YMag June Issue 5

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

JUNE2013/ISSUE#5

TWIN BROTHERS ON

A MISSION TO HELP HSC STUDENTS SPREADING VITAL

INFORMATION AND REDUCING THE STIGMA OF PLASTIC SURGERY SIMPLIFYING

SHOPPING FOR ALL MAMAS

BUILDING SUSTAINABILITY

WHILE CONSERVING

INDIGENOUS HERITAGE

Setting Grand Goals

Mike O’Hagan Issue#5 - JUNE2013

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Table of Contents

18 Personal development coach, author

and speaker Kat Loterzo strives to make a difference in the world by helping women live their best lives

25 Naomi Simson’s spreads joy and fun

through her business, and finds true happiness

Y STORIES

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12 Bankruptcy, Depression,

Surgery and Beauty Magazine, discusses patient education and acceptance of plastic surgery into society.

14 David Agius, founder

26 Frustrated with shopping

Betrayal, Centrelink, Death, she fought the battles, lost a few... but she won the war! of Elevate Natural Pet Care & Nutrition, provides natural food products for pets everywhere.

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17 Ian and Julian Fagan

founded HSC Study Buddy to help students achieve their goals and get into the university of their dreams.

Mother, Pam Brossman chose to succeed, be happy and now lives the dream!

30 Rasheda Kamaria Fights

22 Michelle Kearney,

32 After a life-changing experience, Anfernee Chansamooth felt compelled

editor-in-chief of Cosmetic

www.ymagazine.com.au

28 Inspired by her own

21 A trip to Cambodia

changed Kerrie Meehan’s life forever, as well as the lives of the Cambodian people she met.

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at the mall, Natalie Dinsdale created the perfect online shopping experience for mothers.

Bullying in Schools and Makes Her Mark on the World.

34 Human Resources is supposed to

inspire effective interaction at work. But after discovering the reality, Coaching Ink founder Kelly Fischl knew there was a better way to improve the corporate world

40 Entrepreneurs can spot a gap in the market in a

heartbeat. Sean Brandtman, inventor of the Discgo Charger, turned a common inconvenience into a charging solution for Smartphone users everywhere

Y EXPERT to go out to change the world.

But the co-founder of Kaboom Hub, now believes even small businesses can make a major difference while staying local.

33 Clearing debts, saving

to bring innovative Chinese designers to the world’s attention is how Stephany Zoo, CMO with BUNDSHOP, likes to do it.

38 Super-successful at what

dollars – it’s all a financial headache.

But Kris Bondin, founder of personal budgeting business Bills To Pay, happily shares the secret to lifting the financial burden.

you do? But, at what cost?

Naomi Smith, founder of Shine Executive Success Coaching, knows Superwomen are not as invincible as they seem – but also how to rescue them.

35 Aus Identities founder

39 A spontaneous decision to

Michael White learned the hard way that the traditional school structure doesn’t benefit everyone. Now, he’s showing the educators a better way to realise their students’ potential.

37 There is more than one way

to make a difference. Helping

13 Did You Have Any Particular Style Of Chatting To People?

15 “7 Email Tips For All Business To

Get Their Marketing Emails Opened, Read and Acted Upon.”

43 The “Close” is All in The Preparation

buy a caravan park gave Rikki McDonald Grinberg and her husband, founders of Ballina Beach Village, the chance to offer a different holiday experience.

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EDITOR’S LETTER Editor-in-Chief: Shar Moore editor@ymagazine.com.au Executive Assistant Christine Rianne

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Information about YMag YMag is published online monthly by Shar Moore.

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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

SHAR MOORE Editor-in-Chief/YWoman Do you believe YOU can achieve anything?

Have you ever thought that everyone else deserves the great things in life but NOT you? This is what I used to think when I was nearly bankrupt, 2 years ago. I had the stress of the world on my shoulders, with 2 shops full of designer clothing and no customers due to the heavy rain Queensland experienced in 2011. I had 2 choices, go bankrupt, or fight!

I chose fight! It wasn’t the easiest choice, however I can tell you it has been the most rewarding one. Not only have I repaid all the debt from my businesses, I have rewarded myself with a brand new dream car, a 2 door yellow BMW Coupe……very nice! My book, entitled Broke to BMW will be

out later this year and it will be a 12 month workbook for others to follow the same strategies and principles I did to create the lifestyle they want. If I can, anyone can!

Our June issue is crammed pack full of...

• Amazing inspiring YStories • Great columns from our guest writers • Business Tips • And so much more!

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! Step up and be the best YOU, you can be and live your Y! Until next month, Shar / YWoman

Shar Moore editor@ymagazine.com.au www.ymagazine.com.au www.thestylenetworkgroup.com.au Listen to Shars interview with Madisen Harper NOW - Click Here Issue#5 - JUNE2013

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COVER STORY

– Setting Grand Goals

MIKEO’Hagan

The leader of the MiniMovers empire Mike O’Hagan is focused on his Y, and this goal is the driver for his success

by Cassy Small

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www.ymagazine.com.au

Even though most of us can’t stand the thought of doing it, the act of moving house is actually quite simple. Pack your stuff in a box. Put it in a truck.

Unpack it at the other end. For Mike O’Hagan, founder of MiniMovers, building a successful business is just as simple - as long as you create and follow an equally efficient formula then get out there and do it.

Mike left school at 14 to qualify as an electrician and by his early 20’s he had worked for more bosses than most of us would have in a lifetime. “Those early experiences made me what I am today. I have more than 500 employees and have such an appreciation of where they’ve come from and what I need to do to be a good boss,” he said.

At 28 and tired of working for other people, Mike decided to become his own boss and opened a second hand store. The business grew to three stores and Mike became a respected second hand dealer within the industry. “Year after year the business grew and the profits grew, but one day I was hit with the realisation that I only took two days off a year - Anzac Day and Christmas Day. I was working a 90 hour week yet still taking home

Issue#5 - JUNE2013

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as much income as my staff,” he said. For the first time in his life and aged in his mid 30’s Mike actually began to wonder Y was he working like this.

“As I watched TV one night I began to take notice of the lifestyle in front of me on the screen. I liked it and wanted a piece of it. I wanted the big house, boats and fast cars. The typical jet star lifestyle,” he said.

Mike decided in order to achieve his goal he needed to work in a job that enabled him to make a high income every week and also allow him the freedom to choose how he spends his time.

After unsuccessfully playing around with the business model of the second hand shops to achieve his new goal, fate

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intervened one day in the form of a customer with a problem.

“She needed to move only two doors down and the removalist she had booked didn’t arrive.

She wanted to know if I knew anyone who could help,” he said.

“Twenty-eight years ago the removal industry wasn’t what it is today. All operated on fixed price quotes which took days to confirm. I told her that I had a ute and a few mates that could help and would charge her an hourly rate for the service.” She agreed and that night Mike was surprised when she phoned him to rave about the service she’d received. The big idea he’d been looking for had found him.

Entering an industry which he had no experience in didn’t put Mike off at all, in fact he credits that as being one of his biggest secrets to success. “Not knowing what we were doing was one of our biggest advantages as we had no preconceived ideas on how to do it. We invented a new way of doing it and it worked,” he said.

Mike knew from day one he wanted MiniMovers to be seriously successful and most importantly profitable which is why the business was designed from the beginning with that level of growth in mind. In fact Mike has been so focused on the big picture he has never moved a customer and doesn’t even have a truck licence. “I’ve never worked in the business, only on it. If you are only going into

business to be your own boss, then that’s all you will achieve.

You end up where you aim and in my opinion most people in business aim too low,” he said.

A big business needed a lot of staff and Mike knew early on that everything from the physical process of moving to the behind the scenes admin work needed to be systemised. “We systemised things that didn’t even need to be at the beginning because I was always so focused on the end result. I regularly mentor small business owners and find they are working night and day and end up forgetting why they are even in business. Most businesses are not designed for growth. The success of a business begins with your business model,” Mike advises.

