A G LO B A L M A G A Z I N E F E AT U R I N G T H E YO U A N D M E O F T H E B U S I N E S S W O R L D
MAY2013/ISSUE#4
MAKING A
DIFFERENCE THROUGH
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Y DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO? WHAT IS IT
THAT DRIVES YOU? TURNING THE
END INTO
A BEGINNING
Sharing her journey to finding her focus
Madisen Harper Issue#4 - MAY2013
1
Table of Contents
18 After falling in love with the
Philippines during her vacation, Alesya Folley followed her heart and made her own opportunities to live out her dream
22 Ash Aryal’s key to success is no secret
– in fact, it’s been around for decades.
Y STORIES
13
12 Dr. Carla Rogers from
Brisbane reassessed her direction in life after a sudden heart attack left her reeling.
14 Larissa Bright creates natural
19
and affordable cosmetics for women and hopes to be an inspiration for other women to achieve their dreams.
17 Meet a woman who
realised her inner purpose and passion for life after her daughter was born.
21Alex Jeffrey became an
entrepreneur not just to make profits, but also to make a difference in the world
25 Multi-talented Helen
Kerrison lives to share her 2
www.ymagazine.com.au
passion with other people and teaching them to live life to the fullest.
26 Jamie is known as the
Heavy Weight of Internet Marketing and consults multimillion dollar clients to help them generate customers online in any industry.
28 Serial entrepreneur
Joel Hauer takes his years of experience and artistic and business background to create a space where new ideas thrive.
30 Sharon Gales knows
health is truly wealth, and shares her passion and knowledge with others through her company, DARE2BFIT.
37 Today, that extraordinary work ethic
is her inspiration, fuelling the mother of 2’s new role as a ‘mom-preneur’
39 Success can be fraught with conflict. For fashion designer and eternal creation founder Frances Carrington, fashion and people-orientated business ethics did not need to be mutually exclusive
32 Fate could have taken a
but Ellen Ercolini, life-coach and different turn if Tammy Richie did founder of The Creative Girraffe, is not have First Aid training. Today, helping individuals to do just that she empowers people 40 Multi-tasking is one thing, by giving them the confidence but for Hally Rhiannon-Nammu, and know-how they need to her roles as holistic therapist, life save lives. coach and spiritual guru provides some of the opportunities 34 Overcoming personal issues just she has to help others. can be a key breakthrough in life. For stress specialist Dr. Linda Wilson, it’s a simple matter of Tapping their way to inner healing.
35 Turning your life around
is never easy. But Australian businesswoman and author, Stacey Currie, did it against all the odds, swapping destitution for success.
38 Turning disappointment
into a positive force is not easy,
42 Karen Robertson developed
Y EXPERT
43 The financial year end Are you ready?
Y COMMUNITY
45 The Vision Crusaders Grand
Slam team are an ordinary group of cyclists with an extraordinary goal – to end cancer.
a new book format to mix adventure and words and get kids reading. She didn’t expect her book app would inspire people to get writing too.
44 Marketing a budding
international best-selling author is no mean feat, but for Sarah Allen seeing her husband’s career flourish has made it all worthwhile.
23 Issue#4 - MAY2013
3
EDITOR’S LETTER Editor-in-Chief: Shar Moore editor@ymagazine.com.au Executive Assistant Christine Rianne
Photos: Photos of authors are provided by their respective organizations. All other photos, unless otherwise indicated, are iStockphotos. Advertising and Sponsorships Please contact advertising@ymagazine.com.au for more information and costs. Information about YMag YMag is published online monthly by Shar Moore. Graphic Design work by Juliana Lievano www.JulianaCreativeDesigns.com
All articles are the copyright of their respective authors and used with their permission. Please go to www.ymagazine.com.au for a full copy of our Privacy Policy. Inquiries Please contact editor@ymagazine.com.au Cover Story written by Cassy Small www.bigfishplanning.com.au Editor’s Photo of Shar Moore, courtesy of Rebecca Patterson Photography www.rebeccapattersonphotography.com
• We believe we are not good enough There are some amazing stories in YMag again this month and my hope is that each one of you reading our issue, will say TODAY, right here, right now, I AM GOOD ENOUGH and my time is NOW! After reading Madisens Y SHAR MOORE story, I am very inspired. If we can Editor-in-Chief/YWoman trust in our ability to be the best we can be, we really are limitless. If Can you believe its May already!!!! another man/woman can achieve Does anyone else put off amazing things in their life, Y can’t things till tomorrow, expecting we? We need to believe that if one that there will be a tomorrow? person can, so can we and start How many times have we shifting our thinking to rise above said to ourselves, I will do that our fears and live our perfect life. tomorrow, or, yes let’s do that I hope you will start to think like soon. I am guilty of this as well, this from TODAY, and please share and I just want you all to take a your stories with me. moment and think; What if there Step up and be the best was NO tomorrow? What if YOU can be and live your Y! today was your last day? Until next month, What would you do, who would you call, who would Shar / YWoman you tell you love them, who would you say sorry too? Y is it that we don’t live and think like this everyday? Here are my thoughts….. • We trust that bad things will only editor@ymagazine.com.au happen to others www.ymagazine.com.au • Our fears get in the way www.thestylenetworkgroup.com.au • We worry about being judged • We believe we don’t deserve Listen to Shars interview with to be happy Madisen Harper NOW - Click Here
Shar Moore Issue#4 - MAY2013
5
COVER STORY
Living her Y, but it wasn’t always this way. She shares her journey to finding her focus
MADISEN HARPER The path to discovering your Y is a personal one, and no two journeys are the same. For some it appears like a message from the heavens, for others it’s apparent from a young age. For Dr. Madisen Harper it was a soul searching journey that took over ten years, only revealing itself when her mind stilled enough to listen to that little voice. Since defining her Y there’s been nothing quiet about the way that Madisen has pursued her purpose. As an inspirational speaker, author, consultant, life enrichment mentor and human potential expert Madisen is committed to helping others 6
www.ymagazine.com.au
achieve their Y based on the framework of her #1 international bestselling book, limitLESS – 10 Energy Excelerators to Access Your Infinite Potential. Madisen left the corporate world to start online plus size fashion label 2 Roads Design with a friend. “I did the marketing and she did the internet side of things. It was such an exciting time having this get out of jail free card from the corporate world,” she recalls. After three years they made the difficult decision to sell the business when it no longer was financially viable. But what she lost in the business, she gained in perspective. “I didn’t
SINCE DEFINING HER Y THERE’S BEEN NOTHING QUIET ABOUT THE WAY THAT MADISEN HAS PURSUED HER PURPOSE.
Issue#4 - MAY2013
7
want to just do any other job or market someone else’s product anymore. I had the realisation that I wanted to contribute more to life and knew I had a greater message I wanted to share,” she said. Exactly what that message was though would take years to discover. With 2 Roads Design now sold, Madisen returned to the business world as a corporate consultant, a life she had tried so hard to escape. “I still had to pay the bills and the place I’m at today didn’t happen overnight. I went from five days work a week and over time scaled that back until I could do my purposeful work full time,” she said. That time out of the office was spent figuring out what she had been called to do. “I knew I wanted to
8
www.ymagazine.com.au
do something more meaningful. I spent a lot of time over the last ten years working on different ideas but experienced limited success, which was disheartening. To outsiders I had a brilliant life: properties with Harbour views, first class travel, a lucrative consulting business and awesome family and friends, but it wasn’t enough. My head was satisfied but not my heart. It’s really only been the last year or two that I’ve had clarity on what my Y was,” she said. Ever persistent, Madisen consumed information from all sources attending seminars, reading everything she could get her hands on and immersing herself in personal development work. The self-confessed doaholic was stopped in her tracks in 2011 when she suffered an energy breakdown. “I was exhausted from trying so hard. I’d taken massive, committed action but never really gaining the success or personal fulfilment I craved, so it was time to figure out how to do things differently,” she said. She spent two weeks at home in a period of selfreflection. “I’d always practiced meditation to clear the mind but this time I was intuitively told to ask what do I need to do today in order to achieve my purposeful work? It was like the floodgates had been opened and the information started pouring out. I called it my Inner Guru and it’s a practice
my clients also swear by,” she said. Madisen went from having a page long to-do list to having laser beam focus on two or three very specific actions. “I didn’t over think it and I didn’t question why,” she said. The outcomes where immediate and suddenly Madisen’s Y became abundantly clear, it was about guiding others to live their limitLESS life. Although trusting her Inner Guru (commonly known as intuition, Universal wisdom) didn’t come easily, Madisen says it was critical to her success and encourages anyone else struggling to find their Y to follow the same process. “What was key for me was abandoning the do-aholicism, releasing the stronghold onrelease control, creating the daily practice and trusting in the process of life.
