Discuss.+Edition+21.+Inspiring+Mums+

Transcription

Introduction
Discuss. Edition 18. 19 April 2012
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Introduction
In This Paper
Inspiring Mums - Celebrating Mother's Day 2012 .. 1
Therese Kerr – Bottling Inner Beauty with
Daughter Miranda .................................................. 2
Deborah Thomas - Editor With Heart .................... 4
Dr Catriona Wallace – Entrepreneur, Mum &
Philanthropist ..........................................................7
Liane Shannon – How A 'Miracle' Daughter
Inspired A New Fashion Label ............................... 9
Mother's Angels - Dena Blackman & daughter
Danielle Robertson ................................................ 11
Alison Bolakis – A ‘Crafty’ Mum............................ 13
Enquiries
Mary-Anne Dibbs
02 9118 7386
[email protected]
© Commonwealth Bank of Australia
ABN 48 123 12 31
Discuss. Edition 18. 19 April 2012
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Introduction
Inspiring Mums Celebrating Mother's
Day 2012
Master and Miss' Liane Shannon - Liane's
'miracle' daughter Emma inspired one of
Australia's newest fashion labels - Master and
Miss is 100% certified organic, all-Australian
made and kind to the environment as well as
children's skin.
Napoleon Bonaparte once said: The
future destiny of a child is always
the work of the mother. This week
our focus is on inspiring Mums as
we celebrate Mother's Day 2012 and we invite everyone to share
their stories of their own amazing
Mum!
Dial An Angel's Danielle Robertson - When
Danielle was born, her mum Dena Blackman
wished she could 'dial an angel' to help her
around the home. She turned that wish to
reality, founding Australia's leading home and
family care agency Dial An Angel. When Danielle
was old enough she joined her Mum's company now she runs it!
This paper
In this discussion paper we share the stories of
these inspiring mothers:
KORA Organics' Therese Kerr - she's CEO of the
company founded by her supermodel daughter
Miranda and together they're bottling their 'inner
beauty' along with generations of family values
that are as integral to the KORA Organics
skincare range as its certified organic and
natural ingredients.
Mums Who Make's Alison Bolakis - Alison is one
of our community's 'craftiest' Mums. Her
business supports mothers - and everyone else who loves making crafty and creative items for
sale. Alison also makes a soy candle range and
gives us some tips to ignite our own creative
flair.
Discuss
The greatest inspiration my Mum gave me…
Join the discussion at womeninfocus.com.au
Australian Consolidated Press' Deborah Thomas
- the nation celebrated when Deborah became a
Mum aged 46. Her son Oscar is now nine and
Deborah remains one of Australia's most loved
Mums and popular media personalities. As the
longest reigning editor of The Australian
Women's Weekly, she's told countless Australian
stories and in this week's Discuss paper she
shares her own story with the Women in Focus
community - you're sure to be inspired by the
journey of the shy school girl who became
Australia's 'editor with heart'.
Fifth Quadrant's Catriona Wallace - she's another
popular media personality and Women in Focus
blogger. Catriona's also a leading entrepreneur
and owner of three successful companies, but
this week our focus is on the philanthropic funds
her five children inspired.
Discuss. Edition 21. 10 May 2012
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Therese Kerr
Therese Kerr – Bottling
Inner Beauty with
Daughter Miranda
KORA Organics skincare range as its certified
organic and natural ingredients.
“Our products are high active, low preservative
and made from incredibly nutritious ingredients
but I truly believe that it is the intent behind not
only our products but the company itself that
causes us to get the results we are getting with
people’s skin,” Therese says. “Each one of our
products carries an affirmative word so that
when our products are used the energy or
vibration of that particular word filters through
the product onto the end user - that’s our intent.
We also filter all of the liquid used in the
manufacture of our products through Rose
Quartz Crystals. Rose Quartz crystals are
associated with the vibration of love – this intent
forms the basis or the foundations of our
products and our business.”
The autumn sun catches the sparkle
in Therese Kerr’s sea blue eyes.
“It’s an incredible and beautiful
place we sit in,” she muses as a
perfectly crested wave crashes on
the Sydney beach she calls home.
It’s easy to trust Therese’s word when she says
KORA Organics products are ‘amazing’. The
daughter of hoteliers in the NSW country town of
Gunnedah, she still embodies the warmth and
genuineness of an Australian country ‘pub’. But
her words are backed by countless testimonials
on the KORA Organics blog which attracts half a
million unique visitors each month.
