Secrets to success: Five female entrepreneurs reveal all
Thinking of flexing your ambition? Five inspiring Aussie businesswomen reveal how they smash their goals — and how you can do it, too.
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From juice bars to budget advice, these five inspiring Aussie women know a thing or two about business.
Each has cultivated their personal success through failure, risk and knowing what they want.
Here they reveal how they smash their goals — and how you can do it, too.
‘I KNOW MY WHY’
Peta Shulman, creator of GoodnessMe Box
Peta always knew she wanted to start her own business, so when the PR graduate was inspired to create a wholefoods-sampling service in 2014, she didn’t waste any time making her dream a reality.
“I was sick with an auto-immune disease for a number of years, but when I cut out artificial ingredients from my diet, my symptoms improved,” Peta explains.
“I wanted to get other people excited about eating well, too, so I decided to create [the business] as a way to connect people with amazing brands.”
Although most small businesses fail within the first year, GoodnessMe Box bucked the trend — and it’s all thanks to Peta’s unwavering resolve.
“I think knowing your why is absolutely key when it comes to getting through tough times,” she notes. “I started the business because I didn’t want anyone else to go through what I went through, and that gives me the fire to keep going.”
‘I ONLY COMPETE WITH MYSELF’
Janine Allis, founder of Boost Juice
Despite having zero experience in creating or running a business, in 2000 Janine Allis decided to start one. On holiday in the US, she noticed the growing popularity of juice bars but thought she could do better.
So when she returned to Australia with her husband Jeff, they got to work on what would become the Boost Juice behemoth.
Fast-forward 19 years and Boost Juice has evolved into an international franchise and Janine has added other roles to her CV like executive director of business platform Retail Zoo, Shark Tank mentor, Survivor contestant and ambassador for Vistaprint Australia’s Why Factor campaign, where she advises small businesses.
And while her list of achievements is impressive, Janine is quick to note they haven’t come easily. In the early days, she sold her home and went without a salary for three years to keep Boost Juice afloat.
“In business there will always be problems, so you have to be a really good problem-solver,” she says.
“It’s easy to give up, but the difference between a successful person and someone who’s not is having the fortitude to keep going.”
Janine’s ambition is also fuelled by her desire to be a better person.
“Every day I strive to be better. Not better as in faster or stronger, just a better human being. I want to be the best person I can be and I don’t want to compete with anyone but myself.”
JANINE’S TOP TIPS
Commit to yourself
“The biggest tool you have is your diary, so write down your goal, whether it’s going for a walk or playing sport, and commit to yourself.”
Change “I want” to “I am”
“Constantly telling yourself ‘I want’ isn’t productive. Change your language to ‘I am’ and start to take action.”
Never stop learning
“There are lots of things that I’ve ticked off, but I feel like the highlights are still to come. The more you learn, the more you realise you’ve still got to learn.”
‘I WANT TO SET AN EXAMPLE FOR MY KIDS’
Thea Mendes, co-founder of Domuts
After she was made redundant in 2013, mum-of-two Thea was determined to provide for her family.
“I needed to boost my income, so I set up a weekend market stall and sold doughnuts from a local baker,” she explains.
“It was hard, but I have a strong work ethic and it provided a bit of pocket money for me while I was navigating my career.”
Two years later, the stall had become a success, but when Thea’s 11-year-old son Marcus had the idea to create dog-friendly doughnuts in mid-2016, the business was taken to new heights. Dubbed Domuts, the treats were gobbled up at the markets and a few months later, they’d gone from selling 30 doughnuts a week to hundreds.
“By then I was working full-time as an events executive, so I’d come home, start dinner then prep trays and trays of doughnuts. I was using my home oven and could only bake 30 at a time, so I’d wake up through the night to put the next batch in.”
Thea was running on empty, so in 2017, the business was put on hiatus — but that wasn’t the end of it. Encouraged by her family and inspired by her mother, a fellow business owner, Thea applied for the CGU Insurance Ambition Grant in early 2019 and won.
“I always knew Domuts was a great idea, but I didn’t know how to scale it. Thanks to CGU, I now have a business mentor, a plan and a commercial kitchen so we can produce 1000 doughnuts at a time.”