Mike values the importance of mindset in business and values the

importance of goals. While he may have achieved his original goal of the big house with all the trimmings, Mike says he is dreaming of a lifestyle further beyond where he is right now. “I have a burning desire to live this lifestyle, to make a lot of money and have the time to enjoy it.

I’m passionate about passing on the lessons I have learned to the entrepreneurs of tomorrow because I think their success is essential to the growth of our country,” he says.

MiniMovers employs over 500 people and as any manager or business owner can attest, HR can often be the most stressful aspect of business. It is also the most important to get right, for several reasons. Word of mouth is their most valuable marketing strategy and 75% of MiniMovers business comes from repeat users or referrals. This sort of

referral marketing only works if your staff are creating happy customers. Mike doesn’t find good employees, he creates them. “We train all of our staff from scratch.

We won’t even employ anyone with industry experience or a truck licence. We want them to learn the MiniMovers way. Unskilled employees absorb our way faster and fit with our culture better, which is essential to our growth,” he said.

It’s not surprising to know that Mike is already working on the next big thing and MiniMovers has plans to expand further around Australia as well as overseas. “Everything I do is strategic and all about innovation and being the market leader in the industry. I know where I want to go, but the process of how we get there is continually changing,” he said.

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BUSINESS TIPS Victoria Maxwell-Davis If you want to innovate, take a risk. Don’t wait for perfection. Just start.

Nothing ever changes if nothing ever changes.

Karen Mudie don’t procrastinate - trust your first instinct and act, act, act!

Anthea Moffat- Begin with the end in mind. Ensure that at all times you are focused on the four essential pillars - profits, performance, lifestyle and legacy.

Nicole Kofkin- I will only do what only I can do..

Mark Taylor- You, do not set the venue! Where your market is you must follow!

Julie Hyne- NEVER leave home looking second best, you never know what might happen and who you will meet!

Hayley Solich- The ones that you bend over Hayley Solich- Take you out of the equation when you backwards to please usually bite you the hardest. are setting fees. Just imagine someone as brilliant and Best to have firm boundaries and remember you talented as you and think what you’d need to pay them! have business and not a charity.

Naomi Smith- Focus on the 20% of activities that create 80% of results, and schedule time in for these. Remember the big rocks in your business and do the things that create success first.

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Scott Murray- Find mentors that have achieved what you desire to create in your business, listen to their wisdom... And then go out and create them!

Y STORY

VIC/Australia

Bernadette

MCCLELLAND

SOME ASKED WHY AND SHE ASKED “ WHY NOT?” Bankruptcy, Depression, Betrayal, Centrelink, Death, she fought the battles, lost a few... but she won the war!

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Bernadette McClelland came to a crossroad in her life. She asked herself: “How can you capture a resourceful way of thinking when out of left field your life is turned upside down?” She found herself in a situation where her 14-year-old son became her carer, her daughter fighting in the Middle East, and she lost the wealth and comforts she had. At 50 years of age, she had $3000 to her name, on Centrelink, homeless, and having to start again. How did she turn it around? “Easy,” she says. “You decide to.” With these simple words, Bernadette tells her story.

“You discover the gift in the sequence of events and in that gift is your purpose,” she recalls.

She found her Big Y and realized that you do this by doing three things consistently: Asking yourself different questions, having a mindset that believes what you spend money on is what you value, and surrounding yourself with people who will support you, your values and your big audacious dreams.

It was a simple accident, which caused a life threatening illness that meant a year bedridden and unable to function. It was a case of never being prepared for life’s biggest challenge from a business and personal perspective. It was a case of knowing that it was not what was happening to us but how we were responding to what happened to us was the key.

“As parents our biggest purpose was to ensure our children could see life did not end when you were thrown a curly ball,” she explains. “As husband and wife our biggest purpose was to love each other so much more than we already did.” Bernadette believes that our biggest purpose was, is and will be to help others create the results that matter to them. Whether they are high achievers wanting more in their lives or business, or for those who are going through hell, to know to keep on going.

“We are all the same, yet we are all different,” says Bernadette.

“We are all looking outside of ourselves for answers whilst looking within.”

Three years later, her family is so close and solid. She says she is living her dream of speaking on international stages and helping others achieve their outcomes.

Bernadette spent three years working with Anthony Robbins as his coach in Asia Pacific. She authored and published three books and her dreams continue to come true. “My purpose and legacy is clear,” she states. “… to contribute to the lives and growth of others.”

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Y EXPERT Did You Have Any Particular Style Of Chatting To People?

“EMPOWERING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS/ PROFESSIONALS TO TAKE QUANTUM LEAPS THROUGH HIGH END ACCOUNTABILITY” 1: Ask about them first - I find a connection with them first then I will link it to a connection from my story.

to get to know the real person as I can figure the weather out myself!

3: A call to action - ask for their contact details first to connect after I part my ways through an email, a skype call or over a coffee.

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Kiri-Maree Your B.U.T Kicker momma.com

2: Authentic through and through - I detest small talk. I love

Creating a Life Worth Living – Step 2 – Values

V

alues are those things we hold important, that direct how we spend our time, and our money, and the principles by which we live our lives. On a sheet of paper write the question –“What is really important to me in ….” my career/business, whatever you have chosen to focus on.

The first few come very easily; as it gets harder use a different coloured pen to spark your creative brain and end with a list of 10, which may look something like this:

What is really important to me in my business?

• Trust • Integrity • Financial security • Variety • Recognition • Significance • Passion • Teamwork • Innovation • Vision

The next step is to prioritize your list. Now you may think that number one is the most important because it was the one you thought of first, but that isn’t necessarily so.

If you had to choose between trust and integrity, which would be the most important? Integrity? If you had to choose between integrity and financial security – which would it be? Get the idea? And remember – there is no right or wrong, give

yourself the permission to be totally honest. Keep your top values in mind when making decisions over the next month, and see how life flows!

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Karen Phillips, Australia’s Profit Mentor www.australiasprofitmentor.com

Issue#5 - JUNE2013 13

Y STORY From as far back as he could remember, David Agius’ family has always had animals. Growing up, he looked after dogs, chickens, birds, rabbits, lizards, and almost every kind of fourlegged, furry, scaly, or feathery animal. “So naturally,” David says, “My passion for taking care of pets grew as I matured.”

Woodville South/SA, Australia

Davis AGIUS

ELEVATING PET FOOD AND CARE TO THE NEXT LEVEL David Agius, founder of Elevate Natural Pet Care & Nutrition, provides natural food products for pets everywhere

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Aside from animals, David had another passion - living naturally.

David fully supports the organic food movement. “The fresh food I buy comes from local organic farms,” he states. “…I love to support local families and believe it’s important to know where my food comes from and how it’s grown.”

So being the young entrepreneurial Gen Y man, David decided to incorporate both passions of organic healthy living and taking care of pets to establish Elevate Natural Pet Care & Nutrition. And this is his Big Y. “The reason ‘Y’ I chose to use the word ‘Elevate’ goes hand in hand as to ‘Y’ I have embarked on this journey to improve the health of pets in Australia,” he explains.

David says that to “Elevate” is to raise or take something to the next level. He has very strong vision on educating Australians on the importance of feeding pets a healthy, natural diet so they can, in fact, improve and raise their pets’ health to the next level, allowing them to live a long and happy life.

Elevate Natural Pet Care &

Nutrition focuses on providing on raw, organic pet food which families make at home using human grade certified organic ingredients from local farmers.

The business has already achieved an award at the 2013 Channel 9 Young Achievers Awards, as well as being a Semi Finalist for the VIP Home Services Small Business Awards.

Pets have already benefited from the health benefits of their amazing food and services, and David has received many wonderful testimonials from customers and health professionals including a qualified holistic animal veterinarian.