But Therese is not referring to the natural
environment, rather the company she’s created
with her supermodel daughter Miranda. Both
glow with health, vitality and natural beauty, but
in KORA Organics they’ve bottled an inner
beauty and a lifestyle that runs deep in the
family genes.
Those testimonials pepper Therese’s
conversation – one is from a woman who’d
suffered from horrendous Eczema for 15 years
and was freed from the discomfort after using
KORA Organics for just one week. “How on
earth can you ever put a price on the difference
that can make to someone’s life,” she asks.
“We are creating products that make such a
huge difference to people’s lives, not just their
skin,” she says. “And we are so very blessed to
have someone with such a high profile as
Miranda to help us share them with the world.”
Therese relays each testimonial with a passion
that confirms the ‘intent’ is genuine. Another is
from a young girl who blossomed after she
discovered KORA Organics and her acne
vanished.
Each KORA Organics product carries a single
word such as happiness, joy, contentment,
gratitude, acceptance, love, compassion and
empathy. The product words are based on Dr
Masaru Emoto’s theory of vibrational energy
where positive thoughts and words can alter the
molecular structure of cells, but they also
embrace values that Therese’s mother and
grandmother nurtured. Those values, passed
down the generations, are now as integral to the
“Not only did KORA Organics help her with her
skin problems but more importantly our
products helped lift her self-esteem, to allow her
to see herself in a different light and that is truly
beautiful,” she says. “The difference KORA
Organics is making on a broader scale is what
drives both Miranda and me – it’s far more than
skin deep.”
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Therese Kerr
As corny as it may sound, KORA Organics
products are made with love and their users
become part of KORA’s extended ‘family’,
connecting with Therese and Miranda through
blogs, emails and personal interactions. Some
have also joined the KORA Organics family
business which also includes Therese’s husband
of 30 years, John, son Matthew and in-laws
David and Jane. Therese is CEO but ultimately
they all report to Miranda, KORA Organics ‘hands
on’ founder.
Therese sees KORA Organics as a lifestyle choice
and openly encourages everyone to really
nurture, appreciate and respect their body by
filling it with highly nutritious food as well as
giving it highly nutritious natural, certified
organic products from the outside.
“Nature has the answer to all our questions, it is
just a matter of being open to it and learning,”
she says. “One of KORA Organics core values is
education. Our goal is to provide information
where people can take from it what serves
them, leave what doesn’t but hopefully be in a
better position to make informed choices as to
health.”
Therese is an intriguing mix – she says she’s
always been very spiritual and artistically gifted,
but she’s also super smart and has an incredible
work ethic. You can also add amateur
philosopher to the list. While the values
embraced in the words on the KORA Organics
products were instilled through generations of
her family, Therese’s ‘choice’ ethos happened,
almost overnight, when she was 18.
“I’d been married a year and was pregnant with
Miranda when Mum died suddenly of a heart
attack - she was just 50, there one minute and
gone the next,” Therese remembers. “We were
incredibly close, she was a beautiful women in
every aspect and I loved her so much. There
literally wasn’t a day go by when I didn’t tell her
I loved her. That’s why it was such a shock
when she died – it was the time in my life when
I truly needed her most and she wasn’t there.
For a while I didn’t know how I was going to get
through losing her but because I was pregnant I
knew I had to so I created a way of “being”. I
could choose to “be” miserable or I could choose
powerfully to be courageous, to be thankful for
the time we had shared. I chose to be
courageous and to be thankful for every minute
we had. I also chose to embrace all of the
wonderful qualities of my mother in the hope
that I could pass them on to my child.”
Therese has lived by that philosophy ever since.
“I believe we all have the power to choose how
we live our life – moment by moment,” she
says. “If something happens that negatively
impacts us, in that moment we have a choice.
We can choose to be angry, upset or bitter – or,
we can choose to be compassionate, accepting,
understanding or possibly even grateful for
having had the experience.”
Therese says she became a ‘pain in the neck
overachiever’ following her mother’s death –
she’s applied her business acumen and
accountancy credentials to award-winning
businesses that range from law firms and stockfeed manufacturing companies to restaurants
and now Miranda’s Certified Organic skin
business.
“Mum was an incredibly hard worker and in my
own mind I desperately wanted to emulate her
and become a person that I knew she could be
proud of,” she says. “I spent most of my life in
a story that I had created in my own mind that I
had to prove to myself and my mum that I could
be anything she had ever hoped I could be. Now
I realise she would have already been proud of
me anyway – the story that I had to prove
myself to mum for her to be proud was just that
– a story. Isn’t it amazing the torture we put
ourselves through?”