Actioning the response I was receiving meant I was now working from inspiration instead of perspiration. Most people can’t sleep at night because they’re worrying about debt, relationships and the like, I wasn’t sleeping because I was suddenly excited and ignited by life,” she said. “Persistence is the key. Sometimes you can be on the precipice of something great but pull back because the momentum can be so overwhelming. I don’t believe the Universe gives you the desire without being able to achieve it. The process of listening to your wisdom is exceptionally powerful as the answer to your every question is within you,” she said. After such a long journey, Madisen gets goose bumps when she contemplates that
she is finally living her Y. “It’s exceptionally exciting. We all want to be happy and fulfilled in self, health and wealth. Since I started following my Y everything just flows effortlessly.” Spurred on by her bestselling book, which has guided over 90,000 people to triumph in cultivating their infinite potential in areas where they previously failed, she is driven to continue the huge international ripple and has developed a suite of online products and coaching programs. “Finally I feel like I’ve found my place in the world and I’m inspired to be of service to others.” As a result she has created an online gateway to celebrating, supporting and growing a limitLESS life with an abundance of free resources at www.madisenharper.com.
•
Issue#4 - MAY2013
9
BUSINESS TIPS 1. 3 Easy steps to business success 1. Start Lean 2. Base Building (your systems and client base) 3. Leap of Faith (be prepared to act). /Martin McKone, Multi Peak Fitness 2. Work-Life Balance Take a risk! Always spend at least 10% of annual turnover on marketing, never forget the importance of your work/life balance, stay true to your beliefs. / Sacha Maujea
4. Create a system Systems are the lifeblood of every successful business. Without them, you have no-where to focus or channel your energy into. The energy instead dissipates out into the abyss and you become busy for the sake of; “feeling like you’re accomplishing a goal,” instead of actually accomplishing a goal. / Jodie Rimmer, Small Business Genie
5. Managing your Credit Cards Credit card debt can kill you financially; if you don’t pay off your balance in full every month the banks deduct 4x your total limits from your borrowing capacity. / Kevin Lee, Smart Property Adviser
3. Becoming More Professional • Do you want to look more professional? Then get rid of your free email address for your business! Domain names are cheap. Get one. Email hosting is reasonably priced too (you don’t even have to have an actual website). If you do have a website you have no excuse! • Know what you’re going to say when someone asks you “what do you do”? Prepare something, practise it, USE IT. • In presenting your ‘about’ summary... make it small enough, short enough to capture attention with a call to action to your lead generation tool. Sort your icons to show important messages for your visitors. • Avoid shoving your business card at people. YES… Don’t give people your business card! Peak curiosity and have them WANT to ask for your business card! / Jodie Rimmer, Small Business Genie
6. Advertise to Appeal to a Certain Niche When recruiting, advertise to appeal to the type of personality you want - not merely giving a job title and skills. This way you attract applicants already aligned to your business brand. / Dulise Maxwell, DAERtoLead 7. Love your Staff Treat your staff with utmost respect and gratefulness. They choose to be with you. Train, encourage and mentor them but then trust and empower them and they will reward you one. / Lenore Sieber, REMAX united vision 10 www.ymagazine.com.au
logo design
WWW.STOPSUGAR.COM.AU
business cards
stationery magazine advertising illustration
facebook graphics websites brochures
flyers
newsletters postcards swing tags print management
Contact Nataile for a quote today P: 0407 616 141 E: natsouper@gmail.com www.nsdesignservices.com.au
WWW.STOPSUGAR.COM.AU
Y STORY Carla considers herself blessed to be turning 39 this year, 2013. Blessed, because less than five years ago she died in a car park with her daughters looking on. At the time, Carla was at the top of her game – or so she thought. She was married with two daughters and a great career. Having completed her PhD in Psychology, she was managing a major health project at a Queensland university, and was on track to apply for a postdoctoral position. She was, it turns out, also slowly killing herself.
Brisbane/QLD, AU
Carla
ROGERS CHANGE OF HEART Dr. Carla Rogers from Brisbane reassessed her direction in life after a sudden heart attack left her reeling
Carla was working five days a week in the lead up to a project deadline and was coming home to the evening routine followed by more computer work. Selfmedicating with alcohol and sleeping tablets to get some sleep after a stressful day was par for the course. She spent workdays drinking up to one-and-a-half litres of coke to stay awake after having been up half the night with kids who were teething. Not surprisingly, it all caught up with her. “It was a Thursday afternoon like any other in August of 2008,” says Carla. “I was picking up my daughters from day-care after another long day. It was four days before our project deadline, and my stress levels were through the roof.” Except this was no ordinary day. With her one-year-old in her arms and her three-year-old in
12 www.ymagazine.com.au
the car seat, Carla’s heart stopped. Against all odds, she somehow made it to the hospital alive only to be induced into a coma and re-awakened 48 hours later, with no apparent brain injuries. The survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests is very low. The doctors said that it wasn’t stress; she wasn’t overweight; didn’t smoke; and was otherwise healthy. They said it happened for no discernable reason. But the simple reason, in Carla’s mind anyway, was that her entire world was out of balance. She tried to return to her job four months later and walked out on the first day. Something had to change. “I knew that I’d been given a second chance to learn some life lessons; it took me another two years to realise my Y: that I was also meant to help others learn these lessons,” says Carla. As a coaching psychologist, Carla now aims to teach women to aim for ‘good enough’ instead of perfect; to live in the here and now, and to find some balance. “I encourage women to listen to themselves, to their hearts and to their bodies – so that they can go and live the lives that they desire.”
•
3 Strategies to
Overcome Overwhelm
O
verwhelm is like drowning in a sea of things that need to be done, and we cannot keep our head above water. It can be triggered from a long to-do list, we can’t seem to finish, or an emotional event like a birth or death. It might manifest as an intense emotion, such as: anxiety, anger or irritability, worry or doubt; and physically, such as: crying or lashing out. 1. Focus on One Thing. A ‘To-Do List’ is great to get the things we need to do, out of
our heads, and put on paper. Then prioritise what is REALLY important to you! 2. Break It Down. Choose the first priority, on your To-Do list, and break it into small manageable chunks. Write down all the steps, you need to do, to complete it. If your priority was to update your P/L Statement, your first step is: gathering the receipts. The second step is: entering them on your computer program and so forth. Put a time limit on how long you spend on each task, and stick with it. 3. Reward Yourself This is something we need to do
more often! Chemicals in our brain are released and we get excited about finishing the task at hand. If you still find things overwhelming, then Kinesiology can get you back on track and give you the focus and clarity you need.
•
Maria Brady (Director/Kinesiologist) http://www.naturaltherapypages.com. au/connect/ylia
There are 3 ways to PUBLISH A BOOK
Learn the easiest, most efficient, most economical and most effective ways of doing any of the above.
www.thepublishingqueen.com Issue#4 - MAY2013 13
Y STORY A bubbly and outgoing mother of two, you’d never know Larissa Bright was the founder and CEO of her own eponymous line of natural beauty products. It’s also hard to believe that this massively successful company had humble beginnings – in the small kitchen of her Townsville, Queensland home, seemingly a million miles from her old urban life in Sydney.
Townsville City/North QLD, AU
Larissa BRIGHT
BEAUTY INSPIRED BY NATURE AND FEMALE EMPOWERMENT: LARISSA BRIGHT AUSTRALIA Larissa Bright creates natural and affordable cosmetics for women and hopes to be an inspiration for other women to achieve their dreams
14 www.ymagazine.com.au
Larissa moved to the small town, about 30km from the Great Barrier Reef, to settle down with her husband, Paco. Though she has had little regrets, her lifestyle had changed to an almost full 180 degrees. Aside from adjusting to small-town life, she also found herself with a low-paying job and couldn’t afford the expensive brands of skincare creams she used to buy. However, that did not stop Larissa. She started making her own skin care and body products in her own kitchen, right over her stove. She made her own mixes and concoctions (natural and aroma therapeutic, of course) and started sharing them with colleagues and friends. Of course, like any new entrepreneur, she faced many challenges. Perhaps one thing any business owner has difficulty with is letting go of responsibilities once a company begins to grow. In the beginning, Larissa spent hours making her own products as well as bottling, labeling, marketing, advertising and selling her products. As her
business became more successful, she had to resign from some of her responsibilities and allow others to help her business grow. She has faced this and many other challenges, but has overcome them all. In fact, in 2006, she received her first award – the Townsville Business Woman of the Year award. She realized that she had so much more to offer than her wonderful products. Larissa is committed to helping empower other women, and to create a business opportunity for many women. She especially feels passionate about helping other mothers, like herself. “Every woman should have the opportunity to own her own successful business and have the flexibility to be at home with their children and families when it matters most.” She believes in the power of nature and the art of apothecary, which the core basis of her products. She knows that women and their daughters should have the same opportunities as her and other business owners. They should be able to have their own business and still make time to raise and care for children. Her Big Y? “I love that we can make a difference in other women’s’ lives and also as women, create our own financial independence.”
•
Y EXPERT
1259 New Emails...UGH DO NOT LET YOUR EMAILS CONTROL YOUR TIME. IF YOU DON’T ANSWER THEM DAILY, DON’T STRESS, YOUR BUSINESS WON’T EXPLODE OVERNIGHT.