“I have goals to expand my pet food across Australia so other pets can benefit from our healthy, raw, organic diet” says David. “[I] have launched an online store providing other natural alternatives so pet owners across the nation can improve the quality of their pet’s lives.”

David himself could hardly believe what he has achieved in such little time as he only launched the business in August 2012. “It goes to show that if you follow your heart and pursue your passions and your Y - you can achieve all of your dreams and help so many people along the way.”

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Y EXPERT Email Marketing: “7 Email Tips For All Business To Get Their Marketing Emails Opened, Read and Acted Upon.”

E

mail Marketing is an Art not an Act. It can be learnt. Here are “7 Email Tips To Get Your Emails Opened, Read and Acted Upon” which can be easily implemented to create cash-attracting, money-making, relationship-building email marketing campaigns.

statistics prove personalisation opens emails 420% more times.

Use alluring/curiosity based Subject Lines.

For example, instead of using: • “Hi Mary, Here’s Our Newsletter Issue #11”, try instead: •H i Mary, “7 Easy Ways To Get The Kids Up In The Morning”

Email Tip 1: “Use an Email Name and Address People will Trust and Recognize” Email recipients first look at their ‘From’ box. Use your personal name not a business name to transmit emails. Avoid generic email addresses like Hotmail or Gmail. Use your business name.

Email Tip 3: “Write Attention Grabbing Email Headlines” An Email Headline is one which appears at the top of your email message. Example: “7 Easy Ways To Get The Kids Up In The Morning” and stop the endless screaming match with them.

Email Tip 4: “Segment i.e.: From: Personal Name – Your Lists –One Email = Email Address: personal name@ One Message” your business-name.

Divide your main list into Example: From: Kurt Johansen segmented categories. Write in - Email Address: kurt@ the first person and discuss only emailprofits.com.au one main message.

TIP: Buy your business domain and send emails from: personal name@your business-name Email Tip 2: “Personalise And Create An Alluring Subject Line.”

Start your email with “Hi (recipient’s name)” or similar. My

Email Tip 5: How to Send Your Email Emails can be sent by two methods: • HTML (images allowed); and • Text (no images) TIP: Send emails as both HTML and Text.

Email Tip 6: Include a “Call To Action” Direct your recipients what to do next. This is called a “Call To Action” – It could be to visit a website or watch a video.

Also, write at least one PS in every email. 76% of people read PS’s.

Email Tip 7: “When to Send Your Emails For Best Effect” Test which day of the week your recipients respond to best.

Emails may be more effective midmorning or late at the night. It will depend on your audience.

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Kurt Johansen The Email Marketing Guy www.kurtjohansen.com.

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Y STORY Twin brothers, Ian and Julian Fagan from Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, are on a mission. After graduating from The Scots College in 2009 with ATAR scores of 96.05 (Ian) and 95.75 (Julian), and are now studying business and law, respectively, at UTS. In 2012 the median ATAR score was 69.55 and just 17 % of students scored 90 or above. Looking at these statistics, they realized what they needed to do, their Big Y – to help high school students improve their ATAR scores. They knew if they could get high marks and secure a place at their university of choice so could other students.

The brothers founded HSC Study Buddy, which provides tailored, practical assistance to HSC students. “When [we] were doing our HSC’s, we found there was a real lack of quality study aids at affordable prices,” recalls Ian. “We decided to try and fill that gap by sharing knowledge, experience and insights from recent high ATAR-scoring graduates with our online student community.”

HSC Study Buddy is an online educational resource that shares syllabus-appropriate information and knowledge from top-tier recent graduates with current HSC students. Subscribers have access to study notes on 30 different subjects; online webinars; seminars presented by top graduates; and past papers from HSC examinations. All content is moderated and subject to

stringent quality controls.

“Our graduates-turned-tutors have all achieved band 6 or a state ranking,” says Ian. “So they know what examiners are looking for. HSC Study Buddy is all about sharing the experience of those who have achieved at the very highest levels.” The community is made up of current students wanting to access high-quality resources to help them achieve their personal best in these allimportant exams. “We make our content available in a way that is easy to access and consume and in a way that appeals to most young people,” states Julian. “They can also connect with the HSC Study Buddy community on our Facebook page.”

Since primary school, the brothers have always enjoyed the prospect of running their own business together. “We have always had a passion for entrepreneurship and as we passed through school we began to appreciate the importance of education, so combining the two has been something of interest for quite some time.”

Timothy Kelleher, teacher of over16 years’ experience said, “Everybody is talking about the Gonski review and how its recommendations will impact education in the future. Students sitting their HSC in 2013 are looking for more immediate assistance. HSC Study Buddy is a fantastic resource for them.”

Sydney/NSW, Australia

Ian

FAGAN TWIN BROTHERS ON A MISSION TO HELP HSC STUDENTS Ian and Julian Fagan founded HSC Study Buddy to help students achieve their goals and get into the university of their dreams

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Issue#5 - JUNE2013 17

Y STORY Kat Loterzo’s Big Y is simple, yet ambitious – a deep desire to empower women to live their best lives. Kat’s mission is to show other driven women that they can create a life less ordinary.

One in which not only do dreams come true, but in which they can exceed these dreams.

Melbourne/VIC, Australia

Kat

LOTERZO HELPING OTHERS EMPOWER WOMEN AND CREATE THE OWN DREAM LIFE Personal development coach, author and speaker Kat Loterzo strives to make a difference in the world by helping women live their best lives

In her writing, speaking, and coaching, Kat uses the catchphrase ‘Life is Now. Press Play’, and teaches that we each are in control of our own destiny but also of our own now. “So many people live a life of being swept along by all the ‘shoulds’ and ‘must-dos’ of a busy life,” Kat observed. “[They] never [stop] to question whether any of it is necessary, let alone whether it’s what they really want.”

Never stopping to realise that unless they do something about it now, they will die with that list still unfinished and with their dreams fading to grey.

Sadly, it’s rare to come across a person who realises this and has consciously decided to create their own reality starting this very moment, rather than to believe that their happiness and success has to be delayed until everything is just so. Kat’s mission is to change that.

“The truth is that you can make each and every one of your dreams a reality, if only you are willing to believe it’s possible,” says Kay. “You can change your

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body, create a business you love, and live your most passionate life ever.”

Of course, it’s not enough to just believe in the logical possibility of dream life creation. Kat says that people must also believe that it’s possible for them. They must be willing to get out there and start making it happen on a daily basis and not just when they’re inspired to do so and when it feels exciting, but also when it feels uncomfortable.

They must do it even when they have no idea what to do and they are overwhelmed, scared, and perhaps even considering a return to a normal and average life.

Kat’s life’s work and calling is to show people how to do this. It’s what gets her out of bed at 5am each morning and keeps her going well through the evening.

It’s what compels her to speak in public and write about her experiences, despite running a demanding business, household and family. It is what makes her determined to inspire, motivate and educate people with the beliefs, actions and knowledge they need to start creating their dream life NOW.

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Delegation that works

D

elegation is a skill that successful managers need to hone over time and practice is the key to getting it right consistently.

Don’t get discouraged if things don’t work at first. In the long run, delegation builds a happier team and consequently, a happier manager.

Keeping some pointers in mind will help you get in the swing of things and help you avoid some of the reasons why it doesn’t work at times. Lines of communication have to stay open, so you’re aware of what types of projects and additional

work that a team member may be interested in. Match work to be delegated with the appropriate team members so you’re actually offloading work onto someone who will enjoy the learning experience. If you aren’t able to matchup interests, don’t at least dump the most tedious and unenjoyable jobs to the team. Delegating an entire project instead of small individual tasks will garner the best results. Ensure the team knows the importance of the project and why you’re counting on them to achieve a specific outcome. You don’t have to micromanage. Rather

spend your time establishing clear goals and allow them to ask questions. It’s a learning experience so start with providing highly structured projects to individuals with less experience; and allow for more flexible use of resources. Always plan for success so make sure your team members have access to all the resources they need to give you the results that you want.