Therese’s pride in her own children is tangible.
“They’re good kind people who try to make a
difference to people’s lives,” she says.
“Miranda’s more beautiful on the inside than the
outside – and, so is Matt – Matt would give his
last cent to someone who needed it, he truly has
a heart of gold and I am indeed extremely
blessed to have two of the world’s most beautiful
children share my life.”
This article is published at womeninfocus.com.au
You can connect with Therese at KORA Organic by Miranda
Kerr.
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Deborah Thomas
Deborah Thomas Editor With Heart
“The other kids called me ‘Stork’, I was always
chosen to be the ‘boy’ in dance classes and the
deportment teacher told me how to wear
horizontal stripes so I would look shorter!”
Deborah’s youth says much about the person
she is today. Her mother worked as a successful
PA to ‘super bosses’ and taught her children that
financial independence equals freedom.
Deborah’s father encouraged her to open the
door to ‘The Salvos’ and, by osmosis, imparted
some handy leadership and business skills. His
work took the Thomas family to Pakistan where
young Deborah watched as he integrated the
factory interests of his English employer into the
local community and introduced superannuation
and care programs for his local employees.
The presence of Deborah Thomas
looms large in the Australian media.
She’s the ‘scary’ advisor to Mr
Bouris in the hit TV show Celebrity
Apprentice and an opinion leader on
a myriad of other TV and radio
programs.
She’s also been an editor of Cleo, Elle and Mode
magazines, the longest reigning monarch of The
Australian Women’s Weekly and the mastermind
behind the iconic title’s reincarnation at the turn
of the century. For more than two decades
Deborah’s style and flair have graced the upper
echelons of ACP’s Sydney publishing tower, but
it’s hard to imagine her wearing Prada.
Deborah also towers in stature, though you don’t
notice that at first – the frypan in her Gucci bag
is a distraction, but her smile is the deflection.
Warm, welcoming and distinctly ‘not scary’, it
overshadows her height. Deborah’s candid
revelation that the now confident woman was
once a very shy schoolgirl is the prompt that
draws attention to her supermodel physique.
Aged 10 she was nearly 180cm but, back then,
‘tall’ was definitely not 'cool'.
“Looking back I can see how privileged we were
because we grew up with six years of Raj-style
colonial living - we had a cook, driver, butler and
nanny but they were all just part of our big
Pakistani family," she says. "And within all that I
saw the way my father operated so we were
never little brats and we were never made to
feel we were privileged or in any way superior to
anyone else.”
Nothing changed when the family returned home
to Sydney, then Melbourne – Deborah’s shy
childhood was filled with toffee stalls, count-thejelly-bean competitions and visits to the local
hospital.
“I can still see myself at that hospital now,
proudly wearing my Red Cross veil,” she laughs.
“Maybe I’m a frustrated nurse!”
Her dream was to become an artist and Deborah
found friends and confidence when she went to
art school, instantly clicking with the ‘slightly left
of centre crowd’ of musicians, artists, fashion
designers and writers who embodied
Melbourne’s Bohemian movement of the late
1970s. Bonded by creativity, it was a crowd that
embraced difference and a friend encouraged
Deborah to use her height to her advantage.
She became a model and lost her shyness on
the catwalks of Paris and Milan.
“I was always shy at school because I was
teased so badly about my height,” she recalls.
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Deborah Thomas
“My first job in Europe was with Givenchy so
that was a great thing for a girl from Melbourne
who’d been told she’s ‘Miss Too Tall’ here,” she
remembers.
Modelling quenched Deborah’s youthful thirst for
travel, but when she returned to Australia she
studied theatre design at NIDA and then found
work in television as a graphic designer. In her
spare time she produced and hosted a
community radio program and contributed
stories, artwork and photography to street
magazines. It was a path that led her to
Australian Consolidated Press in the late eighties
and her artistic flair and eye for a story took her
on a fast track to editor status.
“I’d told many stories through my art and I don’t
see a huge shift from canvas to writing,” she
says. “A lot of successful editors come from
artistic backgrounds because you have to
understand visuals, but it’s a combination and
always a team effort so, if I’m editor, I have a
strong journalist as deputy editor.”
By 1999 Deborah had increased the readership
of three titles under her charge and, when
another publishing house wanted to poach her,
the lure to stay was The Australian Women’s
Weekly - not because of the prestige, the pay
packet or even the challenge, all were big but
could be found elsewhere. Rather, the hook was
the obligation that is inherent in the
custodianship of an icon that has the power to
reflect - and ‘give back’ to – a nation.
