What has been your biggest challenge in business and how did you overcome it?

After moving back to Newcastle from Perth, finding suitable employment was the biggest challenge. I had done a Tafe course in Perth and had experience with working for well known employment agencies, mostly in data entry & clerical accounting positions. The flexibility of temp work suited me very well. After returning to my home town of Newcastle, jobs were scarce, so I asked for assistance from a government based job network group where I finally gained some part time employment. It was from this experience that I realised that I definitely needed to obtain more training and qualifications; hence I began by completing Certificate 111 in Financial Services.
 

If you had to start your business or employment again from scratch, what would you do differently?

I would have concentrated on gaining qualifications first then tried to find employment through private employment agencies in order to gain more experience.

Who do you admire and why?

Carolyn Cresswell – founder of Carman’s Kitchen.
She saw a business opportunity while she was still a teenager and after lots of hard work & some help from her family, she made the business grow to what it is today. I admire her initiative & drive.

It takes a lot of determination and dedication to succeed in business. What keeps you motivated?

I’ve worked very hard to achieve the next step in becoming a bookkeeper, which was to complete Cert 1V Financial Services-Bookkeeping. The freedom to do freelance work was a motivating force as I enjoy the variety and flexibility of such work.

What are your 3 biggest success tips?

• Be consistent, reliable and reasonable
• Maintain honesty and integrity
• Keep a sense of humour.