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Janelle Bartlett FCA Bartlett & Co Accountants http://bartlettco.com.au/

I’m smiling on the INSIDE! by forcing it, but rather by raising the muscles on your cheekbones and engaging your ocular muscles. Practice smiling! Don’t we all do that? Actually no.

Studies have shown that one third of people have hen you speak, your face reflects open and smiling faces, the middle third have neutral faces your attitudes which can go from a smile to a and emotions. serious look and the final third Listeners watch have faces that are intense all your face for clues. A deadpan the time, whether they think expression is an asset to a poker player but for a speaker it is deadly! they are smiling or not. Which category are you?

So next time you’ll speak, relax, Ask others to help you allow yourself to respond naturally because we are not always and very importantly, SMILE.

We should learn to smile. aware of our true impressions.

The best way to practice it is not If you are in the last group, you

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may be smiling on the inside and think it shows, but in reality, it doesn’t. Get an objective opinion or at least, a mirror.

If you are in the easily smiling third, people will see you friendly, an advantage when communicating and a quality that will improve your relationships. If you are in the neutral third, be flexible.

In summary, facial expression will show you how open and approachable or closed and distant you are. Who would you rather be around?

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Dr. Irena Yashin-Shaw Director Speaking Edge http://speakingedge.com.au/

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Y STORY Kerrie Meehan’s Y came to her seven years ago when she took a trip to Cambodia that would change her life. She had visited plenty of third world countries, seeing poverty and need first hand. In fact, as a travel agent, she’d seen more than most people. Cambodia, however, affected her in a way those other countries didn’t.

The Cambodian people got under her skin and she read all she could about their country’s history, in an attempt to understand why it was so ravaged. Why was there a missing generation? What had happened to turn it into a nation of young, malnourished, uneducated people? The stories she read broke her heart.

Cambodia’s history was a horror story: the hideous Vietnam War with indiscriminate bombing

by American war planes and five years of terror as 2,000,000 educated Cambodians were rounded up and executed by Pol Pot. He decimated the country’s infrastructure until all that remained was an uneducated nation of rice growers. It was harrowing to see the photos of the atrocities but even more upsetting, were the photos of Cambodia before Pol Pot wrought his destruction.

It cut Kerrie to her core. She knew that she couldn’t return to Australia to live her comfortable safe middle class life, knowing

that Cambodians were living without access to clean water, without the chance of education or fairly paid work. They simply had no future, and their government was perpetuating this cycle. Yet the Cambodians she had met were hard working and very resourceful and above all, so positive and smiling.

Kerrie knew she had to find a way to help. Many Cambodians sell items they make themselves; jewellery, bags, pictures, spices, recycled items. They wait near the temples to catch the tourist trade or at the markets where they chase after tourist dollars.

Kerrie worked out she could help them by selling their products internationally, reaching a much bigger audience for them.

Even though she didn’t have previous retail experience, and no idea how to export goods from a country as disorganised and corrupt as Cambodia, she set up Fairly Cambodian, a shop in the pretty Victorian Yarra Valley town of Healesville. Her shop (and online shop via her website) sells products made by Cambodian artisans and money from each sale goes back directly to the person who made it. Kerrie meets each individual artist and producer, and guarantees she only deals with Fair Trade individuals and organisations.

Kerrie’s Big Y for the last seven years will be her Y forever.

Healesville, VIC, Australia

Kerrie

MEEHAN FASHIONABLE AND FAIR: CHANGING LIVES WITH CAMBODIAN FAIR TRADE GOODS A trip to Cambodia changed Kerrie Meehan’s life forever, as well as the lives of the Cambodian people she met

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Issue#5 - JUNE2013 21

Y STORY

Sydney, NSW, Australia

Michelle Kearney SPREADING VITAL INFORMATION AND REDUCING THE STIGMA OF PLASTIC SURGERY Michelle Kearney, editor-in-chief of Cosmetic Surgery and Beauty Magazine, discusses patient education and acceptance of plastic surgery into society

22 www.ymagazine.com.au

In the last 15 years, cosmetic surgery has gone from being secret women’s business to everybody’s business, thanks in large part to Michelle Kearney, founder and editor-in-chief of Cosmetic Surgery and Beauty Magazine. After working as a pharmacist for 15 years, Michelle noticed a gap in the market for a reliable source of information on cosmetic surgery, and from there, her “Y” became a clear vision. Tired of the social judgment that was often heaped upon those who decided to proceed with cosmetic enhancement, Michelle decided it was time to launch a magazine separating fact from fiction when it came to cosmetic surgery. Fastforward 15 years and Cosmetic Surgery and Beauty Magazine is celebrating its 60th issue, marking 15 years in niche publishing.

“When I first launched the magazine 15 years ago, it was in response to the need for a reliable, authoritative source of information, rather than the whispered asides and sensationalist stories that were doing the rounds,” says Michelle.

For over 60 issues, Michelle has observed a number of key changes in the industry, the most notable being the rise in minimally invasive procedures.

“Today, cosmetic enhancement is intrinsically bound with the beauty industry,” she says. “Many men and women regularly invest in procedures such as dermal fillers, skin needling and anti-wrinkle injections as part of their regular beauty regimen, which more often than not also incorporates some kind of antiageing or cosmeceutical skincare.”

“While I strongly believe everyone is entitled to make their own decisions about their appearance, I also feel it’s important those decisions are based on fact,” says Michelle.

Thanks to this philosophy and a clear vision, Cosmetic Surgery and Beauty Magazine is today recognised as Australia’s number one authoritative source of information on cosmetic procedures. The magazine helps men and women throughout Australia and New Zealand make sense of the vast array of cosmetic treatments, procedures, devices and technologies, warning of the risks as well as the rewards.

As editor-in-chief, informing readers of new and emerging trends, treatments, technologies and techniques has always been Michelle’s Big Y. “I get great satisfaction from being seen as a leader in educating consumers about the industry, and empowering people to feel comfortable to do whatever they want with their body,” she says.

“It is clear that medical advances have played a massive part in the growth of the beauty industry, but it’s the improved patient education that has fuelled the mainstream acceptance of cosmetic medicine, and I take pride in having played a role in pioneering that.

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Smart and Simple Tips For Good Public Relations

C

reate good PR for your business by following these tips: It is more than publicity. Publicity is just one of many aspects of PR. Be open to all your PR options and find out what tactics work best for you.

Think relationships, not revenue. Yes, revenue is important, but your PR should focus on the relationships you have with your target audiences and ensuring your business is well regarded by those groups.

Always respond. Good, bad or other, you should never

leave a comment, email or phone call unattended. Good manners go a long way.

Handle with care. If a client/customer provides negative feedback, don’t write them off.

How you handle this exchange could mean you turn this person from an unsatisfied customer (who was going to walk away from future business) into one that was completely impressed with your response and willing to do business with you again.

Know what you’re getting into. Know the difference between PR, marketing and advertising because they all yield

different results. Don’t disappoint yourself by thinking you’re going to end up with one outcome when the method you’ve chosen is achieving something different.

Get creative. Not all businesses have the same budget, so get the ultimate ‘bang’ for your buck by thinking creatively—find interesting and outlandish ways to get attention and create brand awareness.

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Bridget Heinemann Exalt Public Relations www.exaltpr.com.au

Kick Ass Content Management For Social Media

C

ontent marketing is the new kid on the block as far as online marketing goes, but it’s already making big waves in the industry. It’s not all

about telling customers why your company is the best—it’s about demonstrating your skills through kick-ass copy and content.

There are dozens of online social media sites, from Facebook and Twitter to YouTube and Google+. And, on these sites, it’s the quality of your content that makes users want to share it, tweet it, pin it or reblog it. Simply copying and pasting information from site to site won’t do, and with Pinterest it is impossible.

To be successful on these sites your online content must be packaged in the correct format.