Kerry Packer believed Deborah was the person
to take his flagship title into the 21st century,
but he never knew she’d published her first
'edition' of The Weekly when she was just 12.
“I was off school for two weeks, quite ill, so I sat
in bed and made a ‘Women’s Weekly’ for my
Mum,” she recalls. “I wrote all the stories,
including the fiction, and did all the illustrations
and the advertisements. I remember Mum
laughing because I wrote one of the fiction
stories in the first person and she subtly pointed
out that as ‘I was shot dead’, it might not have
been possible to tell my story!”
It’s a cute and prophetic anecdote, but not told
in the context of her childhood. Rather, the
memory is sparked as Deborah recalls the
responsibility she felt when she took the reins of
The Weekly. The iconic title was launched in
1933 and became a canvas of Australian history,
a reflection of our mood through wars, triumphs
and tragedies. Long before the advent of
television, The Weekly was painting pictures of
situations and emotions through the eyes of
Australians at the frontline of the news.
Deborah’s mother and grandmothers, their
friends and probably their husbands also, had all
read The Weekly.
“I felt like it had lost its way a bit and was in
danger of going ‘tabloidy’,” she says. “I wanted
to bring back the ‘heart and soul’ of what I had
remembered The Weekly to be. My mantra when
I took over was to actually talk to the people
rather than talk about them, tell the real stories
and tell them well. My aim was to create a
culture of excellence in a mass market product.
To me, being ‘mass’ didn’t mean you had to be
‘less’ – the idea was to be the best.”
Turning her vision to reality almost broke
Deborah. The tough decisions needed for change
did not come easily, the workload was around
the clock and she became exhausted convincing
the quality writers and photographers who’d
abandoned The Weekly to ‘come with me, trust
me’ on the journey. After seven months she
began wondering if she really needed all the
pressure and resistance when Kerry Packer
phoned to let her know she was ‘doing a great
job’. Be it canny or unwitting, the
acknowledgement of her efforts inspired
Deborah to push on with the challenge of
change.
Deborah never wavered from her mission, but
equally was not silly or arrogant enough to ‘do it
her way’ without a good sounding board so she
enlisted the help of former CLEO editor and her
former boss, Lisa Wilkinson one day a week as a
consultant. These days Lisa is a TV host and
close friend, but her early career was as a
magazine editor and she was the mentor who
had guided Deborah in her first editing roles.
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Deborah Thomas
Having Lisa’s trusted and respected voice in her
corner was the added courage Deborah needed
to stay true to her conviction.
In May 2002 she sat at the Magazine Publishers
of Australia Awards in the quiet knowledge that
it had all been worthwhile as The Australian
Women’s Weekly was called as the winner of an
advertising award, a marketing award and then
the top accolades - Editor of Year and Magazine
of the Year. The spoils of that night sit behind
closed cupboard doors along with numerous
trophies that have followed, but one statuette
perhaps means more than the rest – it honours
The Weekly for General Excellence in the Mass
Women’s Category.
After a decade at the helm of The Weekly
Deborah resigned her editorial post because she
“didn’t want to become the John Howard of
magazines” and took a newly created role as
ACP’s Director of Media, Public Affairs and Brand
Development – which also explains the fry pan
in the bag.
While clichés had no place in The Weekly under
Deborah’s reign, you often hear one describing
her – ‘tough but fair’. As her story unfolds the
overwhelming impression is that Deborah also
operates with compassion, which makes her the
antithesis of Meryl Streep’s self-obsessed
magazine editor in The Devil Wears Prada.
Maybe Deborah was born to nurse, but her
healing powers were extraordinary as the editor
‘with heart’.
Deborah continues to ‘give back’ to the community in
a range of voluntary not-for-profit roles – the latest,
inspired by actress Rachel Ward, is as an Ambassador
for YWCA NSW. To find out more about the work of
the ‘Y’ visit Inform Me.
"Licensing," she says. Responsibility for
developing new revenue streams through ACP’s
books and consumer products as well as
promoting its 50-plus magazine titles is all part
of the new role.
Another office cupboard contains ‘milestone’
editions of The Weekly, including one that
features the celebrity foursome Nicole Kidman (
on the cover), Sarah Murdoch, Rachel Griffiths
and Kerry Armstrong , all wearing gold dresses it symbolises one of the core reasons Deborah
‘wanted The Weekly’.
