The League of Extraordinary Women – Launceston

Launceston inspires me in many ways; it has a strong sense of community, the picturesque Cataract Gorge a stone’s throw from the centre of the city, a variety of amazing vineyards a car trip away and the best fresh produce.  What I find truly inspiring about Launceston is the vast array of women founding and heading small businesses. The thing you need to know about these women is this; we are extraordinary!

Where do I find these women? I’m lucky enough to be a part of an organisation called The League of Extraordinary Women. Big title I know but we are all about letting women in business know just how extraordinary they are. We have events held locally every two months and have inspiring women in business speak.  We also have a glass or two of bubbles, a taste of some local produce and reward our guests with a fabulous goodie bag filled with generous gifts from local businesses.

The Mill Providore and Gallery space.

 

Mill Providore and Gallery

Tuesday 18^th of August we held our League event at the Mill Providore and Gallery located above award winning restaurant Stillwater.  70+ attendees arrived to watch and listen to Launceston bred business women Bianca Welsh and Kate Morris share their stories.

The wonderful thing about these events is each individual who attends takes something different away. Your experience and what you learnt and take on board will be different to mine and that’s what I love about it.

    Myself, Bianca and Kate.

BIANCA WELSH

Bianca Welsh, what an aspiring young woman! At the ripe age of twenty eight she has a success story to brag about, the surprising thing is that’s not her style.  She is in fact so humble she chooses not to hang her victories and awards in her restaurants.  Co-owner and manager of two award winning restaurants; Stillwater; www.stillwater.com.au and Black Cow Bistro; www.blackcowbistro.com.au she certainly has her work cut out for her.  She has learnt the fine art of juggling business and her personal life. At one stage, she was studying, working, selling her house, was moving into a new one and purchasing the Mill Providore and Gallery.       

Bianca is determined and knows that persistence and hard work pays off. She is passionate about raising awareness around mental health issues in the workplace and that as employers, it is our responsibility to create an environment that supports these issues not masks them. It was Bianca’s request that 10% of all sales from the Mill Providore and Gallery on the night go towards Beyond Blue; we also donated all monies collected from raffle, raising a total of $418.  

What I Learnt from Bianca

Here’s what I took away from Bianca’s presentation that evening.

·         I learnt that we can’t please everyone and we have to stop worrying about trying to make everyone like us.  

·         I love that no matter what Bianca achieves she still strives for more.

·         She believes in giving back to the community and supporting the public school system.

Bianca Welsh.

KATE MORRIS

I remember the exact moment Kate Morris and I met and exchanged words. At the league event prior to commencement, we introduced ourselves and she introduced me to a very firm and assertive handshake. Eye contact was made and I was very impressed (note to self - work on the handshake).

I’ll be honest I didn’t know much about Kate prior to the event which excited me even more to learn about her story. Kate Morris is the creator, owner and business developer of the very successful beauty and skincare website; www.adorebeauty.com.au. Despite being in the fashion biz, my personal shopping is rarely done online, however I was intrigued and willing to listen and learn. Firstly Kate is hilarious! I mean the girl is from Launie she has the swagger, the sense of humour and just the right amount of bogwah.

       Kate Morris.

She had the dream of starting her own online beauty store before instagram and facebook and online shopping. She was laughed at, turned down and told to walk away when requesting financial support. If anything this fuelled her to continue on. She borrowed $12,000 from her boyfriend’s parents and started to make her dream a reality. She approached many beauty brands that laughed in her face - what’s laughable now, is they are coming to her for business. 

Kate believes that everyone will say yes eventually if you persist, she’s waiting on Chanel but with her hunger something tells me they’ll succumb soon. Her advice to budding entrepreneurs is to not worry about planning the perfect plan; it isn’t realistic, just put one foot in front of the other and start putting your ideas into action. Having an idea doesn’t make you an entrepreneur; it’s the action that follows. She believes having a business coach can help guide you with your vision and implement strategies that help you reach your goals.

 Ladies checking out the free Macroons.

Kate ensures that Adore Beauty hires experts in their fields to ensure they listen to their customers’ needs and tailor specialised advice back to them. Although the relationships built with her customers aren’t face to face, she strives to make the customer experience as special as possible. The beloved Tim Tam is added to her deliveries as well as free beauty and skin care samples.

What I Learnt from Kate

·         Kate touched on the importance of networking with like-minded people in business;

·         To put yourself out there and get talking because it isn’t what you know in business it is who you know!

This is what I love about the League. I walked away from this event feeling inspired on so many levels.  I’d love to hear about your personal experiences. Who has inspired you most? What do you like to hear from a motivational speaker?

Thank you to our amazing speakers Bianca and Kate.  Thank you to the fabulous Launceston league team; Cathryn, Jo, Sarah and to Allison Cosker our wonderful photographer.

 

If you're interested in the League and events going forward check out this website: http://leagueofextraordinarywomen.com.au/