A content leveraging or content syndication plan can make use of the information already available on your site or blog, repurposing it to be used across a host of social media channels, in a format appealing to the users of those sites. The onetwo punch of quality content that has been optimized to be seen and shared can help your business start to kick ass online.

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Laura Williams Red Apple Virtual Assistant Services www.redapplevas.com

Issue#5 - JUNE2013 23

THE ALL NEW NISSAN PULSAR HAS ARRIVED!

COME TAKE A LOOK

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www.wynnummanlynissan.com.au

Y STORY For many people, their Big Y could be achieving success, sales goals, millions in the bank, or any number of things. For Naomi Simson, it was quite different – her dream and big Y was to run a business based on happiness – and that’s what she decided to try when she left a serious corporate career to set up online experience retailer RedBalloon. com.au in 2001.

Naomi wanted to create a business that gave her the flexibility to spend time with her young children, something her corporate career was unable to offer. The Internet was just starting to gain traction, she ‘invented’ a business using this emerging technology.

Naomi believes happiness goes hand in hand with wellbeing, and that one of the components of well-being is being truly present and ‘enjoying the moment’. This is what drives her through life and it’s what drives her business. Naomi is an advocate for being grateful for what we have, experience and share – rather than always looking for the next big thing.

She started RedBalloon with the hope that it would be a business that could be flexible and fun. Her original vision was to change gifting in Australia for ever, with a big hairy audacious goal of selling two million gift experiences by 2015 – which RedBalloon is on track to hit later

on this year. Naomi created the company with the belief that everyone deserves to have fun, feel good and be happy; that happiness starts with a drop, becomes a ripple and creates a wave; and that happiness is amplified when shared.

“A good entrepreneur goes into business because they see a problem and they want to change it,” says Naomi. “…and it’s something they’re completely passionate about.” She further states: “If you don’t have that single-minded passion, it becomes work…I ask all people who approach me with business ideas: why do you do what you do and who will care? Are you building a better mousetrap or are you changing the game of rodent management?”

Naomi believes that success means different things to different people and until you have your own definition of it, you’ll probably flounder. For Naomi, it’s not about doing and having it all. It’s about understanding what your ‘all’ is and staying true to it. For others wanting to start their own business, Naomi says it’s important to, “Believe in yourself and your ideas. Always act with integrity and don’t be afraid to seek out and ask for advice when you need it.

And you will need it.”

Pyrmont, NSW, Australia

Naomi SIMSON SUCCESS IN THE HAPPINESS BUSINESS Naomi Simson’s spreads joy and fun through her business RedBalloon.com.au, and finds true happiness

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Issue#5 - JUNE2013 25

Y STORY When Natalie Dinsdale fell pregnant with her first child, she fully expected to return to her successful career as a senior marketing manager in an international organisation upon her return from parental leave.

However, like many mothers, when it came time to go back, she found that her role had changed and not surprisingly, so had she.

Sydney/NSW, Australia

Natalie

DINSDALE SIMPLIFYING SHOPPING FOR ALL MAMAS Frustrated with shopping at the mall, Natalie Dinsdale created the perfect online shopping experience for mothers

Feeling un-inspired and desperately missing her young daughter, Natalie decided enough was enough and she turned her talents to building a business for herself.

Natalie wanted to create a business to help mums on both sides of the supply chain: harnessing the well-known power of other mumpreneurs and saving time. From there MAMADOO was born; simplified shopping for multi-tasking mamas.

“The majority of our suppliers on MAMADOO are mums who run their own retail stores,” explained Natalie. “They may make the items themselves or source them from all over the world. Or maybe they just have an amazing collection that they know other mums will love”

of blogs, videos and social media channels to drive traffic.

For new and experienced retailers alike, Natalie has ensured the service is seamless and everyone benefits. Like many mothers frustrated by malls that always seemed to contain the same five brands, and limited by a small child to quick bursts of high speed shopping, Natalie knew that online shopping was the way to go.

“Being able to shop from the comfort of my home, in my own time, after my daughter went to bed was a luxury,” she says. “But I often found it frustrating having to buy one thing from one place and another thing from another place.” She needed a ‘one stop shop’ and that’s when she knew that that MAMADOO was the perfect solution.”

In bringing all these amazing shops together into one place, MAMADOO is not only giving mumpreneurs a bigger platform and a credible alternative proposition to the big guys, it is saving mum’s time.

“I Love what I do and the biggest reward is if I help another mum with their business or save them The website is designed so that some time in their day,” says retailers, both large and small, can Natalie. And her Big Y? “My aim set up a shop easily and quickly. is to be eventually that one stop Marketing and web development shop so all mums have one help is available and the business trusted destination to go to for all uses a strong social engagement their baby needs.” model, employing a combination

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26 www.ymagazine.com.au

Y STORY

Sydney/NSW, Australia

Pam

BROSSMAN TAKING INSPIRATION FROM THE MOST AMAZING WOMAN IN THE WORLD Inspired by her own Mother, Pam Brossman chose to succeed, be happy and now lives the dream!

28 www.ymagazine.com.au

“When I was growing up,” Pam Brossman recalls, “I was fortunate enough to be blessed with the most amazing woman in the world, my Mother.” Her Mum played a huge role Pam believes, in the person she is today. She was a fulltime Mum and to this day is the inspiration behind my ability to believe that I can achieve anything in my life if my ‘Y’ and determination is strong enough.”

Sadly, when she was 21 years old, her parents decided to separate.

It was only then she realised the complete sacrifice her mother had made, leaving her career and personal goals behind, to be there for her four children as a full-time Mum. With no one there to support her any longer, Pam’s Mum had to get back out there after 30 years and try to find a job. “My Mum, just like me, is a fighter,” says Pam proudly. But surviving in a world that was so foreign to her, after all those years, took its toll. Eventually her Mum went back to Canada to be close to her eight brothers and sisters.

Her Mother never once complained about her life after her divorce. In fact, she said she would not have changed being a fulltime Mum for the world. However, the mental image of her struggle has stayed with Pam her whole adult life and it is the reason she does what she does today.

Until she looked into the eyes of her own son, Pam did not realise

just how much of an emotional impact this had on her. “I too wanted to give my child the same gift my Mother had given to me, and that was to be a full-time Mum,” she says.

“I wanted to be there for my son whenever he needed me, but I did not want to be financially reliant or lose my independence for fear of ending up in the same situation.”

Pam was torn, but it was a good thing her husband supported her 100%. In search of a solution that allowed her to be with her son, grow her career and have financial security, she decided to become an entrepreneur. Today, she teaches other women how to take their knowledge and expertise and turn it into their own lifestyle business model. “I am so proud of my Mum,” she says. In Pam’s eyes, she is a winner. “She truly is the ‘Y’ behind my mission to give more women lifestyle choices so they too can live life on their terms.”

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Y STORY Bullying is a big issue many kids and parents face all over the world. In the US, statistics estimate that more than half of American teenagers witness bullying in school at least once a day and an estimated 1.6 million children in grades 6-12 are bullied once a week.

Detroit/Michigan, U.S.A

Rasheda KAMARIA MENTOR TURNED SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR ENCOURAGES YOUTH TO EMBRACE UNIQUENESS Rasheda Kamaria Fights Bullying in Schools and Makes Her Mark on the World

Rasheda Kamaria is all too familiar with these statistics. She was one of them. When she was younger, she too was a victim of bullying.

In middle school, Rasheda was the target of many bullies. Mostly they teased and alienated her for being different. She was harassed for the way she talked, walked, her style and even her taste in music.

“When I was younger, I was teased for being different,” she recalls.

However, Rasheda didn’t let the insults change her.

Fortunately for Rasheda, she had mentors who encouraged her to appreciate her talents and quirks. Rasheda’s English teacher Mrs. Patty was one of the caring adults who empowered her to rise above the bullying. “Mrs. Patty told me that no matter who you are, someone will find something wrong with you,” said Rasheda, who grew up in Detroit.

