I want to develop Cassegrain, create new experiences for our customers and do things a little differently to keep up with people and their ever-changing tastes and needs.
L A U R E N Hawkes HAWKES CONVEYANCING OWNER
Describe how you got started in your business? After working at law firms and conveyancing practices throughout my career, I decided that it was finally time to take a leap of faith and try starting my own conveyancing business. Port Macquarie seemed to be the perfect place to do this. It has been challenging but at the end of the day, very rewarding. How do you measure success in business? We love referrals. Having a client or associate send their client or friends to us is one way that we know we are doing a good job. Building trust is a huge part of this - if you want the compliment of a referral, then your referrer needs to know you’ll do what you’ve promised. How has your business evolved since it began? We’ve been operating for two and a half years now, so are still quite a new business. We’ve added another staff member on in the last 12 months, which has helped us keep on top of everything. I feel as though we’ve moved out of the growth phase, and we are now just organically growing and maintaining the business.
6 Special 64 GreaterEdition Port Macquarie focus focus
T A H S H I Payne CASSEGRAIN WINES MARKETING MANAGER
What is your businesss’ greatest asset? Being a multi regional winery allows us to source the best fruit from all over NSW, to provide our customers with a range of wines that they wouldn’t normally have access to in one region. This approach allows Cassegrain Wines to focus on the strengths of each region to craft elegantly styled wines. How do you measure success in business? I believe success is measured through customers’ unscripted feedback. When someone takes the time to share their thoughts, both good and bad, it is valuable and we have to appreciate and listen. It gives us the opportunity to grow and make changes to meet the needs of our customers. People seek a relationship with brands. Our goal is to continue to instigate meaningful relationships and by doing so, we will be successful. How will you embrace change in 2018? 2017 was a big year for me. I left Sydney, where I had a senior position working at eBay and a great group of friends, to move to Port Macquarie. When you throw everything up in the air to move to a new town, start a new job and make new friends, you have to embrace change wholeheartedly. It’s a scary moment, but when you’re out of your comfort zone, that’s when you grow. For me, 2018 is taking the strength I gained in my personal life into my work. Cassegrain has been in the community for 30+ years. I see this as a solid foundation to develop and create new experiences for locals and customers alike, to keep up with ever-changing tastes and desires.
S A N D R A Hollins
K Y L I E Jones
REGIONAL INSIGHTS AUSTRALIA DIRECTORS
Describe how you got started in your business? To put it simply, we love data. Kylie and Sandra, the founders of Regional Insights Australia (RIA), share a passion for helping businesses utilise customer and market intelligence to drive improvements and growth. “Businesses have more data than ever before and can find it a challenge to know how to use data effectively,” says Sandra Hollins. “We created RIA to provide local businesses with services to help them understand and analyse their own customer and market insights, as well as the opportunity to access primary market research services locally.” RIA brings together over 25 years of experience in market research, strategy, marketing, customer insights, operational improvement and change management. “We can help businesses to understand what data they already have, as well as identify what should be collected from customers,” explains Kylie Jones. “It’s about working with businesses to use this intelligence in their daily activities, how to measure success, and future-proofing the business for change and growth.” If you would like more information on Regional Insights Australia, please call Kylie Jones (0418 595 433) or Sandra Hollins (0411 014 095). Regional Insights Australia is a member of the Australian Market and Social Research Society.