EO Melbourne takes part in the APAC Bond University Executive Program

EO recently held its first-ever university-based EO Executive Education Program in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) Region and EO Melbourne members have taken part in this milestone program. It was held at Bond University in Gold Coast, Australia’s first private University and is ranked #1 in Australia for student experience.

The “Building the Forever Business Program” was an immersive five days of world-class on-campus learning that combined academic theory and entrepreneurial practice with a practical action plan to implement in one’s life and business. It culminated with each class member presenting their action plan to take away and implement.

This program was organised to build on the legacy of EO Executive Education Programs at Harvard, London Business School, and the Entrepreneurial Master's Program (EMP) at MIT. It aimed to enhance the members’ EO journey and support their transformational growth. Moreover, it was created to encourage regional connection with peers, supported by a mindset of shared experiences and group learning.

EO Melbourne Members Jeni Clift, Nick Clift, Steve Constantinou, Sam Hunt, and Costa Vasili joined other EO Members from various regional and global chapters for this Executive Education Program. The facilitators in this program were Dr Justin Craig from Bond University, Carlo Santoro from EO Melbourne and Nick Bloor from EO Brisbane.

Members of the inaugural Class of 2022 were raving about their experiences at the EO APAC Bond University Executive Programme. “Life changing.” “Transformational.” “Loved the living case studies…would have paid the money just to listen to them.” “If I had known there is ‘Nothing more practical than a good theory,’ I wouldn’t have run away from it all my life! We learnt many theories and frameworks and then witnessed how they are applied!”

This program is another milestone for EO APAC in enhancing the members’ EO journey, supporting their transformational growth and gathering like-minded leaders to connect with each other through shared experience and living up to the EO Core Value of “Thirst for Learning.”

EO Melbourne brings back Jack Daly with a hyper sales growth workshop

EO Melbourne has recently brought back one of its highest-rated speakers of all time – Jack Daly. Jack is an internationally sought-after speaker and has been called the best professional sales trainer in America because of his expertise in sales growth, sales teams, and sales culture. 

EO Melbourne has secured Jack Daly for this learning event that allowed participants to know more about how to scale their companies with "hyper sales growth" and live an exceptional "life by design". 

Dubbed "The Proven Path to Hyper Sales Growth While Living a Life By Design", the workshop included pointers on how entrepreneurs could grow their sales force by recruiting, training and developing their people. It also taught participants how to build a winning culture that differentiates them from their competitors.

According to Jack, the path to increased profitable sales includes creating a culture where people want to deliver their 100%, putting the best performers in the sales seats and having a consistent application of proven systems and processes. Winning sports teams follow just such a formula and too often, sports teams at every level are coached better than most sales teams. For Jack, who is not only a Sales Coach but also a CEO and entrepreneur, it is time for that to cease as he aims to coach businesses on the winning formula.

Those who came to the workshop have nothing but praises for Jack. “He’s possibly the best speaker I have seen since being in EO,” one said. Moreover, they found the whole session and its content very informative and valuable to their learning growth. “There are practical takeaways to implement in my business and in my life,” another remarked. 

One attendee stated, “the session was incredible as it has a very high value from a sales perspective,” while another shared, “the content was relevant, delivered well and focused on genuine things to do.”

Learning events like this are aimed at supporting the personal and professional growth of EO Melbourne members and those that join the EO programs. If you’re interested to be part of EO Melbourne, please visit https://www.eomelbourne.org/join for more details.

The Power of Gratitude in Business

“Thank you” are two powerful words that can uplift someone, build bridges and strengthen relationships. It is a significant aspect of life, even in business and in the workplace. 

Gratitude and appreciation are types of affirmation of something that is good, magnifying positivity and encouraging people to perform better. With this, entrepreneurs and business owners see the value of thanking their staff members, partners, and clients and putting effort into expressing it in various ways.

For Hayden Brass, Founder and Managing Director of Zea, “This is an aspect that we find so important, particularly for our staff and customers. With our staff, we are a fully remote team even before COVID, so it is vital for us to continue to connect with them and remind them they are part of a team with a great purpose.”

There are so many ways to show gratitude towards others. David Fastuca, CMO and Co-Founder of Locomote, shared his personal take on this. “I take a really simplistic approach to this and just think, how do I want to be thanked?”

David cited some examples. “I do a role reversal. If I'm a customer of someone else's, how do I want to be thanked? There are a couple of ways. I just try to be really genuine and thank them, where I send a little video message thanking them for working with us. I don't do any of the gifts or sorts of stuff because they probably get 100 different gifts. If I gift them, it's based on me really knowing them. They might love arts and crafts, so I may send them something that's relatable to that. Otherwise, I try and help them in their role. If I know that they're in sales I try and refer customers to them. If they're a founder of a business and we've done some work together or they're a customer of mine, I'll try and reciprocate and then recommend someone to them. If they're looking for a particular type of service, I really think about it and put myself in their shoes – what would I like and how would I like to be treated, and then I try and do more of that to my customers and try and help them succeed in their roles even if it's got nothing to do with what we provide,” he said.

Studies have shown that gratitude evokes a feeling of positivity, happiness and satisfaction. It also helps in improving health and decreasing stress levels. This is why gratitude, when expressed sincerely, can be a significant factor in strengthening relationships in business and in the workplace.

Hayden also shared how they extend gratitude to their team members, partners and customers. Within their organisation, “We conduct 1-2 retreats per year, try and have a team-building exercise of some kind at least once a quarter, and regularly celebrate birthdays and other occasions in their personal life. It’s to remind them that we are human and to show that we care about them in both their work and personal lives.”

With regards to their clientele, Hayden noted, “For our customers, we are always trying to go above and beyond with their experience so that it will be memorable and will hopefully see them come back to us in the future. This is why we place such a key focus on customer service and making sure we not only answer their questions but try and give them an experience that is beyond the norm.”

