This chick has hustle

A born entrepreneur, (and mama to six kids!) Emma Isaacs has spent her life building businesses and helping people see possibility when they hadn’t imagined it before. Over the past sixteen years, Emma has transformed Business Chicks from the ground up, growing it from 250 members to what it is today: a global enterprise that operates in two continents and eleven cities and usually produces more than 100 events annually (when COVID doesn’t get in the way), with past speakers including Dr Brené Brown, Seth Godin, Sir Richard Branson, Gloria Steinem, Nicole Kidman, Sir Bob Geldof, Sarah Jessica Parker and Julia Gillard, amongst others. Born and raised in Sydney, Emma now lives in Los Angeles with her six young children, where she heads up the now international Business Chicks. We chat to Emma about business, parenting and writing her new book, The New Hustle, in the middle of a global pandemic.

So, we’re all about mums at MamaMag, obviously! Six kids! Tell us a bit about that crazy journey!

Half a dozen kiddos, and yes, I drive a minivan. It’s a lot but it’s mostly so much fun. I never set out to have that many kids, it just kind of happened, but I’ve always been an intense person and like to live with a level of velocity and exhilaration, so I guess this is just a part of it. So there’s Milla (12), Honey (10), Indie (8), Ryder (6), Piper (4) and my little guy Louis is 16 months. It can be chaotic at times, but those tear-your-hair-out moments never last for too long. I have a friend who often says to me ‘I know people with two or three kids and your house is way calmer than theirs’, so that’s something I cling onto!

How did you manage juggling home schooling with them all?

It was tough. I mean, how do you ever get a 5-year-old to pay attention in a Zoom call?? In the end, there was a full 17 months when we had kids at home, but we got there in the end – mostly fuelled by snacks and constant reminders that it was just a moment in time. My heart goes out to all the parents in Sydney and Melbourne who are still in it – the day the kids get into the car and back into the classroom is a good one and hopefully not too far away.

You say you have the best job in the world. Tell us more about Business Chicks and why every boss-mama should be a member.

I do have the best job in the world! I never finished university, so I often say that Business Chicks has been like my MBA – through the work we do at Business Chicks, I’ve been able to meet and learn from some of the world’s most extraordinary leaders like Elizabeth Gilbert and Richard Branson and Brené Brown and the list goes on. But what’s extraordinary about Business Chicks is not just those well-known people you’re exposed to through our events and our content – it’s the extraordinary women you meet through the community; the ones who support and show up and inspire each other. That’s the real magic of Business Chicks and it’s serving and helping these women that gives me a reason to get up every morning.

How did you manage to grow Business Chicks into such an incredible community whilst juggling all those pregnancies?

I was lucky that I found pregnancy relatively smooth sailing each time and was able to work up until all my deliveries. I was an entrepreneur before I was a mum so my work ethic and drive were already developed before I started thinking about having a family. I’ve never subscribed to life ending because you have a baby (and when you’re a business owner, it can’t anyway!). If anything, for me a new baby has always brought with it a surge of ambition and a wanting to show them what’s possible. I’ve also got an amazing team around me so I’m able to come and go and focus on what I’m good at doing. They keep everything ticking along and I trust them with my whole being.

COVID has certainly changed the way we do business. Tell as a little bit about The New Hustle and how it came about.

I write in the book that The New Hustle was a happy accident, which in many ways it was. I initially sat down to write a handbook for the Business Chicks team – something our current and future members of the team could use to understand what makes our team uniquely us. At the same time I was writing, we were all experiencing this crazy shift in the way we were all working – brought on by COVID – and while many people were lamenting the shift, I could see the opportunity. This was a chance to completely flip the way we live and work; to bring some more fulfilment into our worlds and get smarter about the way we work, instead of just doing things because that’s how they have always been done. The more I wrote, the more I realised that the lessons in the book were useful to more people than just my team.

This issue of MamaMag is all about Fashion and beauty. Who are you go to Aussie designers?

It would be remiss of me not to shout out some of the amazing Business Chicks’ member brands - I wear a lot of Decjuba, which is owned by my very clever friend Tania Austin. I love Lizzy and Isabella’s Spell & The Gypsy Collective, which is based out of Byron. And Carly Brown makes the amazing UNE Piece swimwear. I honestly can’t remember the last time I actually wore lipstick!

What do you miss most about Australia?

The Business Chicks team and our HQ, which is in Sydney. Earlier in the year, I decided to use the forced lockdown as an opportunity, so I have spent the last few months completely reimagining the space. I don’t believe we need typical offices anymore (our team now choose where they work from) so the Business Chicks space is being transformed into a lounge/club where there will be lots of cozy spaces to work from and hang out in. We’ll have lots of events there and host members for networking and community. Oh and there’s an amazing bar there too where I’ll make my signature lychee martinis or passionfruit margaritas for our members. I’m hoping to spend a bit more time with the team and our members when we’re allowed to travel again!

And finally, what’s your favourite part of being a mother?

When I catch my kids either experiencing awe or happiness. Nothing better than that and makes all the tear-your-hair-out moments worth it.

Find out more about Business Chicks at www.businesschicks.com.au and find Emma’s new book at Booktopia.