Belinda’s inspiring success story

IT takes courage and determination to start your own business, especially under challenging circumstances, but Belinda Tupou’s success story is testament to her great resilience.

Belinda founded her successful Mind My Marketing concept in Parramatta nine years ago and kept it going while managing family responsibilities.

And to top it off, she named Winner of the Parramatta Local Business Awards 2022 for Outstanding Sole Operator.

Flash back nine years and it was a matter of survival when she started her business.

Her marriage had ended badly and she found herself in a predicament with her then 13yo and 2yo and not much else.

So Belinda had start from scratch. She had plenty of family support, but being the independent and stubborn person she is, she decided to try and find a way to work from home while her littlest child was still young.

Business, marketing, networking and computers came natural to her, so she ‘put herself out there’.

Belinda was fortunate to have 11 years of corporate experience with franchising - and a Diploma in Business Administration and a Diploma in Business Marketing.

She was also fortunate to have studied certifications in business administration earlier and fortunate to have studied desktop publishing.

And she was fortunate to have worked on the side for other companies in the past and had taught herself Microsoft Frontpage in the mid-2000s. She taught herself how to publish websites using the old dial-up internet connection.

Belinda said she felt ‘incredibly lucky’.

“Clients came to me and in the nine years since I have not only been the marketing adviser, but also the website creator and manager, graphic designer, social media creator, client relationship manager, event planner or mentor.

“And along the way I have made close friendships with many who are still with me.

“I am sometimes late to meetings and I am often tired, but will always take care of my client’s businesses, secrets, files and will always make time for a chat.

“Everyone in business needs someone to bounce ideas off or to have a heart-to-heart, now and then. It’s not easy. Life in general isn’t, so when I meet business owners who risk everything to make their dreams come true, or make life a little easier, I’m here and I know my stuff.”

Since founding her business, Belinda has completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing. Four years ago, she decided to accept a part-time position as Marketing Manager for a company while continuing her studies. She is now near completion of her MBA.

So how does she feel after nine busy years? “I thank everyone who has supported me, refers clients to me, believes in me, trusts me with their projects and secrets and knows that I will drop everything to meet a deadline,” Belinda said.