When it comes to those they do business with, this is what they do as a sign of gratitude. “And finally, with our partners, such as manufacturers and suppliers, we try and treat them with respect and loyalty. We understand how difficult it can be to run a business, particularly an SME, so we are always trying to be professional but also respectful of the challenges we are both facing and coming to a solution together. When we are establishing a relationship with a key partner for the first time, it has been important for me to build trust in the relationship from the outset. Some of our longest and strongest relationships in business have been with us for the whole journey, and it all started from making a bit of extra effort and understanding from the beginning,” Hayden revealed.

There are so many ways to express how thankful we are to people who have helped us along our entrepreneurial journey. No special occasion is needed to say “thank you” to someone because every day you’ll find a reason to be thankful for something good done to you. People will remember your good gesture of thanking them and appreciating their work, help or loyalty. It will create a positive ripple effect that will later come back to you a thousandfold.

How do you express gratitude to your stakeholders? How does it help you in your business? We’d like to hear your stories through our comment section below.

Mentorship is having someone walk with you on your entrepreneurial journey

Mentorship pair Conor O’Malley and Nyree Hibberd.

Much has been said about the entrepreneurial journey being a lonesome path, but not when you’re surrounded by like-minded individuals, such as being part of a group like EO and having someone to walk with you, such as a mentor, for instance.

This is how EO Melbourne Member and mentee Nyree Hibberd, CEO at Koh Living, and mentor Conor O’Malley, a known Executive Coach who calls himself “The CEO’s caddy”, described their mentorship experience.

Conor still remembers the first time he and Nyree met, which was at the induction day of mentors and mentees at last year’s intake. He recalled, “I met with Nyree, and we had a great conversation, however, I had to leave early. Nyree very kindly offered to continue our discussion and offered to leave that space by walking with me to the train station. From there, I thought, this sounds like something I'd really like to do, which is to work through the EO channel and support Nyree.”

Nyree, on the other hand, is thankful to have someone who can be with her during this part of her entrepreneurial journey. “I'm a big believer in the motto or saying that ‘you don't know what you don't know.’ As a business owner, it seems like I don't know a lot. So, it was all about connecting with the right person to help me progress in my path, personally and in the business,” she stated.

One of the things that Nyree learned throughout their sessions was finding answers to things she wanted to know. She described how she was learning new things along the way, “Conor's approach was really to question – asking, probing – almost, ‘you know the answer but you've got to find it in there and then let me know.’ This really worked for me, so using questions more is what I actually do now with the staff as well, which is quite good because before, I’d also tell people the answer, ‘just go and do this and this,’ and they wouldn't learn the same way as I would. I wasn't learning by just being told, so that was quite good in comparison for me.”

She further expounded on the learnings she picked from her conversations and interactions with Conor. “I think I went into it with a ‘what next, what now’ and ‘how do I get it from here to where I know it can go.’ So, the key learnings were really about pushing back on me and seeing myself as the leader rather than the doer because there's no scaling if I was going to be still 5% in everybody's role. That was the big thing.”

“The second thing was about holding the space,” Nyree continued. “I've got a couple of challenging relationships at times within the business, and it’s just this kind of concept of allowing them to hold their space, that I didn't need to jump in and do anything. I just respected that they had that opinion and felt the way they did, and it allowed me not to jump into their story and not enflame situations as well. It kind of worked quite well. 

Then the third one is with my son, personally holding the personal state not just with my son but with my partner as well. I would often get home, I'd have dinner, put my son to bed, and I'd sit on the couch with my computer and keep going when my partner was around, but there was no real quality time. I don't know if it naturally just stopped or I made a decision to, I can't remember. But when I’m with them, it is to literally be present and not try to do two things at the same time. So, yeah, these are the three really big things for me.”

But it was not just Nyree who was learning from their mentorship. Conor also has picked new ideas and lessons from Nyree’s experiences. “From a commercial perspective, Nyree and her business partner are in a really interesting stage of growth in their business and, in my words here, ‘taking it to the next level and then looking at what the next horizon is.’ There's no doubt for me that there was a really good learning opportunity of working with an entrepreneur who's taking a business, with a business partner, from scratch to an amazingly successful business to where it is now, and going, ‘Okay, what next? Where next?’” he remarked. 

Conor added, “It’s the opportunity to co-learn, co-create and, in some cases, introduce people in my network to Nyree, some of whom resonated and some didn't. That was real learning for me in terms of who in my network resonated and who didn't. And there's no right or wrong there. For me, that was commercial learning, walking – and we literally did – as we had many walking sessions and conversations around an entrepreneur taking a business to another level and looking at what the next three-year vision really is and how to get there.”

He also stated that the whole experience did not only contribute to his professional growth but also to his personal development. “On a personal level, COVID was part of our journey, and I was learning from Nyree in terms of her perspective and how she and her family and I were managing through COVID. It was a challenging time, and there's no doubt that I certainly learned through that time as well,” Conor enthusiastically shared.

For Nyree, their sessions also had her thinking about how she deals with her business and personal areas of her life. “I read this book called, What Got You Here Won't Get You There, and I realised that one of my bad habits or difficult challenges is trying to over-add value rather than allowing other people to take initiative and responsibility. That's one of the main things that seemed to keep coming up as a theme that had a big effect on me and how I run the business because I was constantly in people's roles, feeling like I had to help them do their roles rather than give them the tools they needed to do the role themselves. I enjoyed actually being able to be challenged on that and step back and watch what happened.”

“The other area was in my personal life where I've got a four-year-old son, and just that balance of spending time with him, I really found it quite challenging because the business is so busy that even when I was with him I wasn't present. So, Conor had this saying, ‘for the sake of what,’ but we changed it to ‘for the sake of who.’ When I started doing activities with my son, even if I was walking down the street with his pram, I would ask myself, ‘for the sake of who am I doing this?’ And it'll be for him and it's to spend time and to talk about cars or whatever he wants to talk about rather than me thinking what am I supposed to be doing right now. So, it was a nice tool that I used personally to just bring myself back to where I was, at the time,” Nyree explained.  

