A look into EO Melbourne’s first half of FY 2022-2023

See what’s in store for the rest of the year

The calendar year 2022 has come to a close and we welcome the New Year 2023 with a positive outlook. For many, this is the time to look at the past year and learn from it in order to work towards a better year ahead. For several businesses and organisations, such as EO Melbourne, this marks the first half of the financial year 2022-2023, a perfect time to step up the momentum for the next six months.

The EO Melbourne Board for FY 2022-2023 has worked hard to come up with a packed Q1 and Q2 that would cater to the 360-degree needs of its member entrepreneurs. It has invited top-notch speakers and workshop facilitators who shared their inspiring stories and practical insights, which are valuable to those traversing their respective entrepreneurial journeys.

Among the notable guests that EO Melbourne had for the past six months was Jack Daly, who conducted his "The Proven Path to Hyper Sales Growth While Living a Life By Design" workshop. Other workshops that the chapter organised were the "Never Fly Economy Again" Virtual 'Point Hacks' Workshop with iFLYflat Founder and CEO Steve Hui and the "Get Your Business Out of Your Brain" Virtual Trainual workshop with Trainual Founder and CEO Chris Ronzio.

EO Melbourne also had other amazing resource speakers, such as the advisor to the advisors, Craig Ferguson who gave an insight on the Australian economy and where it is heading; Al Qaeda's longest-held prisoner and now International Speaker & Best Selling Author Steve McGown who talked about survival, the importance of making important decisions, acceptance and communication, and the concept that Freedom is an attitude; and Fable Food Co CEO and Co-Founder Michael Fox who shared the lessons he learned from the collapse of his business, Shoes of Prey, and how he applied them to Fable Food.

Some virtual events were conducted like the Virtual Masterclass Series: Everything you need to know about Offshoring and the 'Scaling and Selling a Global Digital Agency' virtual event with Andrew Collins.

EO Melbourne Members and attendees also found great insights from events like "The Deal of a Lifetime" with EO Member Ben Trinh and the myDNA event where they learned about the personalised, DNA-powered approach to their health & wellness. The chapter also conducted two Accelerator and Key Executive Learning Days, one on “Cash” and another on “Strategy”.

But it wasn’t just all about learning and workshops as members also had some fun time connecting with fellow members during the EO Exclusive Drive Day with our Strategic Alliance Partner, MB Berwick, which included a lunch at Jackalope. The chapter capped the year 2022 with its annual Christmas Long Lunch, this time, at the lush Levantine Hill. Accelerators and Key Executives also had their Christmas Party at Perry’s Club, co-founded by EO Melbourne Member Paul Ghaie.

As the year 2023 begins, the second half of FY 2022-2023 looks even more exciting as the chapter starts with the Australian Open Superbox Experience for its members. There’s also the Australian F1 Grand Prix Experience that they can look forward to in April. The third Member Connect Dinners where members can enjoy dinner in an intimate setting of 10 people are also in the works.

Other events in the pipeline are the Masterplan Workshop: The Ultimate Self-Mastery Program on Life, Leadership and Longevity, International Women’s Day with Dr Nicole Yap and the Greg Crabtree Workshop. EO Melbourne Members, Accelerators, SLP and Key Executive Forum members can look to more exciting and invigorating events in the coming months.

Moreover, the highlight of the FY 2022-2023 is the EO Melbourne Chapter Retreat, which will be held on the beautiful island of Bali in Indonesia.

Sounds exciting? If you are interested in becoming part of EO Melbourne or have someone in mind who fits the requirements of the EO Membership: founder, co-founder, owner or controlling shareholder of a company in Melbourne and surrounding areas; and holds one of the above titles for a company that grosses more than US$1 million annually, then you or the potential guest can express your interest in attending our Membership Information Night “Startup to Scaling Up” by visiting our https://www.eomelbourne.org/event2023. 

How do successful entrepreneurs get continuous professional growth?

No matter how good one is or even if they are an expert on a particular thing, there will always be room for improvement and growth. It applies to everyone, including entrepreneurs. Each one of us has strengths that we can capitalise for our chosen fields of endeavours, as well as weaknesses which we can still work on to expand our knowledge and hone our skills set.

And when you reach the peak of success in your career, how do you ensure that you continue to grow professionally? Entrepreneurs Rick Nieuwenhoven of Nieuvision, Rob Roy Rankin of Rankin Business Lawyers, and Adam Stewart of Debt Recoveries Australia, ADC Legal and Nova Team Solutions share their experiences and learnings when it comes to pursuing their professional growth.

