8 minute read
Cover Story – Q&A with Bianca Welsh
Co-Owner of Stillwater SEVEN Restaurant, Seven Rooms and Black Cow Bistro, HR & Restaurant Manager, Board Director, Mental Health Ambassador with a Bachelor of Behavioural Science and most recently Tourism Minister’s Young Achiever Award Recipient 2019, Bianca Welsh’s name is synonymous with entrepreneurship and excellence in Tasmania’s tourism and hospitality industry. TICT’s Michaela Lamprey caught up with Bianca after her recent win to talk all things success, achievement and growth.
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What would you say is your defining career achievement or the thing you are most proud of?
The recent Tourism Minister’s
Award for Young Achiever is definitely one I’m most surprised with and honoured to have received. I feel incredibly humbled and have had a few of those “imposter” moments where I think I doubt the things
I do. The Young Restaurateur of the Year award in 2015 also meant a lot to me being on a national level, as it certainly gave me the confidence that I was on right track to be the best in the industry and to be a leader in my field.
But the thing I’m most proud of is the teams I’ve had the opportunity to put together and the relationships formed.
Image credit: Adam Gibson
To have lifelong friends from previous and current employees, to see amazing friendship groups formed where some of the team have become friends for life, and the culture we’ve created means the most to me. To have previous employees contact me years later and say it was still the best place they’ve ever worked at before and since makes all the blood, sweat and tears worthwhile.
For you, what is the best thing about working in Tasmania’s tourism and hospitality industry?
The sense of community, the ability to create meaningful relationships across a range of industries and within your own industry and be able to feed off each other both personally and professionally. I’ve had some amazing opportunities come my way which have gone across a range of sectors such as education, mental health, arts, media, events, tourism and government and that makes for, I think, a really exciting state. I truly believe Tasmanians are generally very versatile and resilient. I think the nature of our island state with a smaller population and more small businesses means you have to do a lot of different jobs and roles yourself, making us very adaptable and resourceful. I would be able to compare with my counterparts in the big cities and they get to do exciting things in hospitality but don’t ever really get to venture out of this field. Also, the fact you get to surround yourself with amazing food, wine, produce, design, travel and activities – what more could you want in life!
What is the most valuable piece of career advice you have ever received?
Funnily, I was going through some old articles the other day and found one from 2010 where I was asked this question, and I had a chuckle because it is still the best piece of advice I’ve received. That is, every experience is a good experience, be it a disaster and/ or terrible, you come out in tears sort of experience – you can still learn something from it. It makes you more resilient, it teaches you to perhaps not make that mistake again or to try a different way. No one can ever learn everything if they get it right all the time. Also – one my husband always says is measure twice, cut once.
What is the number one piece of career advice you would offer someone starting out in Tasmania’s tourism and hospitality industry?
Well, this piece of advice applies to any industry but certainly in tourism and hospitality – that is to work on relationships. Make genuine connections with people, find those who you can turn to for advice and you can learn from. Be patient and just dive into it and be hungry for knowledge -it’s one thing that can take you
so far in life (research shows it too!). To be hungry for knowledge can lengthen your life by years and can be what sets ‘successful’ people apart. If it’s wine you’re interested in, take the time to watch some YouTube videos, read some books, buy the magazines, taste the wine. If it is mountain biking then learn the tricks, the tracks, the equipment etc. Knowledge will take you so very far in this industry.
In 2018 you completed a Bachelor of Behavioural Science to support your HR role within your business. How has this further study complemented your day to day business operations and in your opinion, how important is mental health awareness to the success of a team or organisation?
How long have we got? I feel my study has greatly improved my role and my understanding, more importantly of mental illness and what goes on in the brain. The biopsychosocial (mean biological, psychological, sociological) model is fairly straight forward, but once you scratch the surface there is a lot to uncover and understand and how to apply that knowledge in a setting such as a workplace. An undergrad degree really only is the beginning, there is endless information and research out there, but I’d like to think it has complemented our day to day operations. I’d be confident to say our turnover has improved by 40% since learning different things around mental health and having different approaches than we would have 10 years ago. To be able to have open, honest and non- judgemental conversations in the workplace really is important and can contribute to the success of your team thus your business. Most of our front-of-house management team just did their Mental Health First Aid certificate and I strongly recommend every single
person should do this. It’s a two-day course (which we spread out over 2 weeks) and the knowledge we all walked away from with that will be invaluable both personally and professionally for the rest of our lives.
What do you see as the three biggest opportunities for Tasmania’s tourism & hospitality industry?
Collaboration, experiences and a sense of who we are. Collaboration across businesses and sectors and collaborating with community. The West
Coast campaign with the team from For the People blew me away with how they engaged with community first and foremost and produced such an incredible piece of work that that community now has a sense of ownership over. Tasmania has really become a place where you come and experience what we have to offer – nature, food and wine, unique spaces and history and the spotlight on us at the moment across the state what makes it a really exciting time to be involved in industry. Thirdly, a sense of who we are, as I truly feel the industry is finding a united voice in how we want to be viewed by the outside world. It’s hard to put into words but it’s a feeling you get in Tasmania – authentic I suppose is the best way to surmise it.
And three biggest challenges?
Sometimes I feel the greater community don’t quite value the effort individuals and groups put in and how much it contributes to the economy. Another is that it’s still not viewed as a serious career option amongst many people, it’s the gap job to work in tourism and/or hospitality. We need teachers and parents to be nurturing and encouraging their kids to think about a career in the industry as it can be very fulfilling, rewarding and prosperous. I also think just where the world is at the moment, climate change, politics, consumerism, it’s changing the world rapidly and the way people travel and the way they spend their money, how they eat, diets, trends, social media, technology. There are threats we probably have no idea exist that could change the face of what we do and value in a second, in which you cannot prepare for.
What inspired your love of food and wine?
I think just discovering how enjoyable it is to share a meal with people whom you enjoy their company. I grew up in a meat and three veg household, boxed wine and a vienetta was a special treat. I certainly didn’t grow up with a ‘gourmet’ household, I guess I just discovered it as I grew up and began dining out with friends. I think it’s more the ability to change someone’s entire day or week with a great a meal or to experience a wine which makes you smile is more what draws me to it, that it can be an enjoyable conduit to feeling good and happy!
How do you ‘come down for air’?
I like to go for a drive, be it the coast or just somewhere rural. We have a toddler, so some experiences are saved for when he has a sleepover with his grandparents. My husband is a sommelier, so most of our trips are around great wine, great food and excellent design. We love to stay in unique properties, sit back with a great book (by a Tasmanian author of course! I’m reading Flames by Robbie Arnott at the moment) and a glass of Tassie Pinot Noir or Chardonnay to come down for air.
BIANCA’S FAVOURITE TASMANIAN:
Coffee spot – Alberto’s (George St, Launceston)
Weekend escape –
Anywhere! East coast, North-West and we want to explore the West Coast more. We just stayed at the Sea Stacks at the Denison Rivulet (near Bicheno) and haven’t stopped raving about it and trying to plan when we can go back! Tipple – Tasmanian Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, depends on my mood, oh and of course a Tasmanian Gin! Long lunch – Timbre at Velo Wines (Tamar Valley) Hidden secret – I think the Sea Stacks I just mentioned, barely anyone knows about them and they’re so amazing! Guilty pleasure – getting a foot massage, watching a horror movie (usually zombie themed) and eating massive amounts of cheese and olives by myself. All at once would be the dream!