Both Nyree and Conor were glad to have walked together along the business path, sharing their stories and exchanging insights with each other. Although they have already finished their Mentorship Program, they were grateful to have formed a connection as a mentor and as a mentee, which has blossomed into a friendship.

In Conor’s words, “The metaphor I have in my coaching practice is to be a caddy. I'm a golfer, and I see myself as the person's caddy who walks alongside that person, and Nyree knows that she's got a caddy walking alongside her and she can reach out. Let's say, in this case now that the programme is over, the caddy's walking outside of the ropes, but anytime she wants to, she can pull this caddy in. I'll be on the bag and I'll walk inside the ropes with her.”

EO Melbourne holds more learning events for its Members

EO Melbourne Member Benjamin Trinh (left) shared his “Deal of a Lifetime” during a learning event. The event was hosted by fellow EO Melbourne Member Dean Cherny (right).

A virtual “Points Hack” workshop, a talk on a “Deal of a Lifetime”, a Learning Day on Cash, and a Trainual virtual workshop. These are just some of the recent events that EO Melbourne has organised for its Members and those in its Accelerator and Key Executive programs.

Living up to its core values of “Thirst for Learning” and “Together We Grow”, EO Melbourne continues to bring to its community thought-provoking learning events that can benefit them in their growth and development.

Never fly Economy again: A Virtual 'Points Hack' Workshop with iFLYFlat

Steve Hui, Founder and CEO of iFLYflat and also known as Australia's Points Whisperer, shared with event attendees how they could turn their company into a points-generating machine and never fly Economy again.

Business owners sit on a gold mine of opportunity to use points to fly Business Class saving between $2,500 and $5,100 per trip. The fastest way to earn millions of frequent flyer points is using credit cards to pay company expenses.

His workshop allowed the participants to learn how to earn maximum points for the lowest fees and understand the numbers behind the calculations that prove the value is worth doing, select the best business credit cards, redeem points and know which points to use per destination, and many other hacks that are helpful to entrepreneurs.

The deal of a lifetime: How Ben Trinh started, scaled and sold his business to a billion-dollar company

Benjamin Trinh, Life Ready Health Group CEO, current EO Melbourne Member, and former EO Melbourne Board Member, shared his journey from when he founded his business with only $10,000 as capital, how he grew it to over $50 million in revenue and eventually sold it to one of Australia's largest private health insurance companies — in the deal of a lifetime.

The deal resulted in 12 of his friends, early investors and key employees becoming millionaires, all the while remaining as a Director and the CEO of the business.

Ben also talked about his highs and lows, as well as mistakes and wins. He also unpacked the key principles, strategies and mindsets that go into starting something that will grow and endure.

"Get your business out of your brain" Trainual virtual workshop

Chris Ronzio, Founder and CEO of Trainual, discussed how organisations could put everything about their business in one place, making it easy to cascade all the information to their teams and get them on board faster than they can imagine.

The “Get Your Business Out of Your Brain” Trainual virtual workshop enabled attendees to learn actionable tips on how to start documenting and delegating what they do so that they have time to do more of what they love. Audience participants had the opportunity to take part in exercises and Q&A with Ronzio and walked away with the ability to start building their own playbooks with the digital companion worksheet.

These learning events imparted to EO Melbourne participants hacks, tips and key insights that could help them in growing their businesses and take advantage of opportunities around them.

Everything You Need To Know About Offshoring

An EO Melbourne Virtual Masterclass Series

In its continued mission to provide meaningful learning events to its members, EO Melbourne recently held a Virtual Masterclass on the topic: “Everything You Need To Know About Offshoring.”

Our fast-changing world has enabled various businesses — large, medium and small –- to tap into a global talent pool of highly-skilled overseas-based workers. The virtual masterclass is very timely as more and more companies are looking into this option to expand their ventures and grow their businesses.

The panel speakers during this learning event were EO Members Nicholas Clift, Co-Founder of Otto IT, and David Fastuca, Co-Founder of Locomote, and were joined by Dean Godfrey, COO of BlueRock, one of the Strategic Alliance Partners of EO Melbourne. Moderating the discussion was Adam Morse, a former EO Melbourne Accelerator from 2014 to 2015, who is the founder of BlueRock Private Wealth and a member of the BlueRock leadership team. 

The panellists shared their experiences on some of the benefits of offshoring, as well as the risks and challenges of outsourcing. The benefits are plentiful — reducing your wage bill, finding talent in time zones who can work while you sleep, and hiring roles that you may not be able to afford here in Australia.

However, while cost is one of the benefits that business owners look into originally, now, the discussion is no longer about saving money but getting the resources to do the work. More recently, businesses are looking into offshoring as a means of finding people who can do the work and having more resources to do the work.

The benefits, once you get it right, are having a lot of the more repetitive tasks in your organisation be done via an outsource team, therefore, the execution gives you the capacity to do more of those tasks. It also allows you to attract more or at higher levels of talent locally because what that means is when people come into your business, they’re actually doing higher levels of work or more complex work.

Offshoring also provides businesses with the opportunity to get in more experts who are well-rounded and hire someone who is a weapon in the space they work in, with other team members learning from them. “Outsourcing is like forming an army of specialists in different areas,” one of the panellists said. “It’s getting the right people with the right skills and the right culture that can get the job done.”

While the benefits are many, offshoring also comes with challenges, which include data security issues, confidentiality, compliance, loyalty, exchange rates, the balance of quality of work and cost, etc.

The speakers also shared their key learnings from their experiences with offshoring and outsourcing work to overseas-based team members. Among them are looking into different types of services you can tap into and structures that can work best for your business, making overseas members part of the team through online huddles and socials, starting things small and building them up, and dedicating a resource from your own team to nurture and manage the team overseas.