“She said that even people who transformed the world like Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr, Mahatma Gandhi and Jesus Christ were picked on and ostracized.”

This inspired Rasheda to appreciate her own uniqueness

30 www.ymagazine.com.au

and so she launched Empowered Flower Girl, in 2010. Empowered Flower Girl produces workshops and programs that combat cyber bullying, drama and cliques among middle and high school age students. Rasheda empowers youth to embrace and celebrate their unique qualities. She travels throughout Michigan and occasionally across the country to give talks and facilitate workshops on topics ranging from bullying prevention and mentoring to communicating with confidence and career exploration.

In addition to youth, the organization helps communities by providing content and coaching to nonprofit organizations.

“Empowered Flower Girl has an altruistic vision and business model. I started the company as a way to encourage future generations of leaders and mentors,” she says. “Giving back motivates me as an entrepreneur.

It keeps me optimistic even in times of uncertainty.” She further stats that while business owners feel great when they make a sell or close a deal, she personally feels more grateful when she is able to give some of that back to the unsung heroes in the community.

Her Big Y? Rasheda says, “My hope is that all of the young people we reach will someday pay it forward and become mentors and/or launch their own do-good organizations.”

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Superannuation Guarantee Increase

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id you know the rate of Superannuation guarantee is going up from 9% to 9.25% from July 1 2013. It will increase gradually over 7 years to 12% by 2019. Check your employment agreement does not state your Salary includes Superannuation! Your employer unknowingly might just absorb your increase in with your Superannuation...Make changes today and get what you deserve!

Keeping track of super…

Your money your future…

You can use SuperSeeker to

check your super accounts, find lost super, find Australian Taxation Office (ATO)-held super, and transfer your super using an online form. To access these services, you’ll need to register online. Once you register, you can access your information 24/7.

You can use SuperSeeker to: • Check your current super accounts that money has been paid into in the last two financial years • Find lost super - there are billions in lost super, see if some of it is yours • Find ATO-held super - if the government, your super fund

or your employer can’t find an account to transfer your super to, the ATO hold it on your behalf.

• Transfer your super to the super account you want.

Don’t leave this any longer as this is your money, your future.

Act NOW!

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Karen Howe www.fixmypay.com

What Do You Care About?

H

ow are you feeling about your business at the moment? Do you bound out of bed in the morning with unbridled joy, or are you feeling stressed and overwhelmed?

I love this quote from Simon Sinek,

“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress.

Working hard for something we love is called passion.”

Wow. Pretty powerful, right? How does this resonate with you? As business owners we work hard and we work long hours. We all have some level of stress that comes with being a business owner. But what are you passionate about?

Its important to recognise when, and why, our business is causing us stress. Is it because we are working hard at something we don’t care about? Or is it that we are doing things we don’t enjoy

(bookkeeping, admin, marketing, sales etc) – and could outsource?

If you are working hard at something you don’t care about, perhaps its time for a change. Life is too short to waste it on things you don’t love. Or maybe you’ve lost track of why you started your business and what you love about it. Dedicate some time to sorting out the issues that are worrying you and move on. Take some time to reconnect with your passion and get rid of some stress in your life.

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Julie Pidgeon www.360results.com.au

Issue#5 - JUNE2013 31

Y STORY Life has a way of forcing change on us - sometimes by way of wondrous inspiration and sometimes by way of a near-death experience that prompted a priorities re-think.

Unfortunately, for Anfernee Chansamooth, the latter was the case for him, but what transpired was his adopting a happier and altogether more worthwhile life spent helping others.

Sydney/NSW, Australia

Anfernee CHANSAMOOTH TEACHING THE WORLD THAT IT CAN After a life-changing experience, Anfernee Chansamooth felt compelled to go out to change the world. But the co-founder of Kaboom Hub, now believes even small businesses can make a major difference while staying local

32 www.ymagazine.com.au

In 2006, Anfernee seemed to have it all - a high-flying corporate job, business trips to various countries, and life was one big bachelor party.

But a couple of weeks before Christmas, he woke up in a hospital bed after brain surgery and wondered what he was going to do with the rest of his life – what was his ‘Y?.

“I was at a major crossroads, moving in and out of depression but never giving up,” he recalls.

“I knew that there had to be more to life than slaving away for money, so I knew I wouldn’t return to the corporate job.

“It was then that I decided to live a life of love, joy and meaning, connect to my heart’s desire and to empower others to do the same.”

He’s been as good as his word. Six months after leaving hospital, he moved to Toronto, and for three years worked with young social entrepreneurs, taught salsa out of his living room, and offered social

media consulting. The experience was invaluable.

“I learnt the strength of creative thinking, jumping onto opportunities as they arise, and the value of helping people live more joyfully.” His positive outlook led him to Laos in 2010, where he volunteered at Sunshine School in Vientiane. Soon after, he launched Design For Change (DFC) Laos, a program to empower kids and the adults around them, teaching them about the power of “I Can”.

Seeing the positive impact Design For Change had, Anfernee realized making a difference doesn’t need to include a major move – even small businesses have the power to fuel change in the world.

When he returned to Sydney in 2012, he met his business partner, Poy, and together they launched Kaboom Hub - a speaking and consulting business designed to help socially conscious smallto-medium businesses generate quality leads through website and social media marketing.

“Our mission is to assist and empower business owners so that they can make a bigger impact on their communities and on the world,” he explains. “We do business that is fun, authentic, inspiring and results-driven. Now, we’re speaking on more stages and aiming to motivate even more people to live magnificent lives.”

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Y STORY Everyone wants to know how to save a dollar and improve their bank balance - but just don’t know how. Let us introduce Kris Bondin, the founder of personal budgeting business Bills to Pay. At the age of 27, Kris decided it was time to escape the corporate world and pursue the ‘Y’ behind his passion for finance - helping others better manage their money. Kris grew up with an interest in the finance industry, and armed with a degree in Accounting, Banking and Finance and a CPA, he knew he had the tools to help people overcome their financial problems.

He had garnered commercial finance experience working for publicly listed companies, so it was no surprise he was constantly asked by his peers how to better manage their money. So, the natural step was to offer advice to everyone.

Kris founded Bills To Pay with a simple purpose, assisting individuals and families in their battle to stay on top of their finances by helping them adopt aggressive strategies to pay off debts and save money they thought they couldn’t save.

“It will be important over the coming years not to over-commit with debt while interest rates are low, I say this because we will start to see a rise in interest rates when the economy improves,” he says.

Of course, educating the mass market is the most effective route to take, so during the latter part of 2012 he created a TV show called Money and Your Life, where he guided individuals and families through the financial challenges that life brings.

The concept is that people are impacted by a number of things in life that all revert to money. So, Kris surrounded himself with a panel of industry experts - a financial planner, a family lawyer and a life coach, to name a few.

The show has been seen around the country with a stream of positive feedback about how Kris has simplified complicated issues, making them easy to learn and simple to execute.

Kris’‘Y’ is to use his expertise in the finance industry to help those who live week to week. Now, two years after setting up Bills To Pay, the hard work is starting to pay off.

Today, he is a regular in the media on financial topics, sharing his advice on matters impacting the family budget to millions of Australians - in particular, he has radio segments on two leading Melbourne radio stations, Gold 1043 with Brig and Lehmo and 89.9 Light FM with Ken and Lucy.

Melbourne/VIC, Australia

Kris

BONDIN HELPING OTHERS EASE THEIR FINANCIAL BURDEN Clearing debts, saving dollars – it’s all a financial headache. But Kris Bondin, founder of personal budgeting business Bills To Pay, happily shares the secret to lifting the financial burden

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Issue#5 - JUNE2013 33

Y STORY Most people enter a career in Human Resources with the intention of helping organisations achieve better results through best-practice people strategies. But after almost 10 years, Kelly Fischl discovered the reality of corporate HR was very different to what she had envisaged.

Sydney/NSW, Australia

Kelly

FISCHL BUILDING A BETTER CORPORATE WORLD Human Resources is supposed to inspire effective interaction at work.

