How Queensland’s new chief entrepreneur Julia Spicer plans to make her mark

Queensland’s first rural based chief entrepreneur wants to champion the innovators across the state and those who support them.

INNOVATION is usually born out of necessity and Queensland’s new chief entrepreneur sees the inspirational green shoots of success spring from the unlikeliest of places.

Julia Spicer has started her two-year stint in the job and is the first to be based in regional Queensland.

She said innovation usually came out of a crisis.

“You don’t innovate when everything is going well and Queensland in general has had its crises in the last couple of years, and the years before that, and they will come again,” she said.

“Covid has been absolutely terrible and yet we’ve taken this crisis and developed whole industries.

“The regions have been great about dealing with crises like floods and droughts, and they have come up with better ways to do things but they’re dreadful about telling their story.”

Ms Spicer has taken over as chief entrepreneur from Wayne Gerard and is the fifth person appointed by the state government to the role. She said every chief entrepreneur had taken the role “where they wanted it to go”.

She sees her new job as not just representing the regions but to champion the innovators and those who support them.

“I like to ask `how do we get the best impact we can’ which for me is asking ‘who is supporting those who support the innovators’,” she said.

“Where are the chambers of commerce or the co-working space operators who are working with their own community and how can we support them?

“I don’t need to be everything to everybody but I want to be able to use this role to be able to connect people when they need a champion. I want to help those people who don’t get invited to the table. I want to make sure they’re invited and if they’re not invited ask why.”

Queensland’s chief entrepreneur Julia Spicer.

Ms Spicer grew up on a cattle station north of Roma. She went to small schools in the area and then boarded at Downlands College in Toowoomba before studying at the University of Queensland at Gatton.

She studied environmental management and initially sought a career in the national parks. She later worked in the horticultural industry, and with landcare and catchment groups as well as Indigenous people, before eventually arriving in Goodiwindi 16 years ago and “never went home”.

“Goodiwindi is a dynamic community in that every part of the agricultural supply chain from farming through to manufacturing is there.  It also has a rich Indigenous history which  was very important to me,” Ms Spicer said.

Goondiwindi  was also where she met her husband Tony who is a partner in many of her ventures as well as their hobby farm.

She founded her business, Engage & Create Consulting in 2012 to support the viability and vibrancy of businesses and community organisations across regional Australia. Ms Spicer also founded The Goondiwindi Business Hub in 2013 which is home to eight businesses, as well as providing hot desking and short term accommodation for other enterprises.

Last year she and Tony opened The House4390 –  home to five female-led homewares and service businesses that were home-based prior to The House existing.

Along the way she was   named Queensland Rural, Regional and Remote Business Owner of the Year in 2017 and awarded an Order of Australia this year.

Currently, she is a board member on the Queensland Government Innovation Advisory Council, the Global Entrepreneur Network Australia and Motherland Australia which is a  not-for-profit organisation that connects rural mums.

Her past roles include board positions with Regional Development Australia for Darling Downs South West Queensland; the Queensland Government Small Business Advisory Council, YWCA Qld, and the Australian Land Management Group.

Queensland's new chief entrepreneur Julia Spicer. Photo: Tertius Pickard

Ms Spicer said her first taste of being an entrepreneur came on her family’s property 80km from Roma.

“Living there meant getting a part-time job when I was home from uni which was really pretty tricky,” she said.

“So some of my first investments were with my dad on our property. I actually took a loan and bought cattle and goats and we ended up being one of the first to send goats live overseas.”

Ms Spicer said it was important that budding entrepreneurs understood there was help available.

“The whole innovation ecosystem is available for everyone but we have to consider what it’s like to want to be part of an ecosystem when maybe you are the only person in your town or region or community working in this particular space,” she said.

“That means we have to think differently with the logistics of not living in Brisbane and I can help them identify that.

“We have to remember that what they are doing is contributing to the economic growth of the state, the community and their family.”