O
ver the last month I’ve been travelling between Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne for my private clients. This has really drawn me away from checking my emails to spite my efforts to keep on top of them while on the road. The end result as I found out last night, was 1259 emails which I was unable to get back to! OPPS! But let’s take a look at something here... I was travelling non-stop for about 4 weeks and did not answer 1259 emails. Guess what happened..... NOTHING! That’s right, nothing! Last night I sat down, opened and even responded to the emails that needed answering. Most of my replies were over 2 weeks late but again, nothing happened! The point I’m trying to get across here is that - It is usually safe to not check your emails every hour, or even daily. If somebody has something really
urgent they will call you. If they do email you and don’t hear back, they will usually call you as well. About a year ago I made the choice to handle my emails more “boss like” - This included: 1) O nly checking emails once or twice a day This gave me more time to do real work and look after the people who needed me the most. IE the people who called me. 2) Once an email is opened I would action on it RIGHT away Delete or Reply rather than “getting back to it later”. This also took away the brain energy used by opening an email and saving it for later and thus thinking about it all day. 3) Forwarding emails to myself, 2,3 and even 4 times. If there was an email that I
wanted to give attention to but could not at the present time I would simply forward it to my self so it would be on top of my inbox the next day. This may include articles I want to read or even action items I need to do. The benefit of this is that I can clear out all of “today’s” emails and forward anything to my self that I need to action on later or even the next day. If the next day came around and I was to busy then I would just make it as read and forward it a second time. Do not let your emails control your time. If you don’t answer them daily, don’t stress, your business won’t explode overnight.
•
Jamie Stenhouse www.jcpcreations.com.au
Issue#4 - MAY2013 15
Y STORY Before she became a mother, Sue Davey was a successful financial controller working in various large international organisations. However, there was always something missing in her heart and no level of success working in high-profile corporations could fulfil her.
She decided to set up an organisation to supply in-home multi-award-winning early learning programs. She also sought to spread information to parents and caregivers about the importance of early learning and how it shapes brain development. She also approached the charity The Smith Family to Sue knew that she wanted to make lend her support by supplying a difference in this world but didn’t early learning programs to know how to go about achieving it. disadvantaged Australian children. Everything changed when Sue’s The Brainy Child Education shares daughter was born four years The Smith Family’s vision and ago. She quickly found that belief that education is the key to she was spending most of her Australia’s future – and every child spare time studying child brain deserves a chance. development. She attended early learning seminars and Sue is now in the process of setting tried all the popular available up a non-profit organisation with programs for her daughter. other like-minded professionals. Based on her research in this She is also co-authoring a book field, she realised that there is a about child brain development window of opportunity for child and how parents and caregivers brain development – and that can make a significant impact in the first six years of life are an the early years. absolutely crucial period with lifetime consequences. Sue found Every day Sue wakes up with it absolutely amazing as to how joy because she loves what she much parents and caregivers can does. Monday mornings are no make a difference in their child’s longer a challenge to her. She development – if only they knew feels so blessed to be living her the importance and how! life purpose, doing what she loves, values and teaching what Sue realised she had found she is passionate about. Life is her true passion and life’s so meaningful when you find purpose – her Y – after the twoyour passion and inner purpose day ‘intensive breakthrough – your Y. experience’ conference conducted by the famous Dr. John Demartini. The event turned out to be a life-changing experience for her.
Melbourne/VIC, AU
Sue
DAVEY FEEDING YOUNG MINDS TO HER HEART’S CONTENT Meet a woman who realised her inner purpose and passion for life after her daughter was born
•
Issue#4 - MAY2013 17
Y STORY White sand beaches, perfect weather and friendly locals are the ingredients for any dream vacation, but for Alesya Folley, she knew this dream didn’t have to end. As soon as she returned from her holiday in the Philippines, Alesya knew she wanted to move there. And she did. At 24, when most of her peers were in the early years of their careers, she packed up her life and moved to the capital city of Manila, where she has been living for 5 years. How did she manage this?
Melbourne/VIC, AU
Alesya
FOLLEY
MAKING HER OWN OPPORTUNITIES TO ACHIEVE HER DREAMS After falling in love with the Philippines during her vacation, Alesya Folley followed her heart and made her own opportunities to live out her dream
18 www.ymagazine.com.au
China, Hong Kong or Bangkok.” Still she pushed on and she went to her bosses and pitched the idea of expanding into the Philippines and professional serviced offices to those looking to set up shop in Manila. Finally, they did let her move to Manila where she has been heading their branch ever since.
The move paid off. “My first client was an Australian businessman who I met on the plane on the way over to The Philippines,” she With creative thinking, hard work says. Today they have grown and determination, she was able to by 200 percent year upon year move to paradise without having to offer three floors of serviced to quit her job. In fact, she made offices, housing 68 companies her own opportunities. She was and 300 individuals. Her services working at Corporate Executive can mean a lot to clients, and Office in Melbourne for about two her Big Y is helping new expats years before her holiday. While in adjust to life in Manila. She says the Philippines, she saw a niche that, “[a]s an expat myself, I think opportunity for the same services business owners place their (corporate serviced offices) in trust in me as a fellow Australian Manila. She knew she could target and hearing that friendly Aussie Australian expats who wanted accent on the other end of a to set up their own businesses in phone or desk allows them to Manila and wanted to break into relax and know we are providing the Asian market. a quality service that can be relied upon.” Of course, she had to convince her home office to let her expand their services into the Philippines. “I saw an opportunity to invest in The Philippines as it sits at the gateway to other more established Asian locations,” she recalls. “However, the developing nature of the country meant there hadn’t yet been a major push to create opportunities here for Australian-based businesses like there were in say
•
Creating A Life with Worth Living
D
id you know, many of us spend more time planning our shopping list than planning how we want to live! The first step to creating a life worth living is deciding how you want to live. Busy juggling business, family, cashflow, bills, being a partner, parent, entrepreneur, and leader can leave little time or energy to spend on ourselves. So grab yourself a coffee, pen and paper, and your imagination, and let’s spend a little time on you.
Here goes: if anything were possible, if there were absolutely no limits to what you could achieve, if you had complete 10. Where would you live, what certainty and absolutely knew car would you drive? you couldn’t fail ……. 11. Who would you love, and who would love you? 1. What would you do? Finally, tie it all together 2. Who would you be? by writing a short description of 3. What would you see? your perfect day – there’s magic in 4. What would you have? putting pen to paper! 5. Where would you go? Stay tuned for next month’s article 6. What would you share? 7. What would you do just for fun? on tapping into your values. 8. What would you do if you knew Karen Phillips www.australiasprofitmentor.com you could not fail? 9. What income would you enjoy?
•
If you are a business owner think of yourself as a professional speaker!
I
f you are a business owner then how you speak with your clients, customers, prospects and colleagues will directly impact your bottom-line profit. A professional speaker is someone who earns all or part of their income through speaking. Business owners often recruit business, promote sales and generate income directly as a
result of speaking with people e.g. • Making phone calls – either as cold calls or as following up leads • Doing client presentations or briefings Explaining products or services to individuals or groups • Standing up at networking functions and promoting the business • Speaking at trade shows • Running seminars or information sessions If you do any of these things then think of yourself as a professional speaker because it directly contributes to your
income! Professional speakers spend time up-skilling themselves in the following areas: • Crafting their delivery • Developing their voice • Working on their vocal expressiveness • Controlling their breathing, projection and resonance • Honing the suite of mechanical skills that contribute to clear speech and good articulation.
•
Dr. Irena Yashin-Shaw www.speakingedge.com.au
Issue#4 - MAY2013 19
LET’S GET NAKED TOGETHER AT THIS INTERACTIVE HANDS ON EVENT Friday May 17th, Brisbane Not sure what your passion or purpose is in life? Not quite sure if your on the right path in life? Don’t spring up out of bed on a Monday morning and not sure Y?
THIS EVENT COULD BE FOR YOU! It is your time to step up and take your place in the Universe! Stop hiding behind your fears and excuses! If not now, WHEN? When you live your Y, you will love your life Today is the day......
BOOK ONLINE NOW! Only $97 early bird price (including morning tea). Book before 10th May to secure this price
20
WWW.THESTYLENETWORKGROUP.COM.AU
Y STORY Many people dream of starting their own business, but at the tender age of 19, Alex Jeffrey has not only made this dream come true, but he’s done it three times. In the span of six years, he has started three social business ventures – and he doesn’t plan to stop. Even when he was only 13, he knew he was meant for something big and he already had an inkling of his Big Y. Alex knew he wanted to do something extraordinary in his life. “I wanted to be the person to make the biggest difference to our world” Alex recalls. He had two options to achieve his goal: become an influential celebrity or start up and run a business. Modest, humble and a quiet achiever, Alex knew the latter was the route he wanted to take. Why does he feel business is so influential and important in making a big change in the world? “We interact with businesses everyday. They change the way we live,” Alex answers. His vision is to start innovative, mission-driven social businesses that solve major problems and change the way people live, as well as deal with “big picture” problems. He further states: “Social enterprise is the way of the future when it comes to sustainable change and creating a generation of people that are aware, accepting, authentic and active.”
of the music and entertainment company Hoot House, and second as the Business Development Manager of GettBusy.com, a small business outsourcing services company. “I see music as a powerful too to use as a force for good,” he says. “It brings people together… almost like another language, one that everyone understands.” Through running music events and giving talented musicians and chance to showcase their talent and spread their message, music can bring people together and be a force for good. In finding his Big Y, Alex has found his focus and what is really true to him. He wakes up each morning with a clear sense of direction and is now able to say ‘no’ to more things. “I think having the ability to say ‘no, sorry that is not what I want to be doing. It won’t get me to where I want to be,’ is such a great feeling,” Alex explains. “When you have this ability and courage to say ‘no,’ because you have something more compelling you are working towards, that is when you know you have found your purpose!”