“Just do it and give it a shot” and “go to events like this one” were some of the additional tips that the panellists shared with the participants.

If you are interested to grow your business and develop as an entrepreneur, be part of EO Melbourne and learn from the various events and benefits being offered, where you get to continue your entrepreneurial journey with other like-minded business owners.

To join, visit https://www.eomelbourne.org/join or contact administrator@eomelbourne.org. 

EO Melbourne secures Growth CFO as a Strategic Alliance Partner

EO Melbourne is excited to announce its newest Strategic Alliance Partner — introducing Growth CFO! This new partnership will deliver exceptional value to EO Melbourne members by providing access to leading strategic financial advice — with a difference.

Growth CFO is a leading Melbourne-based strategic financial management and accounting firm that assists business owners to achieve transformational growth through accurate financial data enabling plan clarity, learning profitability habits to minimise waste, and developing processes enabling its partners to perform in the top percentile of their industry.

With Growth CFO as an EO Strategic Alliance Partner, they can help EO members evaluate growth options to select the best path for their business, review monthly profit reports and develop a customised financial road map that meets business objectives, develop cash forecasting that matches their business cycle, and establish workflows and accounting platforms that enable scale, among many others.

Companies partnering with Growth CFO can expect to understand where their business stands today and maximise it with clear growth plans for future development and position their business to take bold moves that enable transformational growth.

The strategic alliance partnership of Growth CFO and EO Melbourne also extends to EO members a special free offer where they can obtain their Value Builder Score and report. In addition, Growth CFO offers the use of their select meeting rooms to EO Forums and offers topics for forum presentations.

EO Melbourne has a positive outlook for the year ahead, especially with partnerships established with reputable companies like Growth CFO. Learn more about our partnership at https://www.eomelbourne.org/growth-cfo.

EO Melbourne celebrates EOFY and Board Handover with a Gala Dinner

The 2022/23 Board.

EO Melbourne Members and their partners and guests gathered for an exciting and fun Saturday night to celebrate the End-of-Financial-Year (EOFY) and mark this new chapter with the Board Handover during the annual Gala Dinner. 

2021/22 President Socrates Capouleas (right) hands over the leadership to 2022/23 President Damian Blumenkranc (left).

The chapter thanked 2021/22 President Socrates Capouleas and the Board and then welcomed 2022/23 President Damian Blumenkranc and his Board:

President: Damian Blumekranc

Accelerator Chair: Anthony Lam

Accelerator Chair: Ashley Bent

Communications Chair: Costa Vasili

Finance Chair: James Murray

Forum Chair: Rob Roy Rankin

Forum Chair: Richard Fuessel

Learning Chair: Kate Save

Learning Co-Chair: Matthew Beesley

Member Engagement Chair: John Bevitt

Member Engagement Chair: John Liston

Membership Chair: James Murray

Membership Co-Chair: Meirav Ambar

Mentorship and Key Executive Chair: Jenifer Clift

Strategic Alliance Partnership Chair: Socrates Capouleas

Ken Matthews (2nd from right) was recognised with the President’s Award during the night.

Winners of various awards were also honoured during the evening. Hailed as the Accelerator of the Year was Mena Mikhail, Founder of Heven. The President’s Award was awarded to Ken Matthews, Managing Partner at Matthews Steer Accountants and Advisors and Board Member at Family Business Australia. The chapter named Miguel Donnenfeld, Co-Founder of Creativa Videos, as the Danny Guest Awardee for Bravery in Business.

UNA took the 1st place at the Forum Cup.

During the night, the winners of the Forum Cup were also announced. Bagging 1st place was the UNA forum, followed by MOSO in 2nd place, and Feverish in 3rd place. Each team received special prizes for accumulating the highest forum points throughout the year.

The chapter also recognised Accelerator grads Kate Blundy and Alex Schnyder who have now joined as EO Members.

On a different note, the Global Communications Committee has rewarded the EO Melbourne chapter with US$1,000 as one of the top five chapters in the region with the highest percentage of member profiles with the EO branding on LinkedIn.

Congratulations to all the winners! With this year’s theme focused on unleashing the Power of EO Melbourne, we look forward to a fun and more exciting FY 2022/23 for the chapter!

The beauty in diversity: a mentorship experience

Learning comes from various things and in many ways, and oftentimes, how we differ from each other helps us widen our knowledge and understanding of the space we live in and move around. Such can be said for mentor Emma Duffy, Learning Director at ProActive Training, and mentee Hayden Brass, Founder and Managing Director of Zea.

Mentor Emma Duffy and mentee Hayden Brass share their mentorship experience and learnings from it.

Other than running a business and being business owners, they haven’t necessarily spotted their similarities or commonalities. But despite having different businesses, they found themselves at a very good start when they met for the first time at the Mentorship training.

“Working together in the training session that Carlo ran, I thought that was a really strong start to the whole program for us as I feel that we got to know each other pretty well and understand what we both wanted out of the program and that we at least got a framework to build on from that,” said Emma.

Hayden concurred, “We have very different businesses, which are, in some ways, what you’d want. Although we had no common ground for this, I think we've learned a lot from each other in that way as well because we've had different experiences and different industries, which has been really great. So, it's been a great element of the mentorship.”

He continued, “We started off really strong catching up almost the same time every month and being able to come away with different viewpoints that I have not necessarily thought of. 

We have quite different businesses, quite different lives, and quite different ages as well. A lot of different elements allowed for really valuable insights and learnings from that perspective. I think that just having those differences made it really valuable in making me think outside the box and think about things differently.”

The whole journey has also provided them with more insightful experiences and new learnings. For Emma, it has encouraged her to think in an unusual way. She narrated a time when she was frustrated with not being able to give training ideas to Hayden because what her business did could not necessarily fit his needs or his team’s needs. 

