork.
She also identified a client desire for ‘affordable, privately commissioned artwork’ and sources artists to accommodate such requests.
Despite having all the key ingredients to start a business, Michelle needed assistance to take Colour Design Studio to the next level.
In her first year of business, Michelle was directed to the Women in Business Mentor Program by a friend who had researched the mentoring process for women.
The findings of this research showed that mentoring women in the early stages of their business had significant positive effects on the business.
So Michelle applied for and was accepted into the Women in Business Mentoring Program facilitated by ESBEC in Mosman in 2002.
‘This was just what I needed to assist me in developing my business – by giving me a sounding board in a mentor. Someone who would be interested in developing my business as much as I was.’
Michelle found the program format very effective as it covered a variety of subjects, which encouraged her to do more research into the weaker areas of her business.
‘Having a mentor meant I was challenged in my thinking. I had the opportunity to run my ideas past an experienced business person, to consolidate my vision and make it a reality. Most importantly the process allowed me to ‘step outside’ the business and ‘look in’ as a prospect or client would.’
Michelle benefited greatly from the meetings with her mentor, Carol Daunt, who as an experienced businesswoman herself provided the knowledge, skills and support to tackle Michelle’s concerns and was able to challenge her ideas.
‘The brainstorming sessions we had in our meetings really broadened my thinking. These one on one meetings were a key component in developing my business strategies. If I hadn’t taken part in this program I definitely would not be in the position in the marketplace I am today.”
A direct outcome Michelle attributes to the program was writing a business plan that works for her and the business. ‘My business plan is a crucial document and focal point of my business. I revise and refine it as market demands change’.
Now operating a successful business Michelle has found the perfect opportunity to network, expand her client list and access continued learning opportunities through various people she met during the program.
Michelle looks forward to the day she will be able to be involved in the program as a mentor herself.
Elizabeth Greenwood, Embody – Holistic Healing
Elizabeth Greenwood is a fully qualified Naturopath and Aromatherapist who now runs her own business, Embody – Holistic Healing, designing, manufacturing and distributing vitamin enriched bath products.
Elizabeth completed the Women in Business Program in the Eastern Suburbs in August 2004. During the course of the program she finally gave up her part time job to devote herself full time to the business.
‘I’d been making my own products for about 8 years and started selling them in 2002 when a friend who organises trade shows persuaded me to have a stand. Even though I had plenty of enthusiasm and demand, I didn’t have the finances to start the business full time and I realised I needed a business consultant or advisor to get to the next stage.’
Elizabeth asked friends for advice and was pointed towards the Women in Business Mentor Program. She was teamed with mentor Anne Hill, who has been running her own manufacturing business for approximately 30 years.
Elizabeth’s main concerns were that she couldn’t meet the demand for her products and was taking too long to deliver the products to her customers. She also felt her business structure needed improvement in areas of finances, marketing and sales follow up.
Anne visited Elizabeth’s workshop and was able to suggest ways to reorganise the layout and how to implement systems to improve her productivity. One helpful hint was how to maintain continual stock levels rather than produce stock in response to customer orders, with a resulting improvement in the turnaround of stock, orders and sales.
Adding more shelving allowed Elizabeth to access product ingredients more easily and made the manufacturing process more efficient. Decorating and furnishing her showroom space allowed her to feel very positive when showing potential buyers her product range.
As well as these practical tips, Elizabeth found that her confidence was boosted by both the support of her mentor and the information provided at the workshops throughout the course. She gained strategies to deal with all aspects of her business, from bookkeeping to customer service.
‘I started the program still working for someone else and have come out running my own business full time. I was so overwhelmed at the beginning with all the different aspects of the business but now I feel much clearer in my head. I can now see each step I need to take to get where I want to go. The course has opened up a huge amount of resources as well as continual support for me.’
‘I would absolutely recommend the program to other women. I think there’s a lot of pressure to be successful immediately and this program really helps you with a step by step process to get there. I found it invaluable.’
Deborah Barit, Impressive Interviews
With a background in the public sector, Deborah Barit astutely identified a gap in the employment market for people below senior executive level seeking employment or promotion.
She saw that many people need help in how to market themselves – putting their CVs together, preparing for interviews, understanding and meeting the selection criteria for public sector appointments.
Her business, Impressive Interviews, addresses these points for job seekers. For employers she has set herself up as an expert in putting the selection criteria together, sitting on interview panels and providing independent recruitment advice to employers.
Like the icons of Venice, Deborah Barit is positioned as the bridge between employer and employee.
She had very sound reasons for choosing the mentor program. She readily claims she needed a broader perspective on the business, its direction and structure.
She also felt she needed additional skills to successfully grow the business – marketing, financial and networking skills.
Her experience in the program generally was refreshing, revitalising and extremely rewarding, and specifically, with her mentor, Vivian Reed, MD of Australia in Style, was remarkable.