•
Melbourne/ VIC, AU
Alex
JEFFREY MAKING A DIFFERENCE THROUGH ENTREPRENEURSHIP Alex Jeffrey became an entrepreneur not just to make profits, but also to make a difference in the world
Alex still takes active roles in two of his companies, first as Director
Issue#4 - MAY2013 21
Y STORY Many thriving companies today credit their success to a number of reasons - good economic environment, cost savings principles, increase in production, etc. However, Ash Aryal, founder of QuantumLinx, ascribes his company’s triumph to a simple principle: “A business exists to first and foremost to serve your customer in exchange for a fair fee that creates a win/win situation,” Ash states. “Serve more people in better ways using this very basic principal and success is unavoidable.”
Los Angeles/California, USA
Ash
ARYAL USING CLASSIC BUSINESS PRINCIPALS TO BUILD A SOUND TECHNOLOGY COMPANY Ash Aryal’s key to success is no secret – in fact, it’s been around for decades
Indeed, this simple mindset has led QuantumLinx from a small business that began with $1000 in seed capital to a multi-million dollar organization that has been featured in the BRW and other business and tech magazines. The company has also received numerous accolades and awards, as well as being named one of Deloitte’s 500 fastest growing companies in the Asia-Pacific Region.
customers across 334 industries and seven countries. To be able to serve a range this big, a company must exude versatility. This allows them to truly understand common threads of success that apply across the board. Second, it prevents them from getting starry eyed over new technological developments. “We stick to the basics of what a business exists in the first place for, to serve your customer,” says Ash. Many customers seem to be surprised how logical, fundamental and common sense everyone in the company seem to be when consulting with clients– a definite influence of Ash’s leadership and belief. Many more people are astonished that a technology company, one that promotes advanced in search marketing and search optimization to enhance business, would use such simple and Old World principals.
What is his Big Y? Ash’s words ring out true and clear: “What I am inspired about is creating, inspiring and leading a great Ash knew early on that classical business that operates in business principals are the key to synchronisty with business and success. “The biggest difference financial principals that have I have seen between wildly stood the test of time. Although successful business owners and the form may change, it is my those that fail in business, is that firm belief that the principals and the ones that succeed never attitude of business success that forget [this] most basic principal served the likes of Henry Ford well, of business.” Having a rock solid will serve any entrepreneur today dedication to the foundations well – especially in technology.” of business principals served Ash credits the success of QuantumLinx in many ways. QuantumLinx today to exactly First, they have served over 1,032 that principal.
•
22 www.ymagazine.com.au
10 tips for successful communication
G
ood communication doesn’t have to be hard, but it should be smart. Here are some practical and effective tips to set you and your business up for success. 1. Tell the customer what you can do for them; what benefit are you providing? 2. Keep it clear and simple; get straight to the point. 3. Avoid jargon. If you need to use it, explain it. 4. Communicate actively by using active, direct and energetic words. 5. Think about what your
customer needs and wants to know, and prepare your communication to answer their questions/solve their problem. 6. R emember, the various communication tools and tactics (e.g. websites, social media and blogs) are used differently, and require different messages and content. 7. M aintenance is key. Just like your eyebrow waxing or weeding the garden, a little bit of work regularly ensures that things are on track and up to date. You need to commit to maintaining your communication.
8. Listen. Keep listening for what your customers are saying. What you hear (good or bad) may give you tips on what you need to adapt or refresh in your messaging. 9. Adapt to your audience. Know that you need to be saying different things to different people. And if something isn’t working, change it. 10. Stay positive. www.exaltpr.com.au
Virtual Administration: Keep Your Social Media Marketing Cutting-Edge social media properly, a dedicated virtual assistant does. A social media virtual assistant can not only educate you or your marketing staff about the latest trends in social hen it comes media, but also help you update to leveraging your various social media accounts the power of and social media marketing strategy social media to take advantage of these trends. For example, you might to successfully be interested to know that strengthen your brand name, expand awareness of your products LinkedIn has recently made some significant changes to and services, and ultimately drive its business pages. By hiring an more sales, keeping up with the assistant to revamp your LinkedIn latest trends is key. business account, you can gain While your own staff may not have time to manage your more exposure on this important
W
professional network. Of course, in order for your social media marketing to be successful, you need to provide your social media virtual assistant with a detailed outline of your company’s needs, goals, and overall marketing strategy. Armed with this information, your virtual assistant can do all the time-consuming legwork for you, creating a vibrant social media presence that will hopefully soon start paying dividends on your investment.
•
Laura Williams www.redapplevas.com
Issue#4 - MAY2013 23
THE ALL NEW NISSAN PULSAR HAS ARRIVED!
COME TAKE A LOOK
Wynnum Manly Nissan 266–270 Tingal Road, Wynnum • Ph (07) 3348 6999
www.wynnummanlynissan.com.au
Y STORY Helen Kerrison does it all. She is a business owner, TV-show host, presenter, author, coach and consciousness expert. “Life is a journey,” she states. “Every moment, the choices we make determine how we experience that journey. It’s not about ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, but rather self-awareness and consciously choosing to follow our purpose and passions.” And her passion (and Big Y)? It is sharing how to “Live the Life you Love” and, from personal experience, Helen knows that the secret lies on the inside, not the outside. Doing this, however, is not always easy and she knows it. “…for most of my life I didn’t even know I was on a journey, let alone that I was creating it myself!” She recalls that she felt guilt and despite everything she had, the emptiness and deep feelings of unfulfilled potential wouldn’t go away. “It was as if I wasn’t good enough to be successful and I didn’t deserve to be happy.” There was, however, no Eureka moment when it became clear. It was rather a series of life-defining choices, each one seeming like a radical change of direction. Looking back Helen realizes she was being challenged to change and the biggest challenge of all was changing the way she thought about herself. Helen worked on releasing herself from those
things that had kept her stuck in an unsatisfactory marriage. She also worked on creating a career in corporate business doing what she loved. Later on her own business sharing with others her message of how to step out of guilt, self-doubt and limiting beliefs and into conscious awareness, purpose and fulfillment. Helen is the first to admit that the journey wasn’t always a bed of roses. Her divorce was messy and starting my own business was the result of being ‘restructured’ by the company where she was employed. She states, however, that “[it] was the best thing that ever happened to me”. Today, she stays true and lives her passion every day. Helen works with businesses, organisations, as well as individuals around the world, helping them to consciously change and develop. She travels the world presenting to live audiences and on broadcast media and she shares her life with her soul mate and life partner. “It’s an amazing process,” says Helen, “The more I Live the Life I Love, the more I Live the Life I Love!”
Brussels/Belgium
Helen
KERRISON MAKING THE MOST FROM LIFE’S JOURNEY Multi-talented Helen Kerrison lives to share her passion with other people and teaching them to live life to the fullest
Helen’s philosophy is simple and clear: The Life you Love is waiting for You; your job is to step out and claim it.
•
Issue#4 - MAY2013 25
Y STORY Jamie is known as the Heavy Weight of Internet Marketing and consults multi-million dollar clients to help them generate customers online in any industry. I always refer to my “work” as my “play time”, my friends think I’m crazy and can’t understand my thought process behind that.
Adelaide/South Australia (SA)
Jamie
STENHOUSE Y DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO? WHAT IS IT THAT DRIVES YOU? Jamie is known as the Heavy Weight of Internet Marketing and consults multi-million dollar clients to help them generate customers online in any industry
I’ve always been extremely entrepreneurial ever since I can remember, even before I knew what entrepreneurship was. My high school days were spent building cash generating websites, selling products on eBay, managing high school bands, trying affiliate marketing for companies in America, creating computer games to which then I would sell to fellow class mates. Before I dropped out of high school I even helped create a 5 day class program on how to build your first computer game. The class still runs today almost 10 years later. Since dropping out of high school after year 10 I’ve had a number of business projects all of which were started because “I wanted to do it”. I saw other people doing certain projects, creating something out of nothing and I wanted to join in. I had no official experience and simply learnt on the way by being persistent. I’ve owned a clothing company which spanned 3 years and could
26 www.ymagazine.com.au
be found in retail stores. I’ve tried my hand at building numinous of internet business’ in industries across health, education and business. I launched my main web marketing business in 2009 which is very successful today handling hundreds of clients across Australia. Having this business has allowed me to work inside more industries than I ever thought possible in my lifetime, I’ve been very lucky to personally work with some of our countries top business people to help them explode their marketing online. I’ve read more business books than I can count so I decided I wanted to write my own. Since 2012 I’ve set a goal of becoming an author of a business best seller and believe I am currently on track to achieve that. So Y do I do what I do? I guess it’s a lot of things, my creativeness, my curiosity, my persistence and I love to make a difference. However if I think about it, it comes down to just doing what ever I want to do and simply having fun while doing it. I do what I do because I can. When I tell my story people are shocked as to how I am able to achieve X or Y. I simply reply with “Why not. What’s the difference between that person and me?” They have just done it, started and now I do the same. I feel Jay Z said it best, “I’m not a business man, I’m a business man”..
