Hello, lovely. It's been a long time since I have recorded a podcast. But welcome back to the she's in business podcast. I am so thrilled to be here. And I guess launch into season four, after a brief hiatus, and for those of you who's missed it, our home underwent a massive renovation, which meant that my office, which is where I record, my podcast, literally became a construction zone. And with that came some pretty interesting and big downloads for me personally, of how I wanted to grow my business. And subsequently, since spending some time with those big downloads, those thoughts, that kind of those sort of revelations that come when life seems to be completely chaotic, if it I don't know why, but it seems like that's when the big downloads happen for me. But the evolution that that has, I guess, inspired for my business, is what I am going to be diving into here with you today. But let me give you the backstory first. So in February of this year, so 2023, after we had saved our pennies, and we've been living in our house for the past seven years, we decided it was time to do an overhaul. And thankfully, we had an incredible team which included you know, the typical tradies like build our plumber, plaster all of those guys. And we also had an interior designer. And that might sound a little bit like fancy to have an interior designer, but we really wanted our space to be as close to perfect as we could get it because, you know, we waited a really long time. And we had saved a lot of money. And we were investing lots of money. And we wanted to get it right. And I'm really glad that we had an incredible team in the way that we did. But because we had such an incredible team. When renovation started, it was full on it was like full steam ahead, walls were being done demolished. There were people in the roof, they were chopping out sections of our concrete slab There was dust and rubble and noise. And you know, we had massive openings, where our new sliding doors were going to go. We had no windows in our bathrooms, just big wide open gaps that went straight out into our property. And we live on a property that has some seriously big snakes out there. And there were many nights where I was playing out the stories in my head of pythons wrapping themselves around my kids, you know, and I have a big imagination. But that was the actual visions that I had. You know, when we were trying to live and sleep in the house, whilst all this was going on around us. You know, we had no kitchen, we had no laundry, we had plumbed up our old kitchen sink, which they'd kind of like just chopped out the kitchen sink part of what was our kitchen. And they ran a hose up to that in our backyard, we did the same thing with our washing machine. You know, and, like, I am grateful that we still had the functionality of those things. But you know, just the simple stuff like making lunches for the kids for school and cooking dinner. It was a mission, it was a huge mission. And the other thing that kind of took me by surprise, which sounds really stupid to say out loud, because I knew it was going to be but the amount of decisions we were making on a daily basis. There was serious decision fatigue that was, you know, present for both of us for both me and Troy. And I really wasn't prepared for how it would drain me mentally. But it did. And kind of midway through in like April, I had to really reassess how I was going to continue to be available to the building team to make all the decisions and give the directions that they needed. And also to be really available to the kids because they were just all over the shop. So just keeping them kind of stable. And trying to have some sense of normality for them was really difficult. Homework went out the window and let's just say that, and I also needed to show up for my business as for my clients, and so I had to look at things really objectively and work out what I could do to manage my energy and my head was so full it was becoming quite overwhelming and quite exhausting. So one of the things that got cut was this podcast. We finished our renovations was in late June, early July. And so really only now, which is August at the time of this recording, does it feel like life is finally kind of returning back to normal. And I will say it was completely worth it. My new house, I absolutely love, love, love, love. And I do just want to take a second right here to say thank you a really big heartfelt thank you for sticking with me, and waiting patiently for the return of this podcast. You know, I really do appreciate that. And the other thing that happened in that time, was that I realized that I wanted to evolve the direction of my business. And this really had been bubbling under the surface for quite some time. But I think up until the point that I kind of pulled back, because I was forced to pull back because of everything that was happening with the rhinos. When I did pull back, I that bubbling idea or that that evolution that I knew was there, finally was able to come to the surface. And I think up until that point, I've just been too busy, really. And maybe also, if I'm being really honest and transparent, I was a little bit afraid to make that change, right? Because we get comfortable in what we're doing and where we're at. And when we know that there needs to be an evolution and a change, it can sometimes be like, oh, yeah, but I know that that's going to take a lot of work. And do I really want that. And, you know, there can be a lot of things that keep us from making that change. So I did have a bit of underlying resistance there with that. But just like our homes, sometimes our lives and our businesses need a bit of a renovation to. And so my download or my renewed mission for my business that landed for me during this time, is that this podcast, my services, my socials, what you see on social media are all going to be a little bit different from this point on. So I'm going to be focusing on supporting and empowering and really celebrating the powerhouse that is regional business women. And I'm so excited about this, and it feels so right. But I do feel that I need to kind of share with you how all of this has kind of come about. So since the beginning, when I started this business, so remembering that this is my fourth business. Back at the beginning of this business, I had intentionally crafted and shaped this business. It wasn't just like, oh, that's a good idea. I'm just going to jump in and do it. I actually planned this out for months before jumping in, I took the time to really sit with the lessons and the mistakes that I had learned from my previous businesses, where I didn't want to end up with another business that was running me rather than me running it. And I wanted to work with the kinds of clients that were action takers that had big ambition and Dr. Just like I have, because, you know, that has always been, for me a really important factor, right? I want to work with people who are prepared to do the work, right. And for me, that has always been women. Because I feel like the women with all of our responsibilities that we have, to ourselves to our business to our careers, we also need to have other women in our corner to guide and to serve, to support and to help us. And that was my mission from the beginning when I started this business, and that hasn't changed. So that that still remains to be the thing that I am here for 100%. What has changed is the realization that as regional business women because I have been a regional woman my entire life, I've always lived in regional areas. And what I guess what landed for me is that running a regional business. It's so different. Right? There are amazing challenges and advantages that come with running a regional business that makes it very, very different. And even though I've always known that it kind of took a realization to go, Yeah, but that's the space that I need to be really supporting other regional businesses, other regional business women. So let's just dig into that a little bit more as to why I think this is so important.