Vivian was very focussed and structured in her approach, focussing on all the areas she intuited Deborah would benefit from.
As a sole trader, Deborah needed to meet other business people in similar circumstances. She became part of a group which gave her the support and inspiration she needed, and is now a member of the Woollahra BNI and an associate member of ‘Employers Making a Difference’.
Deborah now has strategies and skills to continue to build the business successfully. She has a new relationship with it and no longer views it as a “helping business”.
She now focuses on areas of profitability and streamlining work practices. Deborah is marketing her business, advertising and using the web more effectively. In short, the program was a great confidence boost to both Deborah and her business.
She now works the business as a business. Better systems, structure to her daily tasks and administrative work.
She is now rewriting her business plan and developing strategies to broaden her client base as well as expand into new areas.
She is developing two new training packages. One to assist small business to recruit the right person for their business, and a group training program for the clients of community organisations, as part of the Work for the Dole scheme.
Deborah would recommend the Women in Business Mentor Program to any small business operator who wants to build and develop their business, wants a confidence booster and wants to develop a powerful network of supportive, likeminded business people.
“The Department of State and Regional Development is to be congratulated for setting it up, making it affordable, and ESBEC is to be thanked for its professional organisation and support”.
Carolyn Dean, InnerFocus Therapies and IntoFocus
The Women in Business Mentor program gave clinical hypnotherapist Carolyn Dean the support she needed to launch her second business, IntoFocus, providing business advice and services to health practitioners.
Carolyn had already made the transition from the corporate world to set up her first business, InnerFocus Therapies. She found that the business skills she had acquired during her work in sales and corporate consulting allowed her to quickly develop her practice, to the point that other health practitioners started to seek her advice.
Realising there was a gap in the market, Carolyn decided to launch IntoFocus to provide health professionals and health studies graduates with the business training required to successfully run a private practice. Believing she could benefit from further training in small business, Carolyn also decided to join the 2005 Women in Business Mentor Program.
“Although I had great business experience through my corporate career I knew that there was still a lot to know about running a small business effectively and efficiently, particularly on the marketing side.”
Carolyn was teamed with marketing expert Caroline Thomas, Director of Starfish Global Communications, who helped her crystallise her vision for IntoFocus and create an effective business and marketing plan.
“Caroline was able to provide help with all aspects of business planning and start-up; clearing the haze that I had around marketing, working with me through the ever changing vision for the business; and above all pinning me down and making me commit to doing and not just talking about things!’
Carolyn particularly enjoyed the support, friendship and guidance that she received from her mentor, together with the ability to explore ideas and receive unbiased and experienced advice. She also found the workshops and interaction with the other participants to be of enormous value.
“The presenters and participants were sharing their honest experience, which meant that the subject matter being presented was always real and relevant to what we were experiencing outside of the workshops. It was wonderful to be able to meet other women experiencing similar issues and to be able to swap information, stories and support.”
The program has helped Carolyn move closer to her vision for IntoFocus, which is to be the one-stop shop for health practitioners with business needs. She wholeheartedly recommends the program to any woman wanting to expand their knowledge and their business.
“It is an incredible program which allows you to learn from the mentors who have already ‘been there, done that and got the T-shirt’! Yes, it requires hard work and commitment. But the women who are willing to put in the maximum effort for the six months will benefit exponentially from the experience in the years ahead.”
Abby Clifton, Leadagility
Abby Clifton’s business Leadagility helps leaders to manage the human issues that arise during business change.
After almost two years of operation, Abby had found herself wanting to take her business to the next level. Her goal was to integrate her expertise in individual coaching and organisational change management and reflect this in the services she offered. The Women in Business Mentor Program provided the necessary support and structure to allow her to make this a reality.
‘Before I went on the program I was frustrated – I knew I needed to create a brand change and rewrite my business plan, but I wouldn’t have done it on my own. So the program made me accountable for doing that, and gave me clarity on the brand.’
Abby also wanted input around the sales and marketing side of the business, and was teamed with mentor Liz Cooke, who runs her own marketing and business consulting organization.
‘Liz was very pragmatic and encouraging. Rather than giving me lots of advice she listened and asked questions, helping me to crystallize my ideas and approach. It made me take the business plan to deeper levels – I had to look in detail at what made me different and why I was doing it. It gave me belief in the product and therefore a lot more confidence in selling it.’
Having written her first business plan in less than two weeks, Abby enjoyed working on the plan every week over a period of three to four months with the support of her mentor. ‘From a personal standpoint I was clear each week on what I needed to do. It made it less of an overwhelming task and I became much more focused.’
Abby also gained valuable insights from the other participants and their mentors, and shifted her perspective on how her business was run.
‘A big realization for me was that for every day that I deliver a piece of work, I’ve spent a day in sales to get that work. Now I have a better appreciation of the time I need to put into selling. I’ve started cold calling, which I wouldn’t have done before, and have already had several meetings and sent out proposals. It has happened more effortlessly than I expected.’