•
Y STORY
Sydney/NSW, AU
Joel
HAUER INSPIRING NEW IDEAS THROUGH COLLABORATION Serial entrepreneur Joel Hauer takes his years of experience and artistic and business background to create a space where new ideas thrive
Even when he was young, Bondi boy Joel Hauer had an entrepreneurial streak in him. Inspired by his artistic mother and business-minded father, Joel began his venture into business by selling TVs when he was just 13 years of age. His high school was selling TVs that the library no longer needed. “Although I didn’t need a TV at the time, I spotted an opportunity to try and apply some of the business skills I learnt from my Dad,” Joel recalls. “I gave some televisions a makeover and fixed others, took some photos, put ads on the trading post and ended up selling 8 at a profit of 500%. It was so much fun. I was hooked.”
photography. He also cofounded UnOffice, which set up co-working events on iconic green Sydney rooftops like Darling Towers. Of course, Joel didn’t stop there. He went on to help other businesses grow while working as an advertising executive for two years. There he learnt to simplify ideas and execute them, and decided to apply this to a new venture of his own, WeCo, a purpose built coworking space where people can network, learn and collaborate in an inspiring environment. His Big Y may seem quite humongous: Joel seeks to use his entrepreneurial talent to steer Australia away from the “fear of failure” culture and push the number of successful start ups in Australia higher.
Even after the TVs ran out, Joel kept going with his business ventures. He spotted his next opportunity, and at 16, he founded e-commerce site My Memorabilia. His company sold Joel says he knows how autographed memorabilia ranging important it is for entrepreneurs from sport stars to Bill Clinton. to grow together with new knowledge, new connections, He states: “Watching my father and new experiences. “I love grow his business, I realised the watching ideas bounce opportunity that lay in building around the room between a successful business so this time entrepreneurs, freelancers and I focused really hard.” For two consultants then seeing that years, Joel did all he could to idea grow into something new. hunt down superstars who were I am constantly inspired by the arriving to get their autographs creativity which breeds in a coand make a profit. Soon, he then working space – it is so great to turned from getting photos be able to immediately see how signed to actually printing a collaborative environment them. He was only 23 years old directly improves a business.” when he started Guy in Bondi, which specialized in wedding
•
28 www.ymagazine.com.au
With years of experience in off-shore sourcing and manufacture, our staff will happily arrange every detail including customs, shipping and delivery, which makes Garment & Product Solutions your one-stop shop in China.
Call us for a free no obligation quotation!
Y STORY At the relatively young age of 27, Sharon Gales was living the dream of any modern career woman. She was independent, successful in her chosen industry, owned her own property, and had a wonderful partner and two adorable cats. “I began my career in the travel industry and absolutely loved it!” she recalls. She worked for airlines here and abroad, tour operators, as well as corporate and business travel companies. It seemed she had it all.
Melbourne/VIC, AU
Sharon
GALES
A PASSION FOR WELLNESS Sharon Gales knows health is truly wealth, and shares her passion and knowledge with others through her company, DARE2BFIT
She finally landed a challenging career in sales and publicity, traveled frequently and worked hard to exceed her sales targets. After half a year, she was soon working with five-star hotel chains all over Australia, New Zealand, and South Pacific Islands. Although her long-term relationship broke down, she was experiencing success in her career she had never known before. After 15 years of this exhaustive, but successful lifestyle, Sharon started working in highprofile media as a BDM. “I was overworked and miserable,” she says, despite the success and high salary. She always came out in the Top 3% of high achievers in her company, yet something was amiss. She felt very close to having a mental breakdown, and was struggling with her own value systems and morals. Finally, it all caught up with her and stress-related illnesses started to wear her down. “I sought a
30 www.ymagazine.com.au
variety of medical solutions, [but] none addressed the core problem,” says Sharon. Ever since she was young, Sharon always had a passion for wellness and her parents supported her active lifestyle. She recalls her teenage years were full of sporting activities, health clubs, competition swimming and athletics. So, she sought holistic health solutions, and she discovered a holistic wellness retreat in Thailand. She immersed herself in yoga, meditation, colonics, massage therapy, juice fasts, as well as raw and organic foods. The results were inspiring. She felt cured and transformed upon her return to Australia she quite her corporate role. In the following years, Sharon jumped into the wellness industry, studying all she can and teaching herself. She gained the necessary qualifications and started her own company, DARE2BFIT. Her company’s mission is to deliver health and wellness services to help more Australians achieve a healthy lifestyle balance. They provide holistic end-to-end wellness at work programs, which emphasizes education and behavioural changes to achieve goals. In taking the plunge and leaving behind her successful job, Sharon rediscovered her passion for wellness and fitness and she had a new purpose, her Big Y: to share her knowledge, passion, and purpose with others.
•
Important Stuff you
need to know…payslips
E
mployers have to give all employees a pay slip within one working day of their pay day, even when they’re on leave. Pay slips need to have certain information on them to ensure they are meeting their obligations. Pay slips should be issued electronically or on paper. It’s best practice for them to be written in plain and simple English. What information must be on the pay slip? Pay slips have to include: • the employer’s name • the employer’s Australian
Business Number (if applicable) • the employee’s name • the date of payment • the pay period • the gross pay and net pay • ALL paid entitlements that can be singled out • if the employee is paid an hourly rate: • the ordinary hourly rate • the number of hours worked at that rate • the amount of pay at that rate • if the employee is paid an annual rate (salary), the rate as at the last day in the pay period
• any deductions from the employee’s pay • any superannuation contributions paid for the employee’s benefit, including: • the amount of contributions made during the pay period (or the amount of contributions that need to be made) • the name and number of the superannuation fund contributing to.
•
Karen Howe www.fixmypay.com
Tapping Into Amazon: A Powerful Lead Generator for Your Business to their problems, making them potential ‘warm’ leads. To capitalise on this vast resource you need to position yourself on Amazon, as the authority on your topic with the ooking for a new source information they are looking for. of generating leads and If you don’t have a print potential clients? How or e-book on Amazon, you’re about if it was on autopilot? missing out on generating leads Amazon is the largest on autopilot for your business. customer driven search engine in Professionally formatted e-books the world, making it a powerful can include live links to specific way to generate new leads and landing pages on your website, potential clients. creating a new funnel for Millions of people are generating and capturing leads for searching Amazon 24/7, looking for your business. information and specific solutions Have more than one book?
L
Chaining your books together to capitalise on Amazon’s internal marketing algorithms allows you to scale up the amount of leads you can attract. A quality book product engineered to be a lead generator, while keeping your book production costs low, makes your book a powerful weapon in your business marketing arsenal. This is precisely how we help business owners and speakers at Book Cover Cafe.
•
Anthony Puttee www.BookCoverCafe.com
Issue#4 - MAY2013 31
Y STORY Losing a child is every parent’s worst nightmare, especially when it’s to something preventable like drowning. Yet, each year, 35 children in Australia lose their lives due to accidental drowning. Tammy Richie’s son almost became part of this statistic. He was just 16 months old when he fell into their backyard pool and drowned. However, Tammy was able to save her son’s life because she actually had First Aid training.