“There are times I realise the sponge is full and I have to squeeze it dry and start again.”

-          Rick Nieuwenhoven, Founder and CEO of Nieuvision

When it comes to learning, Rick finds that it is different for everyone. “As a lecturer for 10 years, I’ve seen this first hand. Firstly, to constantly grow, I remind myself of the best way for me to learn and grow. I learn most from others and by talking to others,” he declared.

Acknowledging that he thrives in an environment where he gets to interact with other people, Rick saw the significance of joining groups like EO. He continued, “With that, the forum is fundamentally important to my learning experience. I also find MyEO events a practical environment to learn from others because the conditions are more relaxed and I can spend more time with people.”

Yet, there are times when he often faces a wall in his growth and development as an entrepreneur and as a person. “I don’t stress if I hit a plateau. There are times when I realise that the sponge is full and I have to squeeze it dry and start again. Otherwise, I can get bogged down in my learning mode and lose balance with execution. However, what I do is that I set goals based on my learning desire to assists me in keeping focused,” he shared.

 “As an entrepreneur, there is a constant need to improve, adapt and grow as a person.”

-          Rob Roy Rankin, Principal and Founder, of Rankin Business Lawyers

Rob recognises the reality that entrepreneurs like him need to constantly grow, improve and adapt. “To do so, I regularly challenge myself and try to have a mindset of always learning. Some simple and readily available tools I use include podcasts and books. The more I read and listen, the more references and recommendations I pick up, which leads to more reading and listening,” he explained.

Beyond the books and podcasts, Rob also grows through his interaction with his surroundings. For him, “Another way to ensure you’re constantly challenged is to meet new people, look at new industries, and visit new places – all of these things challenge the perspectives and prejudices we accumulate when we stagnate.”

However, it is not at all times that the journey is an uphill climb. According to Rob, “Feeling like you’ve hit a plateau in your professional life is often the result of success and usually by doing the same thing, over and over again, very well. To reinvigorate ourselves we need to recalibrate or adjust our perspective. Two ways of doing this are:

• Go back and examine our purpose. Why do we do what we do? The answer will be different for everyone, but getting back in touch with this reason will inspire new thinking;

• Look at what’s happening in other industries, other cultures, other places. There is always something to learn from others, and by examining what’s strange or new to us and contrasting with our own lives, we come up with new ideas about how to improve.”

“Steady growth over the years was achieved with careful planning and goal-setting.”

-          Adam Stewart, Founder and owner of Debt Recoveries Australia, ADC Legal and Nova Team Solutions

“My first business, Debt Recoveries Australia, was born in 2002. I was living in a one-bedroom flat in Balaclava and ran the business from that flat with a P.O. Box in Balaclava. Right from the start, I made all my plans with the big picture in mind. Everything – from the name, website, office space and debt collection software – was chosen with the end-goal in mind: to be the most successful and profitable debt collection agency in Australia,” Adam narrated.

Starting small, his business grew big. “Constant demand and new clients coming on board meant I very quickly moved the office from that one-bedroom flat into an office in the city. We now have offices all over Australia. Demand for legal services led to the addition of a legal arm in 2012, called ADC Legal Litigation Lawyers.”

By 2013, Debt Recoveries Australia, along with ADC Legal, was well on the way to becoming one of the most successful debt collections agencies and litigation firms in Australia. To accommodate the increasing demand for their services and to provide the best possible service for their clients, they had to have the manpower to back this up. “Again, I wanted control over this part of my company. So in 2010, I set up my BPO (Business Processing Outsourcing) centre in the Philippines, called Nova Team Solutions,” Adam remarked.

As Adam grew his businesses and expanded his reach, he found that he was also growing as a person and an entrepreneur. “Today, I am still as excited about the future of my companies as I was in 2002. I could not do it without the amazing staff I have today, whom I owe much of my success to. I also like to invest in myself, especially when I have hit a plateau in personal growth.”

To do this, Adam sought for groups and individuals that can help him continue his professional growth. “I like to reach out to business networking groups, apart from EO. Recently, I joined the Victorian Chamber of Commerce. I always have at least one mentor who helps me one-on-one. I love getting the personal experiences of someone who’s been in the same boat as me before. I also mentor others. This helps me to give back what I have learnt.”

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If you have tips and learnings to share on continued professional growth, share them with us through the comment section below.