Women in Business & Regional Development

Tracy Seymour - Discovering New Attractions

Tracy Seymour is a Limestone Coast local through and through (6th generation Penola resident no less!) yet travel is in her heart. Just over six years ago, this bubbly mother of two launched her innovative accommodation booking service Coonawarra Discovery, matching visitors to the region with properties in Penola, Coonawarra, Naracoorte, Robe and Mount Gambier. The business has really started to build momentum, but rather than sit back and relax, Tracy has chosen to expand.

At the beginning of July, she added mini bus tours for two to eleven passengers to her portfolio of services.

"We've developed two products; a three and a half hour social tour with a random group of passengers which takes in around six wineries, or a full-day custom tour tailor made to a group's specific needs," she explains.

The concept has already been an overwhelming success (Tracy recounts the story about her second tour group which featured two couples who had never previously met...the passengers ended up getting along so well that they ended up going out for dinner together that night!)

"We're excited about the amount of interest that's been demonstrated - and we haven't even scratched the surface in terms of marketing," she says.

It's all just a matter of finding the time...which is why Tracy decided to sign up for the innovative new mentoring program 'Winning Links' which is the latest Australian Government-funded initiative of the Women Working @ Winning project.

"We were offered the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of leading Hamilton-based business professionals, and I could see that this could be a really helpful tool for my business," Tracy says.

The first to admit that her bookkeeping and time management skills need improvement, Tracy was hoping that her day spent with Kerr and Co Real Estate owner Anna Kerr would put her on the right track.

"I need organisation - particularly with a growing business, otherwise you don't know where to start," she says.

And while at first, Tracy questioned the relevance of being paired up with someone in real estate, she was pleased she decided to "run with it".

"It wasn't the type of business Anna was operating - it was how she managed all the things in her life which really appealed to me, and by the end of the day I was really impressed; it was perfect for what I needed," Tracy says.

"Anna is simply amazing - she runs a Real Estate business with a dynamic workforce and a family farm, while raising three young children...I was in awe of how she manages to accomplish all these things in a day, and she gave me some really valuable information which I'm already starting to put in place."

Anna introduced Tracy to a computer program which, although designed for real estate agents, has a holiday accommodation component which could be beneficial down the track. She also encouraged Tracy to write a list of (realistic) daily tasks each morning over breakfast, and introduced her to a new file management system.

"I returned home inspired by what I had learned, but also by Anna as a person - she really loves her life and is making it work for her," Tracy says.

Ann Pegler - Sweet Success

When Ann Pegler went looking for a career change from junior primary teaching, she stumbled upon a new business idea which was 'sweet' to say the least.

"I had always enjoyed playing around on the computer with graphics, so ideally I wanted to do something in this field," she explains.

While searching on the internet for new ideas, she came across a ripper: creating personalised candy wrappers for chocolate bars. The idea was an instant success.

"Everybody loves chocolate," Ann smiles.

Today, 'Sweet Business' supplies customised chocolate bars for weddings, conferences and private businesses such as Bed and Breakfasts. They're also a big hit at local markets, and with customers via the internet.

"I've just sent a box of my Lemon Myrtle, Wattle Seed and Native Pepper Berries range to an Aboriginal Bush Foods shop in Rockhampton after they found my website...this was definitely one of my most exciting orders," Ann says.

Ann believes that the success of her business lies with 'thinking big' rather than small - and she credits her participation in the Limestone Coast Food Group, Farmers Markets and Women Working @ Winning for her achievements thus far.

"It's been a wonderful incentive to get the feedback and networks - people really need to join groups and get every little bit they can out of conferences," she explains.

Ann says Women Working @ Winning's recent Full Day Strategic Alliance Workshop conducted by Ali Uren was particularly inspiring.

"With the bush foods chocolates in particular, I really feel that I've got a good product in a niche market, and I wanted to pick up some clues on how to market it better," she explains.

Ann says Ali taught her a great deal about focusing on the differentiation of your product, along with the importance of consistency when it comes to exact weights. There were also helpful hints about packaging (sell in boxes of 24 or 50 rather than individually), and cutting costs (produce wrappers in a cheaper format to halve your costs).