The magazine that speaks to millions of
Australians was ‘gold’ in terms of fuelling the
philanthropic streak she shared with both her
father and Kerry Packer. During her 10-year
reign Deborah rallied her creative flair, business
nous and high profile friends to create ‘Gold
Week’ for the Sydney Children’s Hospital and
countless other innovative campaigns that have
raised awareness and funds for causes ranging
from breast cancer to sick children, from
conserving wildlife to supporting bombing and
tsunami victims.
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Catriona Wallace
Dr Catriona Wallace –
Entrepreneur, Mum &
Philanthropist
How has your work with Indigo inspired a
new philanthropic venture, Kids In
Philanthropy?
Dr Catriona Wallace is an
entrepreneur and owner of three
successful companies - Fifth
Quadrant, ACA Research and
Avoclean. She is also an author,
media commentator, leading analyst
in the customer service industry and
prolific Women in Focus blogger.
But as we approach Mother’s Day
2012 our focus is on Catriona’s two
philanthropic funds, inspired by her
five children.
So Kids In Philanthropy is a newly formed
philanthropic sub‐fund of the Sydney Community
Foundation, which I founded with Indigo and
also my son Saxon. Our aim is to engage
children between the ages of 5 and 18 years,
and their families, in an annual program of
active philanthropy where activity is focused on
raising awareness about areas of need in their
own city, and providing opportunities for these
young people to take a leadership role in
addressing these areas of need.
Can you tell us about Indigo Express and its
work?
There are two sides to Kids In Philanthropy –
one is focused on getting more advantaged kids
involved in giving and the other side is spending
time with mothers and children from
disadvantaged communities such as indigenous
communities and refugee communities so they
can tell us of their needs. One of our initial
projects is partnering with Fairfield City Council
to start after care programs in the Fairfield
district. We are focusing on the 8-12 year olds
because this is a very under-funded group. The
program will provide a place for high risk kids to
come to where they will be involved with
technology, literacy, nutrition, art, sport and
music. Fairfield is an amazing city with strong
I founded Indigo Express with my 10 year old
daughter Indigo, who has a reading disability
and we fund literacy programs for children who
are disadvantaged. The main program we have
developed and funded is the National Centre of
Indigenous Excellence Literacy Program for
Indigenous young people.
Indigo speaks with me at all our functions,
talking about her story and why we started
Indigo Express. As a result of that we had many
parents telling us they’d love their own children
to be involved in philanthropy. So in partnership
with the Sydney Community Foundation, I
reflected on this probably six months ago and
thought there had to be a great avenue for
parents, aunts, uncles, guardians and
grandparents who are concerned that the kids in
their lives might not being growing up with as
broad a social conscience as they might - and,
that being involved in philanthropy would be
something great for establishing those values in
kids at an early age.
How does Kids In Philanthropy also address
disadvantage in many Sydney
communities?
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Catriona Wallace
Sudanese, Assyrian and Vietnamese
communities - these children are very proud of
their heritage and want to share and express it
through music, art and sport.
Is cultural exchange also a goal with Kids
In Philanthropy?
Yes, one of our goals is to create a safe cultural
exchange as we build relationships between
children from all backgrounds and all areas of
Sydney. In helping each other we hope all
children involved in Kids In Philanthropy will also
learn from each other.
What’s your advice to other mums who’d
like to become more involved in
philanthropy?
Most mums I know are keen to be able to give
more, whether in kind or financially, even in
small amounts, however they are often unsure
about how to do this. Also many mums are now
a bit jaded with just handing out money for
charities they or their kids have no connection
with. Kids in Philanthropy provides a wonderful
vehicle for mums (and other adults) to join with
their children to go on a philanthropic journey
together.
You can connect with Catriona on the
Women in Focus Community
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Liane Shannon
Liane Shannon – How
A 'Miracle' Daughter
Inspired A New Fashion
Label
washing powder. Nothing worked so I wondered
if her clothing may be causing the rashes.”
Clad in Master and Miss, Emma’s skin is now
clear and the range also delivers a bonus on
those laundry days.
“You can feel the softness in the 100%
certificated organic cotton we use to make the
garments and I was also really surprised how
well they wash – that’s how I know they’re good
quality,” she says.
Her ‘wish list’ also included offering value for
money and designs that were fashionable but
also practical and comfortable. The
overwhelming response to her fledgling label
indicates she’s also hit those marks.
Liane Shannon’s life is intertwined
with the thoroughbred racing world
and she aimed for a trifecta when
developing one of Australia’s
newest fashion labels, Master and
Miss – she wanted it to be a winner
for children’s skin, the environment
and the Australian economy.