Gold Coast/QLD, AU
Tammy
RICHIE
MY BIG Y: SAVING LIVES AND PREVENTING ACCIDENTAL DROWNING Fate could have taken a different turn if Tammy Richie did not have First Aid training. Today, she empowers people by giving them the confidence and know-how they need to save lives
“When my child almost lost his life through drowning, I did not ever imagine this would happen to me,” she says. “It was a huge wake up call! It scared the life out of me!” This event and the tragic turn it could have taken inspired her to start First Aid YUCAN2, which provides clients with quality First Aid training, as well as safety products. She empowers her clients by giving them the knowledge and confidence needed to save any life. “How would you feel if you lost a loved one or outlived your child from an incident that could have easily been prevented?” she thought. She realized that it only takes about 20 seconds for a person to lose their life from drowning. Having proper First Aid training could make a big difference in someone’s life, whether it is his or her own child or someone else’s. Of course, preventing accidental drowning was another thing
32 www.ymagazine.com.au
Tammy wanted to tackle. Despite all the safety products on the market, swimmers were still in danger of losing their lives. People didn’t want to wear their life vests or floatation devices because they weren’t cool or uncomfortable. That’s why she introduced a new product in the market, the “evie” Inflatable Rashie. This rashie features a built-in floatation device that’s designed to keep head above water, and prevents accidents. Aside from that, the “evie” meets Aus/NZ Standards and PFD1 product, which offer UV 50 protection. Of course, one reason swimmers everywhere will want to wear the “evie” Inflatable Rashie is because it is comfortable to wear. Various athletes, like Olympians, Surf Life Savers, Iron Men, as well as professionals like Aqua Therapists and Water Rehabilitators, have also tested the ‘evie’ rashie. Every time she hears of an accidental drowning, Tammy feels terrible, since she knows it is preventable, especially with the right safety tools. Tammy’s Big Y is simple: to eventually lower that drowning rate until no more children die from accidental drowning. While seemingly difficult, with better training and products, this goal may not seem so impossible, especially with people like Tammy Richie.
•
What if...You had to go there to get here!
I
magine that you had been going through some tough times and you woke up one day and realised it was all worth it. Just think that something really amazing happened and suddenly you knew it was all going to be ok, and then you had a flash of clarity that suggested to you that without you going through all that you went through, the pain, the grief, the happy times, without
the mistakes, the successes, the failures and the breakthroughs. Without the amazing people and the losers that passed through, without the broken dreams, the financial challenges, without GFC’s and up turns, without love and loss, resistance and growth. What if you knew that without going through all of that you would never have arrived to here? And what if here is such a beautiful place to be and you suddenly are OK with where you have been because you are so delighted with where you have arrived too! Imagine that? And
when life asked would you have gone through all of that to get to this beautiful place? And you realised the answer was YES! Maybe it is with that attitude that we should approach our daily life and maybe we will always struggle to do that. If only we trusted that when you keep moving, keep getting up that the Universe is in the background, gently directing you to that beautiful place here that you could not have arrived at had you not been there!
•
Julie Cross www.juliecross.com.au
What is ‘Cashflow Positive Book Publishing’?
I
t works best if you are a business owner publishing a book as a lead generation tool to turn marketing from a traditional business expense to a profit generating exercise. This makes your book a tax deduction (which means all sales become a profit) but depending on the costs of your publishing project and your current available capital there may be a shortfall between the two. This is where Cashflow Positive Book Publishing comes into play as it shows you how to bridge the gap between the
two by financing the costs out of someone else’s pocket! The secret is pre-selling your book and to do this you must start with the end in mind and market before you start. How can you ensure the success of your book before you put pen to paper? Simple market first! If there is not a demand for your book don’t release it as otherwise you will have wasted your time and money only to be left with a garage full of boxes upon boxes of unopened books and wondering what you did wrong. Pre-sale strategies will work for any book but at the end of the
day a cashflow positive publishing, distribution and marketing process based solely on the sales of a $20 book is never going to be as valuable to you as the ideal $20,000 client it can regularly send your way.
•
Kylee Legge www.thepublishingqueen.com
Issue#4 - MAY2013 33
Y STORY
Melbourne/VIC, AU
Dr. Linda WILSON TAPPING INTO THE ‘Y’ IN LIFE Overcoming personal issues can be a key breakthrough in life. For stress specialist Dr. Linda Wilson, it’s a simple matter of Tapping their way to inner healing
Stress is no stranger to most of us, and for millions of people it is a destructive influence on many aspects of their lives. Dr. Linda Wilson (TCM) is a Stress Specialist teaching others to live happier and healthier lives by identifying and understanding what drives them – ‘how’ they are ‘who’ they are, and what their specific ‘Y’ is.
physical sustainability after taking maternity leave. Determined to find ways to ‘up skill’ her clients to discourage dependence, Linda began a search for other tools. She discovered Tapping through what she describes as one of those “beautiful syncronistic experiences that let you know you are on track”.
Linda helps others to achieve better health, realise their true selves and overcome personal phobias through the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which is more commonly known as ‘Tapping’. It is a simple technique that was first popularized in the late 1990s, that requires only fingertips and knowledge of the body’s meridian points.
The formation of the EFTAP, an association of Australia practitioners, has helped increase awareness of Tapping across the country. And the corporate world, where work-related stress costs an estimated $14 billion per year, has begun to take notice.
Linda believes herself truly lucky to have found her own ‘Y’, but it is in mentoring people she considers According to Linda, who has to be heroes that she derives most been advocating the technique joy. She has seen Tapping make for over a decade, unwanted a real difference to her clients, behaviors are outdated strategies, helping them rebuild emotional and tapping these points helps stability. It continues to inspire bring the mind, body and Linda in her work every day. emotions ‘up to date’, allowing individuals to move forward with “I have personally tested these clarity, focus and peace. “We’re not techniques, from a business separate body bits and emotions, divorce to the death of my father rather in a relationship with the and aunt, and Tapping works,” she ‘whole’,” she says, explaining how explains. “I see awakenings on the tapping on body points can be faces of my clients around pain, so beneficial. “Health is attained illness, habits, grief, and phobias when we find and utilize the links that are truly awe inspiring. To to each part of ourselves - the watch a child’s stutter disappear, mind-body connection is the way to conquer a food addiction or to to achieve this.” teach a whole school of children to emotionally self-manage is Linda pursued her passion beyond fulfilling.” for teaching emotional and
•
34 www.ymagazine.com.au
Y STORY Changing the script is something we’d all like to do when things are not going quite the way we’d like them to. But for Stacey Currie, her decision to radically change her life was made for graver reasons. Today, Stacey is a well-known media figure, motivational speaker, author and successful business woman, but if she had stuck to the script she had been following a decade ago, she should be living on the streets, in jail, on drugs or even dead. The reality of her life reads like an urban tragedy: motherless for life; bought up in a housing commission; sexually abused at 9; living in a shed at 13; pregnant at 15; mother of 2 at 19 and homeless; mother of 3 and in a violent relationship at 21. But remarkably Stacey has managed to defy the odds and become living proof that you can overcome the hardest hardships. “I had no self esteem and had really hit rock bottom,” she recalls of those days, before revealing the critical moment – taking her baby to the Royal Children’s Hospital after another violent argument with her then partner. “I was crammed into a little room with my 3 children, officers from the Department of Human Services, and the Federal Police, and they questioned me about the relationship I was in, and how
my baby was hurt. “They gave me two choices. The first was that I could stay in the relationship and have my children placed into foster care. I remember dropping to my knees and begging them not to take my children. “Then they offered me the second choice. I could keep my children but on the condition I changed my life.” Changing her life was not simple. Stacey had had no plan so was forced to think for the first time – and it was then she discovered her ‘Y’. Now, 10 years later, her life couldn’t be more different. Often referred to as the “rough diamond”, Stacey recently featured as a guest reporter on a major Australian TV network and has featured on numerous media outlets such as TV, radio, magazines, and newspapers. She has built a million dollar printing company, is 34 with 5 children and a supportive partner. She is the author of the highly-successful The Rich Get Richer, The Poor Can Too, is an international speaker, and the official Ambassador for both The Lighthouse Foundation and Brave Hearts Foundation.
Melbourne/VIC, AU
Stacey CURRIE TURNING THE END INTO A BEGINNING Turning your life around is never easy. But Australian businesswoman and author, Stacey Currie, did it against all the odds, swapping destitution for success
And her ‘Y’? Well, it matches her own motto: “If you are powered by passion, all things are possible”.
•
Issue#4 - MAY2013 35
Practical marketing solutions for small business
+DSŗR S@KJ @ANTS OQ@BSHB@K @MC BNRS DƤDBSHUD PR solutions tailored to your business.
Is your marketing working as hard as you do? • • • • •
Marketing Strategy Websites Copywriting Social Media SEO Solutions
Grow your business with the right knowledge, focus and support to get the results you deserve. Call Julie on 0422 070 815 or email julie@360results.com.au www.360results.com.au
Y STORY The old adage claims that a woman’s work is never done. But when motherhood and entrepreneurship are added to the mixture too, it would seem that woman stands no chance of getting anything done. Not so!
my mom was doing – what she needed to to make a good life for me and my siblings. It’s a life that has shaped me, making me the mom, woman, and business owner I am today.”