Kathy Mabon

Kathy Mabon has a personal motto which she applies to everyday life:

“Knowledge and talent kept to yourself has no value, but knowledge and talent shared is a powerful motivator.”

In Kathy’s case, the knowledge and talent is largely artistically-based. While she’s always been creative and has been formally trained in Fine Arts, she discovered her skills on a grand scale when she was commissioned to paint a mural at Kangaroo Inn Area School late last decade.

The Port MacDonnell Tourist Association caught wind of her talents, and before long, Kathy was hard at work producing a pictorial journey through the crayfishing town’s history which spanned a whopping 233 square metres .

Since then, the work has snowballed, with Kathy embarking on “a fun-filled journey” to destinations as diverse as the projects themselves.

Today, everywhere from a girl guide hall to Naracoorte’s Police Station is sporting her designs, as well as children’s bedrooms and old barns.

“I love what I do, and it’s not often that you get to do exactly what you love doing,” she reflects. “I believe that I was given a gift, and I love sharing it with people.”

Kathy works closely with health and aged care organisations and schools, teaching skills and promoting involvement for therapy, personal development and relaxation. Earlier this year, she also increased her scope by launching the Three t’Arts Studio in conjunction with fellow Women in Business members Tracy Seymour and Roz Minion.

“We all have our own businesses, so we sort of squeezed this in because we’ve got so much time,” Kathy says…tongue firmly in cheek. But she’s quickly admits that she’s loving it!

The trio offers everything from Arty Partys to Expression Sessions, inviting adults and children to discover the artist within.

“Our motto is ‘Art For All’ and we really try to promote creation as something everybody can do,” Kathy says. “A lot of people say they can’t paint or draw, but it’s all about self-expression and taking away any preconceived ideas and just creating.”

The Women in Business network has played a strong role in the group’s rapid success.

“We all believe that we should learn something every day and keep abreast of what’s happening in the region, and the network is an ideal way of achieving this,” Kathy says.

In May. she took part in the Hamilton-based link up of the ‘Winning Liniks’ program which is an Australian Government-funded initiative of the Women Working @ Winning project.

“I was paired up with a fantastic woman who specialises in human resources, and she really helped me out with planning systems and benchmarks,” Kathy says.

She also gained a lot of information about marketing her work overseas during a session with Austrade’s Bruce Rodda, and believes the best is yet to come – courtesy of this month’s Limestone Coast on Display event being held in Adelaide’s Rundle Mall.

“We have an Art for Hire service where people can hire our art to create more stimulating work environments, and this is a fantastic opportunity to get into the Adelaide market,” Kathy says.

“We also heavily push corporate packages which include team building sessions, accommodation and regional tours – it’s all about trying to bring people down to our region and showing them what it’s like.”

Marl Domaschenz - The Bees Beckon

Around six years ago, Ralph Domaschenz was sitting in the lounge room of his home at Thornlea, north of Beachport, when he made his wife Marl an unusual promise.

“He said ‘We’re going to have thousands of workers and we’re not going to pay super or workcover… but they’re going to flap their wings’,” she explains.

Her reply? “In your dreams!”

But Ralph wasn’t dreaming – instead, he bought 10 bee boxes and began fulfilling a quest which began with his father and uncle to produce pure, delicious, anti biotic and chemical-free honey. Marl, who admits to being terrified of bees, describes that first batch as being savage and black and “the most horrendous bees you’ve ever come across”.

But her husband remained unperturbed, and continued to collect swarms, buying in queen bees via express post from Queensland (at $15 a pop!). Today, the couple has more than 400 hives which are located at Dergholm, Padthaway, Willalooka, Marcollat, Hatherleigh… wherever there’s lots of trees and flowers which help produce the distinct flavours that make up the Beckonbees brand.

“We’ve got Blue Gum, White Gum, Hill Gum, Yellow Box, Stringy Bark, Grey Box, Strawberry Clover, Dry land Ti-tree, and others including our Premium Cherry Blossom,” Marl explains.