But after discovering the reality, Coaching Ink founder Kelly Fischl knew there was a better way to improve the corporate world

experience, can easily empathise with their situations. “It’s important for me to help others deal more effectively with stress and burnout at work,” she says.

“While organisations are asking us to do more with less, we need to ensure we have the right mindset in place to be resilient, optimistic, satisfied and happy in order to succeed long term.”

Despite beginning her career with enthusiasm, she learned that most people had had negative experiences with HR. Eventually, she found herself feeling embarrassed when people asked what she did. She felt frustrated, unmotivated and helpless, and battled on and off with depression for several years. Basically, she had lost her way – and her ‘Y’.

Kelly admits that the road to reinventing herself as a leadership and performance coach hasn’t been easy. She has experienced many difficult days and even questioned her decision to leave her corporate career. But, her passion and drive comes from her interaction with clients.

“Whenever I have a difficult day, or if I ever question my decision to Kelly knew that things had to leave my corporate career, I think change, so in 2010, she decided about the interactions I have with to first positive steps towards people - my clients – and I know rediscovering her ‘Y’. She went I am making a positive difference back to university and completed in their lives. Whether we are a Masters in Coaching Psychology tackling how best to deal with a from Sydney University. It was difficult person, discussing a new during this time that Kelly career pathway, opening space for decided she COULD, with the self-reflection, or talking through right framework, make a positive a negative interaction, I know I am difference in organisations. making a positive difference in someone’s life.

A year later, she founded Coaching Ink - a coaching Kelly’s ‘Y’ has always been to make and HR consulting company a difference in others’ lives, and specialising in creating now that she has found it again, flourishing and thriving her life is more fulfilling. “Now, individuals, teams and I’m completely satisfied with organisations. She often works my career, I am humbled by the with high-potential employees people I work with, and I am finally and, due to her first-hand happy to tell people what I do!”

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34 www.ymagazine.com.au

Y STORY In YMag, we highlight many people who have turned corners and realised their dreams. Education is not always a topic referred to, but Michael White has used his experiences – and frustrations – to set up Aus Identities, to help educators better address the needs of all their students.

Michael’s life seemed stuck to a script until his 30’s, when he learned about personality types. It was an eye-opener, and buoyed by a new-found self-awareness, he completed a series of courses. Despite excelling, he turned down offers to attend university.

Michael knows from first-hand experience that a rigid educational structure can discourage students.

And yet, today he lives a lifestyle that he had once thought was beyond him.

“I realised just how many others might be going through the same crap I did, and who were more intelligent than they had been led to believe,” he explains.

“Most mornings, when I get up, I look out the window to check the weather. I’ve started surfing in my later years and if the sky is clear, I often just go, not even bothering with breakfast. It is a good lifestyle, and I am happy, but it was not always this way,” he tells us.

“At primary school, I was identified as a brighter-thanaverage student, and sent to a large Grammar School to complete my studies. However, because of the rigid structure and competitive nature of the school, my confidence and selfesteem gradually eroded.

“At just 15, feeling really bad about who I was as a person, I dropped out of school, got mixed up with stuff that was no good, and I even thought about ending it all - which would have been a big mistake.”

“That’s when I set up my business, Aus Identities, a company dedicated to transforming the way we teach kids at school.”To date, Michael has delivered programs to around 5,000 kids and over 2,000 teachers, and there are currently about 40 schools in Queensland using his services.

Michael admits that his ‘Y’ is twofold. “I do what I do partly to heal my past, and partly to help create a future where more people get up in the morning and feel good about themselves. While I enjoy surfing, I am passionate about spreading the word that all of life is open to us, once we understand who we are.

“My message is basically this: Understand yourself, believe in yourself and then express yourself in the healthiest and happiest way that you know. You are more than you realise.”

Noosa/QLD, Australia

Michael WHITE

TEACHING A SURER WAY TO SELF-BELIEF Aus Identities founder Michael White learned the hard way that the traditional school structure doesn’t benefit everyone. Now, he’s showing the educators a better way to realise their students’ potential

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Issue#5 - JUNE2013 35

Practical marketing solutions for small business

+DSŗR S@KJ @ANTS OQ@BSHB@K @MC BNRS DƤDBSHUD PR solutions tailored to your business.

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Y STORY Sometimes a ‘Y’ is not necessarily an urge to change the world, but to bring attention to some of the positives that already exist. For Stephany Zoo, a New York native of Chinese heritage now living in Shanghai, her ‘Y’ was to bring a new, creative China to the attention of the world.

Originally working in digital marketing as a product manager for a well-known Chinese app development company, Stephany became involved in BUNDSHOP, an ecommerce concept begun by Diana Tsai in January 2012 with the distinct aim of rebranding “Made in China”, and providing a platform from which China-based designers could build a global presence. The concept received angel funding in March that year, and following a hectic period of product sourcing - with trips to countless exhibitions, trade shows and boutiques - the concept began to make inroads and an ecommerce site that accurately reflected the vitality of Chinese design began to take shape.

But it wasn’t until Diana invited Stephany to help initiate a weeklong marketing sprint for the launch of the new BUNDSHOP website that she finally embraced the opportunity full-time. “I basically moved in with Diana and we worked 18-hour days for a whole week. It was hard work, but we had a great time doing it,” Stephany recalls. “I quit

my job and started working full-time with BUNDSHOP. It wasn’t an easy decision, but there were enough indicators that I was making the right decision. “I wasn’t running away from an unfulfilling job – I was running towards an actual passion. I would be supporting the creative industry, a budding high-growth area that needed more business minds.” By November, BUNDSHOP (Beta) was up and running, with 15 designers and 50 products to choose from. The reception was hugely encouraging, and a number of multinational and professional services firms even approached them with a view to doing corporate gifts through to the Chinese New Year.

In March this year, BUNDSHOP launched its new website with almost 50 designers and featuring one incredible product every 24 hours. Headquartered in Shanghai, BUNDSHOP is the definitive discoverer and platform of contemporary Chinese design, and the first e2 (experience + ecommerce) platform to bring the emerging independent designers of Asia to the world.

For Stephany, her ‘Y’ is that China – her hereditary homeland - is showing the world what it has to offer. And it is hugely satisfying to know he is playing a part in helping exciting and innovative Chinese designers of fashion, accessories, sculpture and crafts to gain global appeal

Shanghai/China

Stephany ZOO

BRINGING CREATIVE CHINA TO THE WORLD There is more than one way to make a difference.

Helping to bring innovative Chinese designers to the world’s attention is how Stephany Zoo, CMO with BUNDSHOP, likes to do it

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Issue#5 - JUNE2013 37

Y STORY Naomi Smith has been a champion of Women’s Development for over 20 years.

She started her personal success story in the days of Affirmative Action in the early nineties, when she participated in Accelerated Development Programs for highpotential women.