Despite being naturally peopleAlma Moussa, a mother of two, orientated, Alma never dreamed wife of one, inventor of the of having her own business. A Babee Covee and co-founder Biology and Health Education of Babee Designs LLC, is proof graduate, she received a Masters that with the right mix of degree in Higher Education energy, support and inspiration Administration before working everything can be done. And in the management consulting when the core of such industry is software business for 10 years. your ‘Y’, then anything is possible. But motherhood, a job layoff And the core of Alma’s ‘Y’? She and a miserable rainy day doesn’t hesitate when pointing combined to provide Alma with to her own mother, who the inspiration to come up with passed her own hard-working the multi-award-winning Babee values onto her daughter: Covee 6-in-1 baby blanket and independence, an indefatigable cover. Caught in the rain on work ethic, and selfless sacrifices. her way to a playdate, the wind whipped a blanket off the car At the age of 10, Alma’s father seat carrier her baby Joey was passed away forcing her mother in. With her friend, Romeda to work three jobs just to make Arsanjani, she came up with ends meet, but she remained a a solution, and together they committed mother, waking up established Babee Designs. extra early to prepare meals for Alma and her two older brothers Now a successful ‘mom-preneur’, to heat up later. Alma wouldn’t change a thing. “I’ve got the best of both worlds “I didn’t fully understand why – being a full time stay-at-home she was absent so much,” she mom and being a business admits. “But as a mom of two owner. But I still try to instill the children (Gemma, 5 and Joey, 3), values I learned from my mom I have a new perspective on the into my own kids. My passion choices that she had to make. (‘Y’) is what drives me to be the mom, wife and businesswoman I “A mom will do anything for her am today.” children and this is exactly what
California/USA
Alma
MOUSSA LATCH KEY KID TURNED MOM ENTREPRENEUR Alma Moussa watched her mother work 3 jobs following her father’s death. Today, that extraordinary work ethic is her inspiration, fuelling the mother of 2’s new role as a ‘mom-preneur’
•
Issue#4 - MAY2013 37
Y STORY Recent graduates tend to leave university ready to conquer the world, but those early plans do not always come to be. But Ellen Ercolini successfully turned her disappointment in realizing her dream career – her ‘Y’ - was not actually her dream career, was quickly turned into opportunity.
Oakland/California, USA
Ellen
ERCOLINI TURNING DISAPPOINTMENT INTO OPPORTUNITY Turning disappointment into a positive force is not easy, but Ellen Ercolini, lifecoach and founder of The Creative Girraffe, is helping individuals to do just that
38 www.ymagazine.com.au
After graduating from college and traveling around South America, Ellen got a job running an environmental non-profit that did social advocacy work in Central America. It was just the kind of job that could make a real difference to the world. But, the reality differed from her expectations. “I thought I had it all,” she says, admitting the same excited enthusiasm that comes with landing on the first step of their dream career. “After a year at that job, it was clear it wasn’t a dream. I was heartbroken and disappointed. I had planned out my whole career! I was shocked when I didn’t have the depth of connection to it that I’d anticipated.” There is an old adage that with every door that closes, another opens. And when Ellen was forced to rethink her future, she realized what her ‘Y’ actually is. Helping people directly, advising them how best to navigate through their life issues, and get onto the right road to their own ‘Y’. She founded her own company, The Creative Giraffe,
an action-oriented coaching company with the intention of revolutionizing how the next generation can realise its ability to change and have the life they’ve always wanted. “It is my life purpose to be a beacon of change and possibility for my generation. It’s my responsibility to be the brightest beacon possible – which includes running a prominent online business,” Ellen says. “I have an active voice in my generation about shifting our awareness and ideas of what’s possible. I love helping people see the possibility in their own lives, and re-framing how they think about decision making.” Ellen operates in a field dominated by experts who are mostly over the age of 50. But she knows that life coaching needs to be accessible if the younger generation is to be helped. “As a 29-year-old, I want people of my generation to see coaching as a fun, accessible option to quickly improve their quality of life. So many people are stuck, feeling limited by their options and unable to create a truly happy life. “I work every day to show people what it takes to really shift decision making and to take control of and positively impact on their own lives.”
•
Y STORY There’s no doubt that fashion has a dark side. lurking behind the glitz and glamour, there are too many examples of worker exploitation and child exploitation that, sadly, continue to be at the core of the industry. Australian fashion designer frances carrington knew that she couldn’t be part of that abusive cycle. she knew there was an alternative way to be successful and that there was a genuine opportunity for fashion to embrace humanity instead of exploiting it. it was this stern belief that prompted the birth of frances’‘y’, as well as her company eternal creation.
explains, adding that the company has evolved around the people who are vital to it – creating a completely staff-centric business model. and although there’s no doubt that financial security was critical, she identified success in very different terms.
“In my view, offering a positive working environment, watching her staff flourish, seeing self-esteem grow, and creating an opportunity to give people a better life were the keys to success.” Now a flourishing and expanding fashion house, her business philosophy is paying dividends. with an incredibly low In 1999, as an intrepid traveller and staff turnover, a fast-growing worldnewly-qualified fashion designer, wide customer base and retail frances visited the himalayan outlets in australia, us, asia and the foothills, and immediately fell uk, business is clearly booming. in love with their awe-inspiring beauty. She knew she wanted to But despite this success, frances’ stay, but also knew she couldn’t work is not yet finished. she is follow her dream of designing and currently planning to expand the become part of the sweatshop women’s wear collection and is culture that was rife at the time. so designing a collection for larger, instead, she decided to do things curvier ladies. she also plans to her own way – the right, fair and increase the business focus on respectful way. online sales, having launched a revamped website to showcase all With a $5,000 loan from her father the latest ranges. (and a lot of hard work), frances laid the foundations for what So, despite a conscious decision would become eternal creation, a to focus on people rather than fair trade-certified fashion house, profits, this is one company that’s driven by a unique set of peopledestined to succeed. could this be orientated ethics. a new business philosophy that will revolutionise the way people “The purpose of eternal creation approach success? well, we can has always been to improve only hope so. people’s lives, not find a quick way to make money,” frances
Gladesville/NSW, AU
Frances
CARRINGTON THE HUMAN SIDE OF FASHION SUCCESS Success can be fraught with conflict. For fashion designer and eternal creation founder frances carrington, fashion and people-orientated business ethics did not need to be mutually exclusive
•
Issue#4 - MAY2013 39
Y STORY Keeping busy is a healthy pursuit, but for some the idea of having a career (or even two) doesn’t quite cut it. For years, Hally RhiannonNammu worked in the corporate sector, seeking promotion and success, but despite achieving so much she still felt empty.
Elwood/VIC, AU
Hally Rhiannon-Nammu HELPING OTHERS HELP THEMSELVES Multi-tasking is one thing, but for Hally RhiannonNammu, her roles as holistic therapist, life coach and spiritual guru provides just some of the opportunities she has to help others
Today, Hally is leading a therapist, spiritual guru and expert in all things metaphysical and energetic. Her therapy is multilayered, incorporating everything from counseling and coaching to past life healing and vibrational medicine. She even has time to work with the paranormal. Working in all of these areas, she now helps people with everyday issues, from stress and relationship challenges, to abuse, anxiety and depression. It is fulfilling, but it was the discovery of her ‘Y’ after years climbing the corporate ladder that started her on her journey. “I was always looking for ways to create better systems, better efficiency and found people were the answer, but I never had the liberty to fulfill this in the corporate world,” she explains.
years earlier, and learned how to run a successful business. In a nutshell, she sees her ‘Y’ as help others help themselves. “There is a bigger picture to this, which includes healing, educating, teaching, enabling and creating change for each person that I engage with. But my passions are creativity, change and energy. They all stem from challenge, from creating opportunities and seeing this come to fruition.” In truth, Hally was never lethargic anyway. As a teenager, she was a budding writer, musician, classical singer, actress and dancer, but since discovering her ‘Y’, she has experienced a new vitality. Today, she has three thriving businesses, has completed a Masters, has written seven books, writes for a number of publications as a leading expert, and has even given a live psychic reading on Paranormal Radio UK. She is also looking to undertake a PhD in spiritual energetics in behavioural change.
“Nine years ago I was suicidal and depressed working as a Financial Controller, six and half years ago I was a wall flower in a bad “It was then that life coaching was relationship and today I am me suggested to me. I didn’t think – doing what I love and happy. much of it at first, but it changed I love being able to breathe my my life – entirely. I confronted way – in work, life and as one who I was and wasn’t, overcome complete person with as many some significant challenges, options as I choose.” including a nervous breakdown and depression only a couple of
•
40 www.ymagazine.com.au
OUR Y
H
ave you always wanted to make a difference - but didn’t know how? Well now you can. $83 from each annual TSNG membership, will be donated by the company to the Sharanis Orphanage Project, opening on 7th May, 2016 in Thailand. This project is very close
to Shar’s heart and it will house 20 Thai girls under the age of 5. Your contribution will ensure that these girls do not end up on the streets and in professions they do not choose. Instead, they will live in beautiful surroundings with caring people looking after them. Have clean clothes and fresh food to eat daily and have
the best education available to them. They will smile every morning and every night and have a chance at a great life that we believe every human being deserves. Your contribution counts and this project would not be possible without your support.
•
Sharanis Orphanage Project TSNG is a new Style of business networking to hit Queensland. With monthly events currently in 3 locations, we are leading the way as the preferred Business networking group in Australia. Click here today to find an event near you, or enquire about becoming a TSNG Area Manager. www.thestylenetworkgroup.com.au TSNG is now in Sydney! We now offer monthly Membership options!