While Marcus is more into soccer these days, Thea has plans to expand the business into pet stores around Australia and develop an extended menu.
“I like to think I’m showing my children that ambition is a good thing to have and it should be encouraged. You only regret the chances you don’t take, so I’m excited for the future.”
THEA’S TOP TIPS
Start the day with purpose
“I always start with making my bed. It means I’ve accomplished the first task of the day and it kickstarts a chain of other good decisions.”
Fake it ’til you make it
“To overcome my nerves, I take a deep breath and smile, and eventually the confidence catches up to me.”
Set manageable goals
“Ambition comes and goes. To stay motivated, I break down my goals into achievable steps so I don’t feel overwhelmed. Once I’ve achieved something, I’m motivated to do more.”
‘I DO EVERYTHING WITH PURPOSE’
Tammy Barton, director of MyBudget
While working at a legal firm back in 1999, Tammy saw first-hand just how devastating financial hardship could be. Only 22 at the time, she was inspired to help people take back control of their money, so she started offering financial-planning services from her kitchen table.
“I helped a handful of people manage their money situation by developing their budgets, talking to their creditors and paying their bills for them.”
The business quickly picked up steam and now MyBudget has offices around Australia and manages more than $830 million on behalf of its clients.
“While my greatest achievement is knowing MyBudget has helped more than 110,000 Australians take control of their finances, my team and I are committed to building new technology that will allow people all over the world to be free of money worries. I don’t have ambition for ambition’s sake — I feel ambitious when I’m working towards something meaningful, and my goal has also been to eliminate financial stress in the community.”
‘I’M FUELLED BY THE SMALL WINS’
Brittany Bennett, director of Bennett PR
As a teenager, Brittany had no idea what she wanted to do when she finished school, but after working overseas as a model, she realised she wanted to go down another path. She decided to be proactive about it and to take control of her future.
“I didn’t want to wait to start over in a new career once I stopped modelling, so I moved back to Australia and asked my friends if I could tag along to their work to see what they did for a living, and that’s how I discovered public relations,” Brittany explains.
“After job hunting for a while, I eventually scored a six-month events internship at a Sydney PR agency, and at the end of the project I found full-time work.” While working for different PR agencies provided her with invaluable experience, six years later, in 2015, Brittany decided to take the plunge and start her own company. “I’m four years in and I’m still so proud,” she says.
“I never expected to grow enough to have staff, but now I have four and we’ve become the go-to agency for a lot of leading journalists in Australia. Every little win fuels my ambition and makes me want to do better — and I’m addicted to maintaining that standard.”
Although Brittany is quick to admit that running her own company can be challenging, her determination to succeed ensures she never stays down for long.
“I lose motivation sometimes, but I really enjoy pulling off exciting projects and seeing results. At the moment I’m building a new website and I’ve had a really bad experience with the developers, but I know my future goals won’t happen if I don’t keep pushing.”
AMBITION 101
Ever mapped out a goal or had dreams for your future? That’s called flexing your ambition — and it’s not a bad thing. In fact, according to resident b+s psychologist Jacqui Manning, engaging your ambition can help you better yourself, and your life. Here, she reveals the dos and don’ts when it comes to strength-training your ambition …
DO think about yourself
“Make sure your ambitions — big and small — mean something to you. You may have a friend or neighbour who values a flash car, but unless it resonates with you, don’t follow someone else’s ambition. Prioritise yourself by making time and space in your schedule to think, reflect and plan.”
DON’T let it go to your head
“You should be positive and goal-oriented but not obsessed. Flexibility of thought and action breed contentment, so if you notice you’re losing connection with yourself or your relationships, stop and ask yourself, ‘Am I on the right path?’ If you feel like you’re hurting others on purpose in your pursuit of getting what you want, it’s time to stop and reflect.”
DO celebrate the wins
“Enjoy any successes you have along the way. We live in a hectic, work-oriented culture that can sometimes feel toxic, but taking time to stop and acknowledge achievements can be a great motivator for the next goal.”