Pure bees wax and natural honey comb are also marketed according to requirements.

As a former taxation agent and worker in the disability sector, Marl is the first to admit that she never would have imagined making a business out of honey.

“Initially, I just took 19 one kilogram containers to a stall I was helping out on in Beachport, but it sold out within half an hour,” she explains.

Then came the inevitable requests for more.

“The local supermarket offered to sell it, the tourist centre wanted to buy some in smaller containers, while another person wanted it supplied in glass speciality jars,” Marl recounts.

There were also requests for pure honeycomb, creamed honey, and gift lines such as bluegum honey soaps, which are made by a woman in Millicent. Marl says the groups such as the Limestone Coast Food Group and Women in Business network have been invaluable in helping her establish networks and learn how to market her product.

“You’ve got to be open to suggestions, and some of the workshops they run are just amazing – I have learned so much by giving up a day or half a day, and it leaves you feeling motivated, reassured and confident. You’re never too old to learn, but you can also network and everybody really seems to care about you.”

Marl says it’s difficult trying to single out her favourite events, but described a recent WIB marketing workshop held by Ali Uren as “mindboggling”.

“She took a real interest in what we were doing, and spoke in a manner which was easy to understand,” she reflects.

“And the recent Limestone Coast on Display event in Adelaide’s Rundle Mall was also fabulous – I’ve already dispatched two orders, and I absolutely loved it!”

Kate McDonough

When Kate McDonough launched her business RedBlazers last year, her vision was to be a Leader in staging safe, professional and inspirational events that cater to the diverse needs of participants, sponsors, volunteers and the wider community.

The idea of the ‘Red Blazer’ referred to the concept of standing out in the crowd at conferences, so that people could readily recognise the ‘organisers’. But since choosing her name, Kate’s business plan has come full circle, and she would now prefer to remain almost invisible.

“My work should be about the event and its people – not about me – and I set up the structures to be seamless so that everything is professional and people don’t realise what is happening behind the scenes,” she explains.

Kate’s philosophy even extends to her visual documentation work.

“If people stand in front of my camera, I won’t ask them to move – I’ll move. It’s about capturing the event, and the best compliment I can receive is when someone tells me they didn’t even realise I was there.”

Kate’s role as an event co-ordinator isn’t the only thing that’s evolved – so too has the diversity of her workload, which has included helping with the visual documentation of an Aboriginal smoking ceremony at Penola Hospital and involvement in the organisation of Mount Gambier’s Gold Cup Carnival. As someone who is always open to change and new ideas, she has been a passionate member of Women in Business and Regional Development, attending as many seminars and events as she can.

“The main reason that I joined Women in Business was to network, and everything else (the learning etc.) is a bonus.  It gets me out of the home office and from studying, and makes me take on a more social role, which I have neglected for many years.  It’s also cheap, accessible and totally stress-free,” she says.

Women Working @ Winning’s recent Full Day Strategic Alliance Workshop conducted by Ali Uren was particularly inspiring.

“I realised that I need to re-do my business plan due to the fact that my ideas have evolved -  I need to make it reflect the right things and make it workable. I’m very passionate about how I do things, and I want to get that right before I progress too much further.”

Kate also took part in the innovative mentoring program ‘Winning Links’ which was an Australian Government-funded initiative of the Women Working @ Winning project.

“I was mentored by the Hamilton-based business professional Maree Willis from the Quality Inn Grange Burn, and some of the things she has been involved in are quite incredible. It was also nice to spend some time talking to a woman about business as it can be quite different to talking to a man in terms of how they have tackled and overcome things.”

Kate says the best advice she received was to identify a customer base, which would essentially become the bread and butter of a business.

“I had a big list of who I thought it may be, but I realise now that I may have overgeneralised and should be more specific in order to give myself some direction,” she says.

But it was also refreshing to be able to contribute some ideas from her own experiences.

“Maree has a permanent venue for functions and didn’t realise what the challenges would be for someone staging an event in an unfamiliar location, so we were able to work through different scenarios,” Kate explains.