“We wanted to tick as many boxes as possible –
100% organic, Fair Trade, Sweatshop-free and
Australian-made,” she says. “The idea was to
differentiate the label from all the children’s
brands currently being imported to Australia and
to guarantee our customers that every Master
and Miss garment they purchase is supporting
the Australian economy and keeping Australians
employed.”
Her organic children’s clothing range ticks all
those boxes, but was originally inspired by her
quest to find clothing for her 2-year-old
daughter Emma.
“Emma’s skin kept breaking out in blotchy
patches and we couldn’t work out why,” she
says. “We tried everything from changing her
diet, the products we bathed her with and our
Liane’s previous career was sales in the
telecommunications industry, but she’s always
had a passion for design. “I love anything that’s
well designed, it could be a garden, furniture or
clothing,” she says. “Whenever I’ve travelled or
lived overseas I’ve spent hours in design stores
and I could look at material swatches all day!” In
designing the Master and Miss range, her focus
was on the basics.
“I wanted to design a basic wardrobe for kids
and the plain jersey long pants for boys are my
biggest seller, along with long sleeved navy teeshirts,” she says. “My thinking behind every
garment is that ‘boys will always be boys’ and
mums will always want their daughters to look
like little girls. Mostly I wanted the clothes to be
comfortable and feel good to wear.”
Liane searched for Australian organic cotton
when she was developing her label - she found
it’s a non-existent commodity, but discovered an
Australian supplier who was importing organic
cotton and producing the fabric here. This led
her first to making clothes for Emma and then to
establishing an online shop and setting up a
small business. She knew it was a risk entering
the retail trade, but equally she didn’t want to
wake up in 10 years’ time wondering ‘what if’.
“This is a calculated risk, I haven’t invested
millions in Master and Miss – rather I’ve
reinvested some of my share portfolio in
something I have more control over,” she says.
“It’s been a massive learning curve, but
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Liane Shannon
throughout my career I’ve learned I have a good
ability to adapt. Rather than saying something’s
too hard, I’ve always tried to find another way
and learn. I’m a big believer that you have to
back yourself and take a risk if you believe in
something. I’m also longsighted – I don’t think
the retail downturn will last forever.”
Liane is pretty much a solo operator looking
after everything from ordering and design to
sales and marketing. The ‘we’ she so often
refers to is her partner Luke, who works as
assistant trainer to leading horse trainer Mick
Price. She met Luke in 2007 shortly after
returning to Australia following the breakup of
her marriage to another racing man, a
racecourse manager in Ireland. In her early
forties at the time, Liane had begun to accept
that her dream of becoming a mum was unlikely
to become a reality - Master and Miss is almost
symbolic of how quickly her life has turned
around. Luke is her rock and Emma their
‘miracle’ child.
“We offer a 100% money back guarantee on all
our garments and no-one’s ever sent anything
back,” Liane says. “We wanted to build
credibility and confidence in our product – we
wanted to give our customers the opportunity to
‘touch and feel’ our garments because we have
confidence in them. But we’ve since done a bit
of research and learned retailers who offer that
guarantee instantly reduce their returns by 90%.
It’s a tip we’re happy to share but, again, it all
comes down to believing in your product.”
You can connect with Liane on the Women in Focus
Community or at www.masterandmiss.com.au.
Also look out for Liane's special offer - to celebrate Mother's
Day 2012 she's offering Women in Focus members 25% off
all Master and Miss garments.
“It just goes to show you should never say never
and always look at the positives because you
never know where life's going to take you,” she
says. “When I left my husband and returned to
Australia, it was a pretty lonely time because I
had to rebuild my life and reconnect with my
friends, but I just got on with it and also took on
some new interests – I started doing triathlons
and then ironman events. I was quite prepared
to live my life as a single person and just tried to
keep myself busy doing things I liked when Luke
came along. We shared common interests in golf
and racing so that was fantastic and he was
quite happy to accept the fact we’d never have
children which I truly believed was the case.
Emma definitely is my miracle child – I don’t like
to keep harping on about how amazing it is to be
a mum because I feel for many of my single
friends who don’t have children, but Emma has
fulfilled me in a way that I didn’t know was
possible - I feel I really know what happiness
now.”
Luke’s also supportive of Liane’s venture and
they offer this tip for anyone else thinking about
taking a punt on the retail world.
| 10
Dena Blackman & Danielle Robertson
Mother's Angels - Dena
Blackman & daughter
Danielle Robertson
After the birth of her third daughter,
a young and tired mother wished
she could ‘dial an angel’ for some
extra help at home. This was the
catalyst for establishing Australia’s
leading Agency in Home and Family
Care.