Brisbane/QLD, Australia

Naomi SMITH

SAVING THE SUPERWOMEN Super-successful at what you do? But, at what cost? Naomi Smith, founder of Shine Executive Success Coaching, knows Superwomen are not as invincible as they seem – but also how to rescue them

missed out on special moments with her daughter. She researched what was happening to her, and identified the “Superwoman Paradox” - where the behaviours which create success at work for women can have a disastrous impact on their intimate relationships, mainly due to a hormone imbalance through Since her surname then was Power, too much testosterone. Now, she soon earned the nickname through Shine Executive Success “Power Woman” – complete with Coaching, Naomi’s ‘Y’ is to help Red Power Suits and Shoulder these Superwomen (you know Pads! Every day, she contended who you are) recover the love and with men to climb the corporate passion within their relationships ladder, and she delivered the results by understanding the dynamics of that mattered. But Naomi was also masculine and feminine energy. passionate about giving back to “Women have achieved equality other women along the journey. at work, and proven that they She represented her organisation can be just as successful as men, in Women in Business programs, but it has come at a cost,” she was a judge for the Telstra Women’s points out. “’Our relationships are Business Awards (Qld & NT) in failing, or losing their passion, 2010 and is recognised in the because both partners are Who’s Who of Australian Women. emitting masculine energy. “Men A success story for sure, but and women have lost the art of despite it, Naomi recently resigned relationship polarity, which is from her once dream role as an essential for ongoing Executive Success Coach to start passion and romance.” As Naomi her own business, Shine Executive sees it, this is the next step Success Coaching. Why? Because for evolving women who are success in business doesn’t always passionate about success in correlate to success personally – every part of their lives. especially for women who have learned to behave like men to If you can relate to the be successful. After 2 divorces, “Superwoman Paradox”, check Naomi found herself with a out Naomi’s webinar on Tuesday dream career, a beautiful 9-year- 18 June:- http://passion. old daughter but terribly lonely loveforsuperwomen.com.au/ or in her personal relationship. She visit www.loveforsuperwomen. was exhausted from working com.au to find out the Top 5 long hours and travelling Mistakes Superwomen Make throughout Australia, and had In Relationships.

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38 www.ymagazine.com.au

Y STORY Rikki McDonald Grinberg blames her latest venture on her hormones. “I was going to the compounding chemist to pick up my bio identical HRT and I saw an ad in the realtor’s window next door for a caravan park, 20 acres on the beach. We bought it!”

mind, body and spirit businesses from around the world. The Ballina Beach Village now has so many retreats that they require two more shalas to satisfy the demand.

But Rikki stresses that it has not all been plain sailing. “The first six months was non-stop hard work,” she says. “We had a traditional tourism base of people wanting to come and stay and holiday – so we built this into the business plan too. Our revenue doubled, and then trebled within two years of purchase. Since then, we have been making excellent gains and consolidating our position”.

Rikki and her husband, Bernard, drove out to the property that afternoon, and it was love at first sight - “the land owns us not the other way around”. Their vision – their ‘Y’ - was to turn the property into a mind, body and spirit retreat centre. Just three years into the venture, it’s now one of the premier retreat centres on the east coast of Australia.

The Village hosts welcomes yoga teacher training sessions, yoga The idea of a retreat centre is to retreats, personal growth retreats, offer a different kind of tourism ecstatic chanting and musical experience – one that focuses on events from around the world family values and steers away from – on any given day The Village traditional alcohol-based holidays. could have 30 Japanese retreaters This ‘right business’ philosophy here or a hundred Europeans on has proven to be a timely tonic an ecstatic chant workshop. for thousands of tourists wanting something different.

“We still maintain our traditional tourism model as well, but Rikki and her husband Bernard, now offer to them free yoga on a retired engineer, built a shala Sundays, meditation, African (meaning sacred space). This is drumming and music workshops where the majority of the retreats during school holidays, and lots are held – it is a divine space of other unusual add-ons. It has which is acoustically perfect changed the face of our tourism and insulated – and with sacred and we have a year round trade images and beautiful blonde as a result” said Rikki. wood throughout.

South Ballina Beach/NSW, Australia

Rikki

MCDONALD GRINBERG HOLIDAY RETREATS FOR A GREATER ESCAPE A spontaneous decision to buy a caravan park gave Rikki McDonald Grinberg and her husband, founders of Ballina Beach Village, the chance to offer a different holiday experience

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Their property, which is an eco paradise, is on the beach by the river has been well received by

Issue#5 - JUNE2013 39

Y STORY Sometimes the smallest ideas can have the biggest impact, as Sydney entrepreneur Sean Brandtman is discovering with one very charged up innovation.

Maroubra/Sydney, Australia

Sean

BRANDTMAN CHANGING HOW WE CHARGE Entrepreneurs can spot a gap in the market in a heartbeat.

Sean Brandtman, inventor of the Discgo Charger, turned a common inconvenience into a charging solution for Smartphone users everywhere

40 www.ymagazine.com.au

Just about everyone has been caught with a dead battery in their smartphone at some point. To combat this logistical nightmare, Discgo Charger, the latest in mobile charging technology is being rolled out around the country. The actor and one-time events director, Sean Brandtman, has turned his attention to this latest technological endeavour, and it is paying dividends as the charging device spreads across Australia’s social scene.

The original idea came about when Sean was out one day with a flat phone battery. “I was with a group of friends, and we were sitting in the members bar at the cricket in 2011,” Sean says.

“My phone battery was low and I needed a charge, but I didn’t want to move from my seat or miss the game.”

A portable device to charge your phone, the Discgo Charger was born. The round disc is designed to be completely portable within a venue, providing the same charge power as plugging your phone into a wall socket.

After 2 years of research and design, Sean is now the founder of PCS Pty Ltd. and is working with some of his high school

friends to make Discgo Charger the household name for out-ofhome phone charging.

Sean is proof that any good idea can be executed successfully with enough drive. The innovation is a simple one; everyone needs to charge their phone, often at an inconvenient time. Discgo represents convenience, giving its users the freedom to move around the venue and keep their phone with them while they recharge, taking an idea and improving upon it tenfold.

“We’ve spent years on research and testing the market. And we know that venues are willing to offer this customer service bonus that will keep people around.”

Between creating a ‘charging’ empire and spending time with his young family, Sean still likes to dabble in acting. In the past two years Sean has appeared in hit TV shows such as Home and Away and Packed To The Rafters, as well as playing the lead role in Sam Shepard’s Fool For Love.

And Sean’s Y? “I want to see them sitting at the bar in every pub around the country and overseas.” Already wellestablished in Sydney, the Discgo Charger is spreading across Australia, with international interest in Asia, the Americas, USA and New Zealand.

“My passion is to hear people in a bar say, ‘I need a Discgo Charger right now!’”

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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.

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42 www.ymagazine.com.au

Y EXPERT The “Close” is All in The Preparation each and every opportunity, however large or small.

Today I was rewarded with a project I had been waiting on for over a year. What did I do to ensure our company was awarded this project?

The location is a 500km return drive. Each time the phone rang or an email chimed its way into my inbox, I donned my gear and strapped in for the drive.

Most meetings would last less than an hour and some as little as 10 minutes. But I was there and made the connection each time a point needed to be made.

I was the one who noted and culminated the minutes of each meeting and circulated them. This ensured that my documents were the primary reference. It didn’t matter who attended meetings whether oday I was reminded it be the client, the major site of why I love what I do. contractor, our opposition or all.

Sales. In my current Each portion of the tender industry, a looming elec- was reviewed time and time tion and a strong Ausagain to ensure each cost was tralian dollar has played havoc accountable, a required step and with spending habits in heavy industrial markets. The economic totally invaluable to the client.

We over delivered on our environment of today, sees a re- turn to tight fisted maintenance Engineering, QA, Job Procedure and, Safety requirement budgeting and a reduced commitment to major plant mainte- documentation. I edified our company personnel individually nance outages. as highly trained professional

Due to a hard start to the members of the team. The second quarter, I was forced to return back to basics with both my same of sub contractors continuously selling on their approach to new business and a thorough review of I how approach features and benefits.

T

Dollars and cents were discussed for a mere 20 minutes today before advice was given we were successful. Each time I felt the subject looming I turned the conversation back to the scope of work to be carried out.

On the 250km drive out to site today I practiced my responses to questions I know would be raised.

In this case the close (and I hate that term) was in the preparation.

Today I was out there with a very clear vision of what I wanted to achieve. That was to remove reason to choose any one of our seven competitors.

Once that was dealt with my leading question was, “I trust we have been successful in securing your business today”. Guess who walked away smiling. Remember each and every piece of the puzzle makes for a good result.

Happy Days

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Russ’s Tip - A strong preparation removing all obstacles negates the need for a strong close

Issue#5 - JUNE2013 43

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AND TELL US YOUR Y YOU COULD BE FEATURED IN OUR MAGAZINE!

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