So there are amazing advantages. As I mentioned, the community in a regional area is so strong. And because of that word of mouth is the most amazing tool for your business. News travels fast, when a new business opens up or when a business is releasing something new. And that's one of the amazing advantages of living in a regional place and having a regional business is that the people in the community are more than happy to get behind you and support you in your new endeavors. Right. So that's, that's one thing. There's also some really unique challenges. Logistics, you know, with sourcing stock break can be an absolute killer to your business, you know, it takes so much more time to get things to you, if you're shipping them in from somebody else. It's also an increased cost, because freight is never cheap, right to get the things in that you need, whether that whether you be a product based business, or whether you simply need stock within your business to operate the services that you have. And also, once you get the things that you need to wherever you are located regionally, then there's often a cost that comes in getting the things the services, the products, to your clients and customers, right. So sourcing things locally, was obviously the best option. But often, there's limited amounts of stock, there's limited amounts of variety, and it's generally more expensive to buy in regional areas. So you're kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place often, whether you buy locally, or you get it from somewhere else, it's always going to cost you more and often take more time for you to get it. The other thing that can be a unique challenge for regional business owners is that everyone knows everyone. So the flip side of the amazing word of mouth and community that can sometimes be really supportive for your business is the flip side of that is that everyone knows everyone. So the fear of failure is very much real, because it can become public knowledge overnight if something goes wrong inside of your business, right? Also, the lines between your personal life and your business life can become blurred very, very easily. I don't know about you, but when I pop down to the supermarket to pick up a couple of things, it is very high, there is a very high likelihood that I'm going to bump into some of my clients and customers. And that might be you too, right. And I know that there have been moments when I'm out at the supermarkets, and I'm not looking very professional, you know, it's the weekend, and my kids might be having a meltdown. Right? And you're trying to hold these conversations and, you know, it can be really hard sometimes, right? So there's another thing that makes life as a business owner in a regional place different. The other thing that I have found to be, I guess more prevalent in regional places, is the old school expectations have gender norms. So what I mean by this is that it can be a little bit more old school, when it comes to how women are seen to be what their places in the, in the home, in the economy, right? In that sometimes it can be really hard to break through the the outdated gender norms where it's okay to be running a business versus that your place is in the home. And, you know, this is not necessarily the case for everyone. And it does depend upon I guess how you voice this and how you handle this. But I know that for most, the partner, your husband, your partner is quite often the breadwinner. And therefore there are additional responsibilities for you in running your business and also running the household. And often in regional areas, your partner might be working long hours so you know there's shift work that quite often is the norm in regional areas. Your partner may also be called to do fight, fly in fly out work. So there can be a huge amount of responsibility that falls on the other person, which is quite often us right. So there's that that also comes into play as well. And the other big thing that I found to be quite frustrating, like actually really, really frustrating is that living in regional areas and all my life I've lived read Gianelli so I grew up in a regional area south of Perth in Western Australia. I spent quite a lot of time in remote areas of the Pilbara, which is 1600 K's away from the nearest city. And now I live in Tannum sands in Queensland, which is about 600 counties north of Brisbane, and the lack of business opportunities, the lack of training and workshops and the lack of business conferences, and networking. Sometimes it's close to non existent, or even maybe in your area, it is non existent. So this is something that I've often found really frustrating. Now, yes, of course, you can travel to metro areas. But that can be really expensive. It can also be really time consuming, because it's not just the time that you are attending that conference, or you're attending that workshop for like the one or the two days that you might be down there. But for me, I know that to make it to a major city in Australia usually means I have to stay overnight somewhere in transit to getting to where I need to go. So what would be a one day event now becomes a day either side, it's now a three day event, a three day conference now becomes a five day conference away from my family. So it's time away from family. For me, also, I have to fly up either my parents or my in laws, to look after my kids whilst I'm away, or I have to lean on my friends to have my kids because my hubby works shift work. He's gone from 430 in the morning, coming home at 730 at night on a day shift. And when he's on a night shift he's got at 430 in the morning, and he's not back until 7:30pm. Right? And then he sorry, 7:30am. And then he sleeps all day. So if I have to travel to the big smoke, for professional development, it impacts our entire family. Not only that, it's frickin expensive. So, you know, the, it's it's one of those frustrating things in running a regional business in that you want to be staying at the top of your game, you want to be knowing about what are the strategies? And the what are the things that you need to be implementing into your business to continue to grow your business? But how do you get all that knowledge? And how do you meet the people that have the knowledge that you need to learn from, if you can't make it down to those events, right. So running a regional business is different. And these are just a few of the things that for me, have impacted the way that I've been able to grow my business. And so this renewed purpose, my refined and improved purpose is to champion regional business women, because I know that there is an untapped powerhouse of potential in our regional corners. And we don't get the same opportunities for professional development and networking and support that you see happening in the big cities. So I'm going to solve that problem for you. And how am I going to do that? Well, I'm so glad that you asked. So the first way I'm going to do that is with this podcast, I'm going to continue to share my strategies, my tools, and give you the ideas and the ways that you can have not only business shifts, but also mindset shifts that are going to elevate and empower you. It's about making business knowledge more accessible, and ensuring that you never need to feel alone on this journey, no matter where you're located. I think that geography should never limit your potential for your business growth and the potential for your own personal growth right. Now, if I take this a step further, beyond the podcast, I'm bringing what has been up until now a back end offer to the forefront.