DIAL-AN-ANGEL was founded by Dena Blackman
in 1967 after the birth of Danielle Robertson who
joined the company in 1986 and took over as
CEO in 2003.
What is DIAL-AN-ANGEL?
Danielle: DIAL-AN-ANGEL is a national Agency in
Home and Family Care. We remain Australian
owned and family operated. We provide care
and assistance to our clients in the home from
neonatal care, childcare, permanent
nannies/housekeepers, domestic cleaners, party
help (hospitality staff for the home), gardeners,
handymen, pet care/caretaking, companion care
to elderlies, attendant care, disability care,
nursing care and palliative care.
Why did you start DIAL-AN-ANGEL?
Dena: After the birth of my third daughter,
Danielle, I was having a few problems. This was
the first time in my life that I could remember
being really unwell. We called the local council to
see if there were any government agencies
which offered assistance in the home. We were
met with “we don’t provide home help – councils
/governments have no facilities for providing
help in the home”. I remember vacuuming the
lounge room carpet, I was still physically
depleted. “If I could only dial an angel” I said
aloud. Over the next two weeks, the idea for an
agency was formulated. I wrote down the
criteria I was seeking for someone to be an
Angel in my own home. The personality traits,
the skills and the attributes required were
specific and detailed as well as the almost
indefinable X-factor! I started to wonder how I
could go about getting this Angel business
started.
What was your first step in launching the
business?
Dena: In those days every bank had a bank
manager on the premises, I fronted up at my
local branch on the Pacific Highway at Lindfield
and asked if he was free to speak to me. I told
him what I wanted to do and he seemed very
impressed: “Yes I can certainly lend you $500 to
start the business, I will prepare all the
documents and you can take them home for
your husband or father to sign." I was stunned.
I said “My father has been dead for almost 10
years and my husband is less than enthusiastic
about the project anyway – can’t I sign the
papers myself?” He smiled benignly at me and
said “Banks don’t lend money to women who
have no income, no collateral and no prospects
– I am so sorry”. I had an idea, “If you take my
idea home to your wife and she thinks it is a
good idea how much money could you lend me
on my own recognizance”? He said he supposed
he could manage to “gamble” $200 on me. The
following morning at about 8.30, my phone rang
and it was the bank manager who said “My wife
thinks it’s a b***** brilliant idea – but I can
only let you have $200 on your own
| 11
Dena Blackman & Danielle Robertson
recognizance.’’ From the bank, I drove to the
North Shore Times office in Chatswood and met
the advertising editor who assisted me with the
layout and costing of the first advertisement to
go into the North Shore Times on Wednesday 15
March 1967. Immediately after the advert
appeared I had a waiting list of 22 prospective
clients before I had had time to interview my
first applicant and I hadn’t yet found office
premises!
Tell us about your mother-daughter
business?
Danielle: Dena and I have worked together since
August 1986. I initially worked as an Angel for a
period of time after leaving school - that was
more than 25 years ago. Dena is from the Baby
Boomer generation and I am from Generation X
- we definitely see things differently and at times
we do disagree. The business has grown
significantly but organically over the years but
one thing that hasn’t altered is our core values
and focus. We have a very special relationship
where we trust each other implicitly, we are
open communicators and we generally get on
very well. We have a good laugh and have a
good cry at times. We often finish each other’s
sentence. I call her Dena at work and mum at
home or when we are socialising. I don’t even
think about it - it just happens. I am indeed
fortunate to be able to have shared so much
time with my mother and take over the business
while she is still alive. I continue to use her as a
‘sounding board’ and not many people have that
opportunity once the founder retires.
What is your advice to mother-daughter
teams?
Dena: Enjoy being together and involved in your
chosen field. Because you work alongside each
other in business you should make time to enjoy
social activities together as well. Make lunch
dates where the two of you can relax and talk
about things not necessarily concerning the
business; devote time occasionally to family
interaction and try to ensure that the separation
of business and family activities works for both
of you.
Danielle: Two women working together can
make a formidable team in business.
Communication and trust are vitally important.
Openly discuss any issues and resolve them
rather than letting them fester and becoming
worse than they should have been.
You can connect with Danielle on the
Dena: A very special relationship exists between
Danielle and me. Possibly because we share the
same birth sign (she was born the day after my
birthday) or maybe because she has spent so
much time with me in the business. We tend to
think alike in most major aspects of the
company’s operation. We both share a high
sense of ethics and focus on our staff’s
contribution to Dial-an-Angel’s success.
| 12
Alison Bolakis
Alison Bolakis – A
‘Crafty’ Mum
Alison Bolakis was born to create –
the mother of three has always
enjoyed making things and now
she’s turning her focus to building
her two fledgling craft businesses.