“After our last catch-up when it came up again, I thought, ‘Well, I'm not going to walk away and stay frustrated or feel like I don’t have an answer in my area of expertise.’ In fact, it has prompted me to come back to my desk and actually do a whole lot of research into various apps and system processes that are available in the marketplace and find ways so that when we catch up next, I could go back to Hayden and say, ‘Well, these are some ideas that you could take into your business and use in your business.’ So, it's really stretched me to think a little bit differently about what businesses need in terms of training. It's then pushed me and my business partner to really reconsider how we set up some of our own compliance requirements in the business and how we could potentially develop them into a type of software that we could take to the marketplace. It's a huge gift that that sort of thinking pushed me to do something really different for me, my day-to-day work, and our business. I would never have done research on apps and processes otherwise,” Emma explained.

On Hayden’s part, he has gained a lot of ideas and perspectives from their mentoring sessions throughout the year. “What happened was with the first six months, and they're very well aligned, we had these three sets of goals which we set around leadership, etc. I think for me it was a lot about being able to come to the table with a little leadership challenge or a hiring challenge and then hearing a perspective that's quite different and new. That's been really valuable. It's also been good in that we've been able to bounce different ideas off each other within a meeting. I'd come either pre-planned, and we've done it before, and mentioned a few key things that we wanted to cover. It's given us a chance to reflect on it and review it, whether it's a staff leaving or a staff deciding to ask for a big wage increase or whatever challenge it might be that I’m having. It's just that back and forwards and getting that new perspective on whatever it might be.”

For the duration of their mentorship journey, both Emma and Hayden enjoyed their interactions and the key takeaways they get from their conversations.

Emma shared, “I really enjoyed the consistent and regular catch-ups. Hayden's business has gone through amazing growth in the last 12 months in the time that we've been working together. It was really interesting to see and learn about that. That was I guess one of the main things, from my point of view. It was just great. I've really enjoyed those conversations and I walked away each time hoping I might have added a little bit of value.”

As for Hayden, “It was a very broad goal that I've set in becoming a better leader. I think it doesn't come down to one or two things. It comes down to a multitude of things that have happened in the mentorship program and also in the growing of the business and coinciding with one another to get that. It's a long way to go, but definitely, I think I've achieved that in that 12-month period. A lot of it comes down to little bits and pieces that have come together to make a big difference in mindset or ways that we are reacting to different scenarios. It's all been really valuable from that perspective.”

And what’s the secret behind a successful mentorship experience that others may consider when getting into mentorship?

“Commitment is definitely one of the biggest ones,” Hayden remarked. “You need to go in there with the commitment that you're going to do this on top of your normal workload and normal forum and whatever else you've got going on. The other aspect would be to be really clear on what you want to get out of it when you're applying for it, who the type of mentor that you're looking for, and what is the specific area that you want to get the most value from because if you're very specific on that, that helps the team to assign a good mentor to you. I think it’s being very specific on those and differentiating it to what you want to get out of your forum or other learnings or whatever that might be and have a really specific goal for your mentor-mentee relationship because that can make a big difference as well.”

Emma was in agreement on the importance of commitment to make one’s mentorship journey a valuable one. “I completely agree. With preparation, just to do a bit of thinking beforehand to maximize the one hour, Hayden was really disciplined about contacting, setting the meeting time up, and turning up. We were there for one hour and then we were gone. It didn't linger on. There was really a focused time commitment.”

EO Melbourne’s Mentorship Program is one of the significant programs of the organisation that members can take advantage of and benefit from. Each experience is different and unique, and the value it can provide to both the mentor and the mentee can be priceless.

Dealing with rejection in business

Rejection is an experience that happens anytime and anywhere, even more so in the business and entrepreneurial space. It is a part of the journey that new and long-time entrepreneurs alike have to deal with every now and then. 

A transaction that never prospered, a possible partnership that didn’t come through, a loan that failed, a proposal that was not accepted, and so on and so forth. These are just some of the many scenarios where rejection happens in one’s entrepreneurial journey.

Getting a “no” may often be hurtful, but it doesn’t mean that it’s the end of the road. It is just a bump or a hurdle that one has to overcome to move forward and come out better and stronger. So, how do you move past rejection and make it work for you and your business?

Never take it personally

There are various reasons when one rejects your idea or proposal, but don’t deem it as something against you as a person. It could be that they are not amenable to your price points, they don’t see a fit with their business needs, or there’s just a different opportunity or option that they prefer to take. 

“Rejection is a reality in every business and it needs to be used to fine-tune aspects of your business or product offering without taking it personally,” Nitasha Badhwar, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Sunpower Renewables, remarked.

Similarly, David Fastuca, CMO and Co-Founder of Locomote, shared this insight. He said, “Being in marketing and sales for a good part of my career, I'll probably take the line of sales, such as being able to cold call and reach out to people. As a business owner and founder, for your first hundred customers, you're doing whatever you can to get them on board and you get rejected a lot. You're interrupting people's day and you don't know the right time to reach out to them, so the biggest sort of rejection is to have these people telling you to piss off, go away, and them being rude on the call. You really need to have a thick skin and understand that you should not take it personally.”

Be resilient

Take every rejection as a lesson that will only further improve yourself and your business. Many leaders would say that a failure only becomes a failure when one stops trying. And for every success, there are countless trial-and-error and rejections that happen along the way.

“The way I've dealt with it is in light of those ways of being really resilient,” David professed. “It's not about how many times you get knocked down, but it's how many times you get up. I try to instil this ethos into my children as well, wherein to expect failure and that it's going to happen, so anticipate it and agree with it with a smile and know that every ‘no’ gets you closer to a ‘yes’. If you don't hear back from someone, it's always a ‘yes’ until it's a ‘no’,” he explained.

So, keep trying. Keep approaching people. Keep on refining and upgrading your products and services. Never allow rejection to weigh you down.

Stay positive and find an opportunity from the experience

A rejection is oftentimes a detour into something even better and bigger. Find an opportunity in a rejection. Will it lead you to a new client? Will it give you more time to do other projects? Does it give you a new idea to work on?

