3 minute read
FROM THE CEO
BY LUKE HAWLEY // PHOTO: EMPIRE ART PHOTOGRAPHY
Dear Matters Magazine Readers,
It has been one year since Shari and I took over Matters Magazine, which is in its 18th year on the Sunshine Coast. This past year has been filled with incredible memories, challenges, and a few surprises. My career started almost 20 years ago as a University of the Sunshine Coast graduate working with Procter & Gamble, building partnerships with local retailers and distributors—a connector between the brand and its partners. I used insight, strategy, and vision to forge those partnerships over the long term.
The largest surprise for me over the past year is just how much my first year with Matters Magazine would mirror my first year with a multinational company.
Those first steps are to introduce yourself, learn how to communicate your vision and curate the insight and data to guide decision-making. It has taken me 12 months and three issues to understand Matters Magazine. Our role is to connect you, the reader, to the Sunshine Coast business ecosystem. Tens of thousands in our region share your journey as a professional, owner, or entrepreneur. You are supported, and you are not alone.
My first year with Procter & Gamble was lonely. The head office was in Sydney, but I was on the Sunshine Coast. I had to learn what it meant to represent a company through my interactions with customers instead of mentorship. I had no colleagues, just a distant manager. I did not realise how much support was available because I was new and didn’t know where to look.
Over the past few weeks, I have spoken to over 60 business owners individually. Each of them shared that feeling of disconnect. They did not know where to go for help.
I talked to them about the available programs by the Queensland Government, including grants, business courses from the University and TAFE, the free events hosted by business and industry groups, networking groups like BNI, Bx and LinkedIn Local, and the introductions I could make to people in a similar industry. I can see them light up, the same way I did when I was finally introduced to the company I was working for and given the full range of support and training. I felt empowered and re-energised. I have helped many feel the same way this past month with a simple introduction.
That is the power of Matters. The role we play as your connector. To borrow a line from Craig Josic from Silicon Coast, “Collaboration is the new competition.” The 107th issue of Matters Magazine is a collaborative effort from the vast corners of the Sunshine Coast’s business ecosystem. In this issue, you will discover the support and training available to you. You will read stories of aspirational family-owned businesses, exceptional advice from local professionals and great offers from local businesses.
To our advertisers and contributors, thank you. Your support has been invaluable. You have helped us curate a magazine that goes beyond engaging, helpful content to a genuine resource of support and guidance for a business community feeling disconnected from one another. Over the past 12 months, 113 organisations have contributed to Matters Magazine. With premium local content, we have reached tens of thousands locally and worldwide. As we move into 2025, I invite you to join the Matters community and share our mission to connect.
Those first steps are to introduce yourself, learn how to communitcate your vision and curate the insight and data to guide decision-making.