Most of all Abby found that the program reinforced and clarified her vision for the business and her unique offering. ‘Lots of change management experts don’t know enough about human behaviour, and I always wanted to bridge the gap. I now feel confident that I am heading in the right direction.’
WOMEN IN BUSINESS MENTOR PROGRAM:
Diane Costa, Marketing Mechanics
Diane Costa’s business, Marketing Mechanics, received a tremendous boost as a result of her involvement in the Women in Business Mentor Program.
“When I first started the business, I thought it would be good to do the program to gain a fast, effective understanding on how to run a business and develop a network of contacts,” she says.
She received this and myriad other benefits from her involvement.
Marketing Mechanics – Giving you the tools to drive your business – is a sales & marketing consultancy specialising in identifying key areas for growth in business.
It offers tailored solutions for clients with marketing and sales objectives to achieve within a given time frame.
It helps them develop new and innovative marketing and sales strategies. In her words, “We strive to provide ‘high Impact, Low Cost’ campaigns, that help companies reach their true potential.”
Diane was inspired by the program and all those involved with it.
Beginning with the mission of the program as outlined by ESBEC’s David Baumgarten, to ‘help small businesses gain a wealth of knowledge from the other women in the course and develop into confident businesswomen.’
“It was an inspiration listening to their stories, sharing our experiences and watching everyone gain confidence throughout the program,” Diane remarks.
“My mentor, Harvey Green, was perfectly matched with me. His business is Workforce Management Consultants. He has a similar background to me, only with more than 10 years of experience,” says Diane.
She was struggling with understanding the financials in the company. She believes she was being taken advantage of by other businesses such as accountants, brokers etc.
“Harvey set me on the straight and narrow and provided a priceless array of information to make me a much more knowledgeable business person.
He helped me structure my contract work and gave me a great deal of understanding and instruction on proposal developments,” she beams.
Courtesy of the work she did with Harvey and throughout the course, Diane’s work structure is much more focussed. Her business has been allowed to grow to the extent where she has taken on staff.
Time management is far better, she now works ‘on’ the business far more than ‘in’ the business enabling her to get into the market place and promote her products and services. For Diane this confidence, knowledge and pride is priceless.
As a massive bonus, a tremendous alliance with all the people in the program has been formed. The group calling itself “Thinking Business” meets regularly and continues the generous spirit of sharing information and support that was fostered throughout the program.
This very happy customer summed it up thus, “I would definitely recommend new businesswomen to do the course.
It’s a wealth of information, a centre for support and it can even help you save thousands of dollars when decision making.”
WOMEN IN BUSINESS MENTOR PROGRAM:
Helen Davis, Oh de Toilette
When Helen Davis of Oh de Toilette was considering franchising her business, the Women in Business Mentor Program provided the advice and support she needed to take the next step.
Oh de Toilette provides handtowels, toiletries, decoration and attendants to corporate and private events as well as gift packs and toiletry packs for tour groups. With a background in hospitality management, Helen successfully launched the business in Sydney but felt she needed more training in running a small business.
‘The Women in Business Mentor Program offered an opportunity to fill in the gaps I was discovering in my experience.’
Helen was teamed with Katherine Groom of Signwave Australia, who was able to offer practical advice about the pros and cons of operating as a franchisor. As a result Helen was able to develop an appropriate strategy for building her business.
‘I actually delayed this part of my business plan as a result of our conversations – having someone to bounce this concept off helped me realise I need to spend a bit more time on building my core business before developing the franchising side of Oh de Toilette. Having Katherine act as a sounding board allowed me to test my theories before putting them into practice.’
As a result Helen then focused with her mentor on techniques for improving sales, such as setting up a stand at a trade show and making the most of the opportunity.
‘Katherine’s advice about sales helped me understand where my sales technique needs a little work. I gained a better understanding of what to do to prepare well for a trade show and my briefing notes and stand design were influenced by Katherine’s advice.’
Helen particularly enjoyed sharing the experience of running a business not only with her mentor but also with the other participants in the workshop. ‘It’s really empowering to connect with so many strong and inspiring women who share exactly the same issues and joys of owning your own business.’
Since completing the course Helen has focused her efforts on growing the business in Sydney and Melbourne, with plans to expand to Brisbane, Queensland and New Zealand and ultimately to a global franchise. She believes the Women in Business Mentor Program is invaluable to help women acquire the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in business.
‘It’s an excellent way of forcing you to work on your business – it would take huge amounts of discipline to do this kind of business analysis on your own and the program puts a manageable timeframe around conducting a thorough process. Having a mentor also encourages you to meet deadlines. If you use the system properly and set goals, knowing someone else out there is aware of them helps keep you on your toes.’
‘I commend the Department of State and Regional Development for this initiative – I can’t imagine what the landscape for female entrepreneurs would be like without it.’
