I wanted to be sure that I extracted the maximum benefit from insights shared by entrepreneurial trailblazers, Theresa Gattung, Claudia Batten and Michelle Pratt at the recent Ignite event run by Co. of Women. I attended the event with a main objective in mind: to learn something — so I thought that I would share my learning journey with you!

I attended the event specifically because when I learn, I grow; and then my team and business grow with me.

Michelle Pratt – New Shoots and Child Labor Free

• “If you can make people’s lives better, you have a great business.” Richard Branson
• See the trends before they are a trend
• Partner with people to make it happen
• Just start – stage the process, but just start

Challenges I took back to my team:

• How can we make sure people make the most of learning opportunities in order to make their lives better?
• What trends can we identify from our clients, facilitators and participants – and how can we leverage that to be the first to deliver the right service/solution to our market
• Who are the right people to partner with and what can we offer them?
• Are we procrastinating? What action just needs to be started?

Personal Insight:

Work with something you are passionate about that makes a difference in the lives of others

Theresa Gattung – CEO, My Food Bag, Investor/Director in Telco Technology Services and Mobbit

• Entrepreneurship is going to be the trend to watch in the coming 10 years
• Books to read: Zero to One and The Rise
• Don’t expect the business model to be the same in Australia. Take advice from others.
• Don’t waste time trying to push the NZ model, it won’t work
• Australia might not be the first international market you enter – but make sure you do your homework
• Early joiners to start-ups are important to the success of the business – choose carefully and keep them engaged; they engage because they’re passionate about what you’re doing
• A business needs to be equally good in the old and new world so you can connect your customers smoothly to the new world

Challenges I took back to my team:

• What can we do to support entrepreneurship? What’s the right learning pathway, and how can the whole organisation engage with it?
• Start learning what it takes to succeed in Australia —now!
• What is the old and new world? How can we ensure we connect our customers with both?

Personal Insights:

• Re-connect with the team. Why did they choose to work for us and what do they need from us?
• Have confidence that you’re doing the right thing by checking in with those ahead of you on the journey.

Claudia Batten

• Even if you’re not looking for a formula, there is one
• Take time out to do what you want to do to get you closer to your goal; even if it’s your emails
• Share personal wins and losses with the team each week
• Take the first step, once you’ve done that, take the next one – the rest will become clear
• Take time to get feedback. Review each step before you take the next
• Her squiggly line formula is made up of:
  • Curiosity – it all starts with a natural desire to understand and get under the surface of what’s going on; join the dots around the subject and make sense of it ahead of your competitors; feed your knowledge regularly
  • Intuition – be the boldest version of yourself; do what you believe in that no-one else does
  • Cultivate deliberate discomfort – identify and work through the vomit moments; identify what you’re resisting and put it to the top of your list
  • Momentum – keep finding the win in everything you do; move quickly through the squiggles and cultivate the business.

Challenges I took back to my team:

• What’s our formula? What makes us successful and how can we replicate it?
• Introduce the ‘Wins and losses’ discussion each week
• Create a belief system that says it’s ok to not know more than the next step - as long as it gets us closer to our ultimate goal
• Identify how we deal with the squiggle – going off course – and how can we support each other through it
• Review and understand our strengths facing different parts of the squiggle

By Clare Parkes, CEO, Beyond Performance