This article was written by Sarah Willmott, Feel Better Box
2017 Silver winner Emerging AusMumpreneur of the Year
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I attend events run by a lady who was made redundant on maternity leave. Her story is similar to mine in so much as I was made redundant when I was six months pregnant with my second child.
Kylie (who runs Mum Society) runs monthly events like Ted talks for mums with successful women speakers who are also mums. Kylie also used her Mum Society Facebook page to post ‘mum friendly’ jobs. I answered one of those job posts to go and work for Jen who owns a small successful business called Body Beyond Baby.
Every month I would go to a Mum Society event, listen intently, feel pumped and inspired. Every week I would meet Jen for our weekly business meeting. Again I felt inspired by all her ideas and resilience, pumped and enjoyed the sharp learning curve of working for a small business and everything that it entails.
Eventually it did dawn on me that everyone around me was running their own business and being super successful. And this made me feel sad. I didn’t have that ‘idea’ and opportunity to run a business myself.
But I kept going to Kylie’s events. I kept working and learning from Jen.
18 months later I became sick. And that week I thought of the idea of sending care packages to people when they are sick. And Feel Better Box was born.
And then every Mum Society event came into play, every lesson I had ever learned through working for a small business came into play. I had been absorbing all these inspiring peoples advice and lessons, unknowing how much I would use this to my business and my own success.
I urge anyone to just get out there. Go to a networking event, a speaker’s event, a luncheon with a bunch of people who you’ve never met. Rub shoulders with the people doing it, nailing it and offering lessons they have learnt on their way. Inspiring people make your world that little bit bigger; they bring you closer to the ideal or dream you never knew you had.
If someone is putting on an event that you can get to and you can afford to go, do it. Their effort is for your reward. Last year I attended the two-day AusMumpreneur conference and not only took away awesome advice, lessons and new friends, my small business won an award.
This year I have signed up to Girl Bosses Australia’s International Women’s Day Luncheon, Kate Toon’s SEO event and am very much looking forward to this year’s AusMumprenuer Conference and anything else that comes my way. Because honestly, in day-to-day life you can always do with a momentum boost and the lesson you learn that day, may be the one you relate to 3/6/9 months down the track.
If you are not quite there yet for the job opportunity of your dreams, look out for those inspiring people.
Places you might be able to surround yourself this inspiring souls:
- Go to events that have speakers giving their experience running their own business and most importantly their mistakes.
- Network in the events you attend, who knows what inspiring person you might be sitting next to.
- Find a job in an area you enjoy even if you start from the bottom
- Find a coach who you get on with and has a valuable insight into their industry and the one you want to be in.
- Find someone who could mentor you, a friend, a friend of a friend or colleague in a senior position. Mentors come in all shapes and sizes, and most people would be thrilled to offer help and advice in something they enjoy – so never be afraid to ask.
Join Us for the 2018 AusMumpreneur National Conference & Awards!
Celebrating, Inspiring & Elevating Mums in Business
White Night Reception, Maidstone VIC 3012
Melbourne
30 & 31 August 2018