I used to work in a windowless cubicle
Nine years ago I was working in a windowless cubicle, in a corporate job that didn’t spark joy in me.
With a sense of relief, I took maternity leave with my first baby….but at the end of that time I was really dreading the return to my day job.
I wanted to have the flexibility and freedom to be my own boss, to be present for my new baby (and soon, two babies) and to stretch my brain and entrepreneurial skills.
But I was scared to make the leap from a secure income into uncertainty.
And I had no idea about how to start a business!
But…I did it anyway and gave myself 2 years to make a go of it.
Baby 1 + Bikes
I started an online store selling bike accessories at CycleStyle.com.au because I loved cycling but couldn’t find the sort of fashionable and functional bike accessories that I liked in Australia.
I did almost everything myself, in order to save money.
While my baby slept I researched products, bought and imported stock, managed the website, set up cloud accounting systems, organised photo shoots, managed social media accounts, picked and packed orders and more.
The rate of learning was exponential – and it was thrilling.
But looking back – I was exhausted and overwhelmed a lot of the time.
Babies 1 + 2 + Bikes + Blog
At the same time, I started a ‘mummy blog’ to diarise my journey of being a new parent.
It was never meant to be a business. I just enjoyed writing and taking photos…but over the years I used the blog to hone my skills in SEO, email marketing and social media marketing.
Now my blog www.tothotornot.com is Melbourne’s biggest family travel blog. It had over 660k visitors and 1.4 million page views last year and an email database of 15k+ subscribers.
I was in a TV ad & on a billboard
Through www.tothotornot.com I made many creative connections, so I started a separate business as ‘Wheelie Good Fun‘ being a creative producer of family-friendly craft and sustainability workshops for festivals and events.
Wheelie Good Fun was the natural combination of my love of bikes through CycleStyle and kids events through TOT: HOT OR NOT!
I’ve even been in a Bank of Melbourne TV ad and on a billboard at Highpoint Shopping Centre!
My business journey is nothing like I imagined
Now I wake up in the morning loving my work. I feel fulfilled that I’ve helped so many people, particularly in my community of Melbourne’s west.
And last but not least – running online businesses means that I have never returned to a windowless cubicle again.
Do you want to feel the same way about your work?
How I can help you
I am here to empower you to build a business that you love and which serves others in the best way you know how.
I specialise in the digital marketing activities that have best helped me to gain business success: SEO optimised content marketing, email marketing and social media.
You might want to delegate work to me so that you can focus on your own ‘Zone of Genius’.
Or get me to hold your hand through the whole process and provide tailored advice so that you can do it yourself next time.
Maybe you prefer choose to learn things at your own pace with an online course?
It’s up to you – and I’m here to help.
How I am different
I specialise in helping business owners optimise and refine their existing processes.
That means that if you’re just starting on your business journey, I recommend that you might want to do a bit more learning and implementation. Then come back to me so that my knowledge and expertise has more meaning and context for you!
I share my knowledge in a way that’s not theoretical, hard to digest or overwhelmingly technical.
I know that time is possibly the MOST precious commodity you have as a business owner. I know what works, what doesn’t, what should be done now and what can be left for some day, based on my years of experience building small businesses.
Finally, because I run several businesses and have young kids, I don’t always work standard business hours. That means I can be as flexible as you need in order to fit in with your schedule.
Over to you
Are you at the point where you need the right help to grow your business? Or will you continue to choose to DIY everything, burning yourself out and getting nowhere?
As a business owner, I’ve been there. Just know this:
There are not enough hours in the day to do everything and you can’t be an expert in all the things.
It’s time to focus on what you love and what you’re good at, reclaim your time and energy, remove the confusion and get the support you need!
Let’s chat! Book your free call with me now or you can drop me an email at [email protected].