How did Mums Who Make start?
Initially we began as a Facebook page in June
2010 to support all the mums like me – and
other people – who love making things and run
small creative businesses. But I always wanted
to turn it into a directory for people looking to
buy handmade things and launched the website
mumswhomake.com.au in March 2011. It’s
designed to help consumers source a range of
creative items made by businesses and
hobbiests – and there are heaps of us out there!
We have 33 categories – everything from
candles and decorations, to body and bath
products and gifts for every occasion. The
website also offers information about craft
classes, supplies and markets.
Is Mums Who Make primarily a business or
a hobby for you?
It’s a bit of both – I’ve always loved making
things and seeing what other people are making
so I really enjoy working on the website and
supporting creative people. It’s a service, but it’s
also a business that makes money from
advertising.
Do you have plans to grow the business?
Growth has been on my mind for the past six
months, but while I have heaps of passion, I
have zero business background. I started Mums
Who Make with no business plan, not even
anything jotted down on paper! When I get an
idea I want it yesterday so I just started Mums
Who Make, but now I’m keen to develop the
brand and also the wholesale side of my own
product range. I have lots of ideas buzzing in
my head, but I’m looking for someone to help
me give them some direction. I was fortunate
to win a $25,000 website in a competition for
start-up businesses so I’m in the process of
developing that and will be launching the new
look website in about six weeks. It’s still a
labour of love, but I’m hoping when the new
website comes along it will look awesome!
What’s the main product you make?
For nearly three years I’ve had my candle
making business, Alison’s Soy Candles & Melts
which also has a website. Soy candles are
massive in America and they started to take off
here about five years ago. Soy wax is derived
from soy beans – the liquid that isn’t used for
soy milk or other products is turned into a wax.
People like it because it’s environmentally
friendly - soy wax candles produce up to 90%
less soot than paraffin wax candles. They also
burn longer and cooler and they appeal to
people who suffer from asthma or allergies
because it's a cleaner and natural wax. I love
soy candles - my house is full of them! I
bought my first batch of ingredients for $86
tested and tested them – I gave my candles to
friends and family and put them on eBay and
they’ve just gone from strength to strength.
Where do you sell your candles?
Through the website alisonssoycandles.com.au,
but also at the markets and some of the bigger
shows. I always do the handmade craft markets
– I love the atmosphere of the markets and the
| 13
Alison Bolakis
ladies who sell there – they inspired Mothers
Who Make. And, it’s my time out of the house!
Where you always crafty?
‘Crafty’ runs in my blood – I couldn’t escape it. I
come from generations of knitters and
scrapbookers, my family’s always making things
but more as a hobby than a business. Although I
always remember Mum making baby gift baskets
and selling them to the local hospitals – there
were several places she sold to and she did
really well.
Did your Mum inspire your own craft
businesses?
In hindsight I guess she did – I had my first
market store when I was 14, selling hand
painted goblets. I’ve always looked for new
things to try to create – I’ve made so many
things that I could almost open my own craft
shop! But Mum was always just so encouraging
and really hands on with helping us with
anything to do with craft – our house was a bit
like mine is now with scissors, hot glue guns and
other bits and pieces taking over the dining
table.
but there are people like me who’d rather spend
$50 with a mum and know she can spend it on a
day out with her kids.
What’s your advice to anyone who wants to
start making their own creations?
Just to want to learn - even if they haven’t
crafted before, I’m sure everyone can find
something they enjoy making. It’s good for a lot
of the mums I meet also because it gives them
confidence, an outlet and the chance to make a
bit of money and be independent - even if they
just sell at the markets a couple of times a year.
You can connect with Danielle on the
Have you ever worked in a job that wasn’t
crafty?
I worked in hospitality for 13 years – always
cooking, I love that too. I worked in various
resorts and restaurants and also in a childcare
centre where I cooked three meals a day for 40
children. That was when we were saving to buy
a house, but in recent years I’ve been able to
get back to being more creative and really trying
to make a business out of what I love.
How big is the craft market?
Handmade in general has seen a huge boom in
last few years – I think there’s a growing
awareness of people wanting to buy locally and
to support the tiny micro businesses and people
who are having a go. It’s also about customer
service because you’re dealing directly with the
people who are making the products and you
come to know them and their stories. It’s never
going to be big enough to take on the big stores,
| 14
| 15

Discuss.+Edition+21.+Inspiring+Mums+

Transcription

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