For David, “it's just having that approach where even if someone gives me a ‘no’ on a call, I'll smile, I thank them and I even try and turn it into something like ‘hey, it may be not right for you, but can you recommend me to someone else you think this might be a right suit for them?’ So, even if I'm taking a negative sort of conversation, I try to flip that into a positive one.”

Use it as a way to improve and progress

When rejection happens, find out the “why” behind it. Knowing the reasons can help you develop yourself and your business by fixing things that are within your control and letting go of things you can’t.

Nitasha gave an example of how rejection has enabled them to refine and enhance their products. “In our organisation, we have tried to use it to deviate from the status quo and redefine the norm. After all, Einstein once said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. An example of this would be in the early years of the business where we started with a home power system with a PAYG business model.”

She continued, “We kept reorienting the model expecting better results. That didn’t do as well as we expected due to various reasons: lack of telecom infrastructure in remote places, affordability, and issues with collecting payments to name a few. However, in listening to the market, we evolved our product offering and our business model to redefine our product, thus, creating our independent solar power station. It functions independently, allowing a customer to choose what features to add. It is not restricted by telecom infrastructure and can scale up as much as the prosumer needs. Getting rejected helped us in developing a better product.”

Next time you get rejected, go back to the drawing board and rethink the best approach forward. Have you experienced rejection in your business? How did you handle it? Share with us your thoughts and learnings through the comments section below.

All things B Corp

Nowadays, more and more companies are becoming B Corporations, but what exactly is a B Corp?

EO Melbourne recently held a virtual masterclass about B Corp certification. Andrew Davies, CEO of B Lab Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, joined the masterclass as one of the resource speakers and spoke in detail about their organisation, B Lab, and about becoming a B Corp.

“Our vision, as an organisation, is for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economic system for all people on the planet,” Andrew Davies said.

“B Lab is the organisation behind the B Corp Certification or the B Corporations. We started in the US in 2007 and in this part of the world in 2013. We operate as a global network so each B Lab organisation is an independent entity and we look after Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. We’re best known for certifying B Corps or B Corporations,” he further explained.

EO Melbourne Members Rob Roy Rankin, Director at Rankin Business Lawyers, Andrew MacKinnon, Cofounder and CEO of SOON Future Studies, and Hayden Brass, Founder and Managing Director of Zea, whose businesses are already B Corps, shared their experience in going through the B Corp certification process as well as the multiple benefits they gained by becoming B Corp certified.

Andrew Davies also expounded on what entails becoming a B Corp. “They’re businesses that meet very high standards of social and environmental performance. They measure and manage their impact on the environment and community. They work as the suppliers and business partners and they adopt governance models that hold themselves to account for that impact. To be a B Corp, you have to be certified by B Lab. Effectively, it’s about having your performance across these standards verified by our team for what is a pretty rigorous process.”

B Corp is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials. In order to achieve certification, a company must:

• Demonstrate high social and environmental performance by achieving a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or above and passing B Lab’s risk review. Multinational corporations must also meet baseline requirement standards.

• Make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders, and achieve benefit corporation status if available in their jurisdiction.

• Exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance measured against B Lab’s standards to be publicly available on their B Corp profile on B Lab’s website.  

Through this virtual event, participants were able to learn a lot of information about B Corp Certification and understand the process, as well as appreciate the benefits that this certification could bring to their businesses based on the testimonials of the panellists.

How about you, have you considered becoming a B Corp? Let us know your thoughts through the comments section below.

President's Update - June 2022

From the President

LEARNINGS

This is my final newsletter update and it has been an honour to serve as President. It will be 19 months since I stepped into the role, and it has been a truly amazing experience. Many members have asked me what it is like to take on the Presidency. I have been reflecting on this of late and outline my thoughts below.

Firstly, it was not easy leading during the pandemic, as there were many occasions the Board and I had to abort planned events after many hours of preparation. It was certainly frustrating, but I learned that I could be resilient and creative when required. We pivoted to virtual events, but I also learnt that as social creatures, virtual or hybrid events will never fully replace face to face events. The need to greet someone with a friendly hug and just spend time together in the same space is invaluable to creating a community. Having a coffee or a glass of wine with someone is about building a deeper rapport which is difficult to achieve virtually. 

I had to make many decisions around planned events during my term and I learned that having a good team around me to participate in brainstorming was invaluable. I learned to make decisions quicker and listen to my gut the longer the pandemic hovered. In turn, I found myself being able to make quicker decisions in my work and family life which has created surprising benefits. 

The President's role commitment meant that on occasions, I needed to let my leadership team within my own business make decisions without me. I realised that I was empowering my team to make more decisions, and they were thriving, as a result. There were times when my new role also meant having tough conversations, but I learned that by using compassion and being curious, an acceptable outcome could be achieved. 

The President role has also allowed me to travel globally and meet peers from across the globe. The connections I have made and the experiences I have shared with like-minded entrepreneurs will be with me for many years to come. Learnings such as fearless introspection, being adaptable, not needing to be the smartest person in the room and being transparent are behaviours I will continue to develop. Leading peers is a tough role because it is leadership by influence, and since all Board members are business owners, hence, we are all equals. It makes you appreciate the difference between leadership and management as no one on the Board wants to get told what to do as they are highly capable people. 

The Chapter is in a very healthy position and plans are well-developed to ensure that we continue to thrive as a community. I look forward to seeing many of you at our end-of-year gala dinner in a few weeks where I will hand over the Presidency to Damian Blumenkranc, who will take over and continue to deliver life-changing experiences. 

Warmest regards, 

Socrates Capouleas
President 2021/2022, EO Melbourne

Unleashing one’s leadership potential through EO

How do you unleash your leadership potential? For Entrepreneurs’ Organization, it is important to support the needs of the 360° entrepreneur through business, family, community & personal experiences and help them grow, develop and reach their full capacity as business leaders. 