Issue#4 - MAY2013 41
Y STORY Many of us have a creative voice deep within us, but very few will ever create. It’s estimated that over 80% of people believe they have a book in them but less than 5% ever write one. It’s a fact that played a key part in Karen Robertson discovering her “Y” and starting her on a journey that has inspired many to finally tap into their creativity.
Austin/TX, USA
Karen
ROBERTSON HELPING OTHERS AWAKEN THEIR CREATIVITY Karen Robertson developed a new book format to mix adventure and words and get kids reading. She didn’t expect her book app would inspire people to get writing too
In truth, Karen’s ‘Y’ was learned through what she herself describes as an “inspired accident”. In 2007, she was struggling to get her kids to read for fun. One night, she had a dream that inspired her to invent a new book format, and then write and publish a treasure hunt adventure book called Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island. The book used toys as clues to finding a treasure with thousands of paths to gold. Three years later, her dyslexic son picked up an iPad for the first time and chose storybook apps over game apps. It was the moment that prompted Karen to transform Treasure Kai into an award-winning storybook app. She has now published two book apps in the series.
to publish their work and share it with an audience.” As one of the first authors in Australia to create a book app, she found herself being asked how she did it. So she wrote an eBook called “Author’s Guide to Book Apps” to share her experiences and her mistakes. Six months later, she began receiving emails from those who had used her eBook to publish their own stories as book apps! In the past 18 months, Karen has helped over two dozen people – from professionals to stay-athome moms to retirees - publish their children’s books as interactive books for the iPad. Now an international author, speaker and lecturer on the subject of creating book apps, Karen continues to help closet authors everywhere to find their creative voices and to finally create. “It’s so rewarding to know I’m helping others make their dreams come true by showing them how to ensure their story is the best it can be, how to get it illustrated, and how to publish it as an app,‘ she says.
“There’s nothing like sharing the “Many people have a creative joy when someone sees their voice that’s been silenced over story published, and purchased, the years as they’ve prioritised for the first time!” school, work and family,’ she points out. “But with the changes in the publishing industry today, it’s never been easier for writers
•
42 www.ymagazine.com.au
Y EXPERT The Financial Year - Are You Ready?
THE KNOWLEDGE TO ANTICIPATE A PURCHASING TREND IS GOLD AND WE CAN ALL DO THIS IF WE TEST AND MEASURE ALL ASPECTS OF OUR ACTIVITIES.
A
s we enter May, many of us will find ourselves knee deep in quarter four of the financial year. This critical time will often produce seemingly super human efforts to achieve our agreed budgets. All of a sudden new ideas and energies appear, particularly if sales bonuses are on the line. More face to face sales calls, webs postings, mail out campaigns, invited regional presentations, more focus of problem solving and, tapping into unspent budget monies our customers have, are all old tricks to generate that last stream of sales income to get us across the line. But isn’t this what we are supposed to be doing all year
round? I know what you are all thinking, I would hate to work for this guy and many of you would so, let’s look at the reasoning behind the thinking and what it can do for us now and, well into next financial year. Let’s assume we have all signed off on next year’s sales budgets. I have long had the opinion that any sales person should know where minimum 70% of a stretching sales budget will come from, before the period starts. The remaining 30% should be generated from new business or, organic growth within our existing customer base. Some will argue strongly an 80/20 or even 90/10 ratio should be in place however, I believe and have proven, higher known sales values take the focus on driving new business. It is this prime sector that ensures we will all be around the year after. Another strategy is to have sales people to take orders and maintain business and others to generate new business. All sales people need to develop a new business strategy, period! If this is what you do at FY end and want to test the result, simply look at your Super 7(refer YMag issue 2), the stats don’t lie. Now what if we maintained this high energy and hi yielding period beyond the end of year blast and well into the next FY? The truth is we cannot run
at full pace all year round, so we need to evaluate and anticipate the highs and lows of our markets to smooth out the sales income into a more predictable stream for the companies we work for and, ultimately ourselves. The knowledge to anticipate a purchasing trend is gold and we can all do this if we test and measure all aspects of our activities. Now is the time to put this to the test.
•
Russ’s Tip - Look at the results of each month and drill down to reveal the statistics. Sales Orders will feed us now. Quotation Banks will feed us later. Stay safe out there.
Issue#4 - MAY2013 43
Y STORY Hard work is a central factor in becoming successful business, but it makes such a huge difference that the ‘business’ is a passion as well. For Sarah Allen, an English major at university, the chance to enter the literary world by marketing and promoting her author husband, Chris Allen, was a dream come true.
Sydney/NSW, AU
Sarah ALLEN TURNING DREAMS INTO A REALITY Marketing a budding international best-selling author is no mean feat, but for Sarah Allen seeing her husband’s career flourish has made it all worthwhile
For the last three years, Sarah has been living her ‘Y’, bringing Chris – a former paratrooper, humanitarian aid worker and counter-terrorism specialist and his novels to the world’s attention as an international bestselling author. In fact, they’re both living their ‘Ys’. “My parents were successful in business and told me that I could do whatever I wanted,” Sarah reveals. “They never mentioned the amount of work it would take, but when you find your Y it doesn’t seem like toil. “It was shortly before Chris and I got married in 2008 that he spoke about becoming a thriller writer. It piqued my curiosity because I had grown up playing with words, reading stories as literary comfort or adventure, and (its now) my professional bread and butter.” Sarah admits it’s been a learning experience, clinging to the coattails of the digital publishing revolution to learn about selfpublishing, creating eBooks,
44 www.ymagazine.com.au
building an author platform and using social media and marketing to get noticed. And after a rollercoaster 3 years, he is. Chris’ first books in the Intrepid series of spy thrillers, Defender and Hunter, have been published by Pan Macmillan, and his work has been on the bestseller lists on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play and Kobo. His work is being talked about, with profiles appearing in blogs and media sources across the world, taking Sarah and Chris to literary events everywhere. . A third book in the series featuring Alex Morgan is on its way, while agreements on multiple new publishing deals and a film franchise loom on the horizon. So, these are exciting times. “We have found the experience exhilarating, daunting, draining, but ultimately the most satisfying thing we’ve done,” Sarah says. “We’ve been able to work the way we want to, create the culture we envisaged, build relationships with amazing people across the world, and make a future for our own kids to enjoy. “Every day, we are grateful for each other and our two small boys. We appreciate how crazy but how good this journey is. And I know when my exhausted head hits the pillow each night, that if something were to happen, I wouldn’t be wondering ‘what if’ – because I’m doing it.”
•
Y COMMUNITY The Vision Crusaders Grand Slam team are an ordinary group of cyclists with an extraordinary goal – to end cancer
impact that these rides have on saving lives is immense. One in three Australians, and indeed one in every two Queenslanders, will be diagnosed with cancer before they die. Those are terrible figures. Cancer research is the answer and these rides will help find the cure.” So why the “Grand Slam?” Klaus says, “I was originally daunted at the idea of riding over 200km and raising $2,500 to be eligible to ride but found it surprisingly easier than anticipated, I then figured if I could complete all 6 rides in Australia and New Zealand to raise over $15k, this could inspire many more to do at least one ride”.
Klaus Bartosch, the Vision Crusaders Grand Slam Team Captain, is also Executive Chairman of 1stAvailable.com.au – a groundbreaking initiative set to change the national healthcare industry forever. More importantly, he has become a keen cyclist, and he is a man on a mission. Personally driven as a Melanoma survivor, in March 2013 Klaus decided to devote his energy to massively raising the profile and fundraising capacity of the Ride to Conquer Cancer events held around the nation and in New Zealand. These rides raise valuable funds to aid cancer research and bring benefits to not only all Australians, but in fact to people worldwide.
In 2011, Klaus participated in Australia’s first Ride to Conquer Cancer (RTCC) event and pedaled more than 200km over 2 days. Previously, he had never ridden more than 5km and he’d never raised money for charity. He certainly surprised himself and exceeded his own expectations by raising not only the initial $2.5k eligibility fee, but also $10k personally. To date his team has raised over $80,000 for cancer research. During 2013, over $30 will be raised through these rides. As Klaus says, “These rides have changed my life. Not only because I am able to publicly admit I am a cancer survivor, or because I am fitter and healthier than ever before, but because the
Beyond expectation, Klaus has been joined, to date, by 26 inspiring riders, some like Klaus, Cancer survivors, sharing the cancer-free dream and wanting to cycle to make a difference. Now though, Klaus and his team need help from us all. In order to complete the RTCC Grand Slam – comprised of rides in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Auckland and Adelaide – his team of 27 riders must raise at least $405k plus travel costs. To learn more and find out how to donate or help, please visit www.visioncrusaders.com or as a minimum “like” their Facebook page www.facebook.com/ visioncrusaders which will help them attract sponsorship.
•
Issue#4 - MAY2013 45
VISIT OUR WEBSITE AND TELL US YOUR Y YOU COULD BE FEATURED IN OUR MAGAZINE!
IT’S THAT SIMPLE!
CLICK NOW!
▶ WWW.YMAGAZINE.COM.AU
46 www.ymagazine.com.au