So let me explain. You've probably heard me talk about ready to rise. It's my eight week online course and group coaching program. It's been my signature course, after people have completed that course, I offer to anyone who wants to continue and to learn and to grow their business to join the soaring to success membership, which is why I've referenced it as a back end offer. Because to do that, first you need to have completed the ready to rise course and then off the back of that you can join the membership. But what I realized is committing to eight weeks can be a big deal. It can be a big commitment. Yes, you get big results from doing it. It's a fantastic course and everything in it is like it's so value packed and it's you know, maybe three or flights three to five hours a week, which isn't a huge amount of time but for some It's too much, you might already be feeling stretched and stressed by the amount of responsibilities that you're juggling. So for the first time, what I'm going to be doing is I'm going to make the soaring to success, membership available for you to join, without first doing the ready to rise program. And I'm going to tell you more about what's inside the soaring to success membership, that's going to make it different. But it's really about bringing professional development to you. So that you don't have to worry about the logistics of traveling to get your dose of professional development. I'm bringing the knowledge and the trainers and the guest experts to you inside this membership, which means you can access it from anywhere, anytime, in the comfort of your own home office. So in a nutshell, I want you to think it's like monthly master classes with me 60 minutes with me every month, and not only masterclasses with me but I also bring in guest experts as well. So it kind of alternates between a monthly masterclass with me or a monthly masterclass with a guest expert. And we talk about different topics. So we focus on a topic for the month inside the membership. We deliver a masterclass on that topic, and we give you action steps that you can implement into your business right away to move your business forward. So it's bite size is action orientated. And it's all driven towards the kinds of things that you want. So not only do I create the topics and go, I think this would be really great for my members right now. But if you have a particular need to something that you really want to learn about, you can hit me up for that, Hey, Don, we would really like to learn about this, can you slot something into the program, and I will go out there and I will either create it if it's within my skill set, or I will find someone a guest expert, who is at the top of their game, and I'll bring them in to present on that. The other thing we do is quarterly, 90 day planning sessions. To help you get the clarity you need to move your business forward and get the growth results you want to see. We also have quarterly online networking sessions to connect you to other like minded regional business owners who have you know, the they know what it's like, right? They they live in the same kind of world that you do. And it's beautiful to see the members that we already have inside of the soaring to success membership, when they connect, and they share ideas and they collaborate. It's a really beautiful community. The other thing that we do is I offer monthly accountability calls as well. So that ensures that if you need someone to kind of keep you accountable and keep you moving forward, you've got the option to do that as well. So in a nutshell, it's bite sized sessions with clear action steps for you to get the results you want. It's also how you can get the support you need. Having a business coach, which is me at your fingertips, and also a community of like minded business owners who are regional, they get it they get you and they get your business. So essentially, the soaring to success. Membership is like the trifecta. It's business training. It's mindset skills, it's community support, and it's for regional business women. It's making professional development accessible from the comfort of your home, which I think is so so so important. So you can tell I'm revved up right I am so pumped for this new evolution for shares in business. So what you'll be hearing on the podcast in the coming weeks is more about the soaring to success membership. I'm opening the doors in October, so you can join the waitlist. Now if you're interested, go to Donna hand.com forward slash waitlist. We already have a bunch of amazing women in there who previously have completed ready to rise the course and then have jumped into the membership. But as I said, I'm now bringing that membership to the forefront. I'm bringing it to making it more accessible for everyone. And I'm also going to be bringing guests onto the podcast who are also guest experts inside the membership to share their knowledge and their skills and you know, give you a bit of a taste as to what it's like inside the membership when we have guest experts come in and join us so you know talking about things like increasing your profit, AI mastery, recruitment, leadership, marketing, mindset, regional business grants. So so much is coming up for you inside of this podcast. I'm also going to be sharing with you my thoughts and my knowledge on business growth, leveraging your marketing and high performance con tips and strategies for your mindset plus there's going to be so much more. Well, I am so glad to be back and I am glad that you are here and along for the ride so stay tuned. Make sure you subscribe to this podcast. And if you are interested to jump on the waitlist now for when doors open in October, go to Donna hande.com forward slash waitlist. I'll see you next week.