This is why EO’s Global Leadership Conference (GLC) plays a critical role in defining what leadership at EO means, serving as a source of inspiration and a key moment to building a community for tens of thousands of EO members. GLC is EO’s flagship event that empowers members with the tools, insights, and networks they need to unlock their capabilities. 

The theme for this year’s GLC is ‘Unleash’ – helping every member unearth greater success, find their greater purpose and have a greater impact on those around them. It saw an innovative in-person and virtual hybrid format that made it accessible to all through in-person events in Washington, D.C., USA and Barcelona, Spain, and virtual access on its online platforms. Over the course of five days, talks, workshops, webinars and interactive sessions helped EO members hone their skills and abilities as individuals and as a collective – finding opportunities, not challenges; stepping stones, not roadblocks.

Speakers from different industries shared their journeys, insights and learnings to inspire participants to look within their respective experiences and apply the lessons they captured from these sessions. Headlining the GLC 2022 was supermodel-turned-super businesswoman Tyra Banks, who talked about her beginnings, the challenges and the successes she experienced in her journey. Here are a few takeaways from some of the speakers during the conference.

• “Don’t delegate your core competency. The biggest lesson I’ve learned during quarantine is that it’s not always about defence, you have to play offence. You have to figure it out. Another lesson I learned is that there’s strength in numbers.” - Tyra Banks, Executive Producer & Host of America’s Next Top Model and CEO of the Tyra Banks Company

• “Our ability follows where our mind leads. Unleashing our potential is a strength we all have. ‘Unleash’ is more than the theme of this year’s GLC. ‘Unleash’ is a rallying cry for us, entrepreneurs, to level up, to be more of who we are, to bend the future.” - Marc Stockli, Managing Director of MOS Advisory Services

• “I learned that sometimes life doesn’t work out the way that we plan it, it very seldom does, but I learned that I am the one who chooses how I want to live my life. Some goals are hard to reach, they may feel like an eternity, and my goals were definitely unrealistic. But instead of being demoralised by the vastness of that goal, I decided to break it down into one day at a time. By doing so, it just didn’t feel like it was that overwhelming.” - Karina Hollekim, professional Free-skier, BASE jumper and Co-founder and Head of E-Learning for Young Happy Minds

• “The key is utilisation. One of the biggest lies is that knowledge is power. Now, is it really? At best, knowledge is potential power. It becomes ‘power’ when we utilise it and when we apply it. The number one skill to your success is your ability to learn rapidly. If you and your team could learn rapidly and translate that learning into action, it’s the ultimate competitive advantage, bar none.” - Jim Kwik, Founder at Kwik Learning

• “Nothing that is meant for you will ever get away if you’re open to it. It’s okay to take a turn and a change into a new direction that is completely different from where you started and where your passion lies. It doesn’t have to be these major, big changes that we make. It could be small, little changes that we make along the way, utilising the tools and opportunities that we already have in our hands, creating different outcomes for ourselves.” - Tala Raassi, Fashion Designer, Entrepreneur & Author

• “What is your victory going to be? What’s the story that you’re going to tell with your life? What is your purpose? What is your company’s purpose? What are you going to give to your employees so that they can live a life of purpose? What are you going to do with the blessings of your life? As you guys go forth, I want you to think about what I said at the very beginning – this whole ‘help one, help many’ thing. Who’s your one? Go back to wherever you live and let’s just solve it for one person. But I think I know what’s going to happen. You all don’t know how to stop at one. One’s going to turn into two, two into four, and all of a sudden, a roomful of people that are changing the world.” - Mick Ebeling, Founder and CEO of Not Impossible

• “I was never willing, at any point, to say ‘I’m done, I give up’ because defeat is not a real thing until the second you say, ‘I give up.’ And even when I saw the Thuggs, I was done for the season, but I wasn’t done for my life.” - Brian Smith, Founder of UGG Australia

More insights were shared by various other speakers in the different Learning Blocks – Potential, Community, and Impact – and the Breakout Sessions during the conference. The GLC is an occasion for EO to come together and unlock the power of community. It provides an opportunity to use our connections to make entrepreneurship a force for good in the world and to unearth how we can have greater impact as an organisation.

How Melbourne Business Owners find opportunities in difficult situations

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” — Maya Angelou

Successful entrepreneurs get to where they are now because of their determination to reach their goals, which includes braving the odds and overcoming hurdles. The recent global scenarios in the past two to three years have been very challenging. Many business leaders have looked into finding opportunities under tough situations. But how do you do it?

Look at the present needs where you can provide a solution

Entrepreneurs have shared how their businesses fill a gap. Dion Castle, CEO of Struber, said, “With the fast-changing environment in society and the world, in general, it is easy to see that the culture, technology and customer experience in our industry were due for an upgrade.”

But when the conditions of a society change, the needs of society also change.  If there are difficult circumstances, how can your business help in this time of need? Are your products and services relevant in such circumstances? It is good to look into new problems that arise and find the areas where your business can offer a solution.

Be open to new creative ideas, innovate and pivot

Unexpected things happen, so when a crisis arises and you hit a wall, take advantage of this hiccup to go back to the drawing board and revisit your plans and current offerings. This is where innovation comes in. Brainstorm for new ideas that can help boost your enterprise and make it thrive when the going gets tough.

Nitasha Badhwar, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Sunpower Renewables, shared that “Innovation for us is more than just implementing new technology, solution, or process. It is our culture and one of our cornerstones – something that we come back to in good and bad times.”

Also, opportunities open up when you pivot. Arosh Fernando, Creative Director of WooHah Productions, once shared the changes they had to do within their business to keep them going during the lockdowns. “All these changes helped us, as we would have no income if it wasn’t for these pivot ideas. We have managed to claw up to 20-30% of our monthly revenue,” Arosh said.

Keep an eye on new markets

It is often said that “when one door closes, a window opens.” A crisis or a setback can be a turning point where new opportunities are formed. Look where the resources go. Observe the trends and be ready for new markets that will emerge.

According to Clayton Cross, Head of Strategy at Expia, “The pandemic has opened hundreds of opportunities. Most golden. Essentially new markets have been created, especially in the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) space, which we are targetting.”

Offer help and strengthen relationships

When problems and adversities arise, that is the best time for everyone to help each other and work together to overcome the challenges ahead. The pandemic has shown how important relationships are – within the family, among friends and even with people you meet through your business. 

Ben Beattie, Managing Director of True Blue Plumbing Australia, talked about his experience. “When they shut down construction in Victoria, we had 10 plumbers a day off work with only enough emergency work for 12 guys. This was the week the earthquake hit and thousands of insurance claims were lodged. We contacted our major clients and offered to assist them with virtually assessing all the damage from the site back to their head offices as they were swamped with work. We were able to keep 3 additional guys busy for the final week of lockdown reducing to major financial losses we were incurring.”

We never run out of opportunities. The important thing is to look out for it at all times or even create those opportunities when you can.

President's Update - May 2022

From the President

YOUR THOUGHTS ARE YOUR GREATEST LIMITATION

The international borders are well and truly reopened, and I have just come back from the Global Leadership Conference in Spain where the focus was to help unleash your potential as an individual, an EO member and an entrepreneur. I encourage all of you to look out for opportunities to attend global events to experience personal and professional growth. The connections made with other Chapter members are priceless.

The speakers at GLC were all world-class and the quote that resonated most with me was “your thoughts are your greatest limitation.” Having spent some time pondering this concept, I am convinced that having a dedicated and focused mindset will power you all to achieve your goals. The speaker was presenting their story and the message I was hearing was that we are only limited by our imagination, perseverance, and dedication. I ask all of you to consider the following; how do your achievements to date compare with your potential? I enjoin everyone to attend as many learning events as they can because, after 10 years of attending EO events, I still get so much value out of them.

Our Chapter events team are busy finalising our End-of-Year Gala Dinner and it will be a great night to see out the financial year. I am also looking forward to the workshop being run by Dr Arne Rubenstein who focuses on guiding and inspiring people as they transition from one stage of life to the next. I hope to see you all at these events. Until next time…

Warmest regards, 

Socrates Capouleas
President 2021/2022, EO Melbourne

How to deliver engaging and impactful presentations

Presentations are essential in a business. People present their ideas or topics during speaking engagements, proposal meetings, and various events across different industries and sectors. But how do you make killer presentations that are impactful enough to draw your audience to your message?

Entrepreneurs and business executives nowadays are being tapped to talk about their experiences, expertise, insights and entrepreneurial journey stories to inspire others. Members of EO Melbourne share with us some tips on how to hook and attract your audience when presenting as well as keep them engaged and interested in your presentation.

1. Connect with your audience

“Be real.” This is what Jeremy Chen, Managing Director & Co-Founder of Good Things and Co-Founder of Hustleboard, imparts to those who want to learn how to deliver an effective presentation. The best way to make a connection with the audience is to be sincere and authentic in one’s words and disposition, and not try too hard to impress your audience.

This is backed by David Fastuca, CMO and Co-Founder of Locomote, when he said, “Just like how we do in EO, we're sharing experiences all the time. It is by making these presentations based on your experience or the experiences that you've delivered for your customers and bringing those results through because then they can say, ‘Well, I'm like this customer. I can get results like this based on how they did that.’”

True enough, the best presentations are those that can capture the attention of the audience, sustain their interest, and get them to retain the message you have conveyed. “The most effective ones I have done for the business are those where it is clear that I have been able to establish an emotional connection with the audience and they feel like they are part of the journey and the challenges that we have had along the way. Getting buy-in and interest from the audience from the beginning is so important,” shared Hayden Brass, Founder and Managing Director of Zea.

2. Make your slides visually pleasing

Renata Freund, Founder & Director of Honeycomb Strategy, shares valuable insights based on the work they do. “As a research agency, our success is centred on our ability to clearly communicate insights that are easy to understand and compelling. Here is one of our go-to tips and tricks to wow your audience with your presentation: Visual design is never optional.”

“When information, insights or data is presented in a format that is visually appealing, your audience will naturally be more open and receptive to what is being communicated. The visual design needs to come first, not be an after-thought in your presentation,” Renata remarked.

The visual design includes the template you use, the background of your slide, the colours, the layout of the presentation, the illustrations, photos and graphs that are included in the slides, as well as the font and size of the text. All these must be cohesive and well-thought-of to ensure that they are appealing to your audience.

3. Use fewer words and text

Renata adds another tip to wow your audience: Let imagery do the talking. “As a general rule, we try to keep the text on the slide to no more than a short heading plus 3 bullet points. We use photography and iconography as visual cues to support the story, without having to spell out every insight with words,” she said.

David concurs based on his experience as well. “The best ones have always been if you've got slides up on the screen or doing a zoom, know your basic things. It's common sense now these days, but a lot of people still get it wrong, which is not to have too many words on a page. Try to have more pictures that convey what you're saying on screen so that they're not reading something word by word, but they're getting the gist of what you're saying by the imagery that's on there.”

Jeremy summarises it in two words – “Be concise.”

4. Let your personality shine through

The third tip Renata has in making an impactful presentation is to “Let your personality shine through.” 

She expounds, “The one thing that all great communicators have in common is the ability to let their personality shine through. Your presentation should be no different. Bringing fun, humour and your own personal touch to your presentation will build credibility and warmth with your audience.”

5. Put some fun in your presentation

Speaking of fun, David shares that it can make a presentation more memorable to the audience. He reveals, “I try to make all my presentations a bit fun, such as having a meme or a gif that people can relate to or that could get a bit of a smile from the audience. It can be risky if it doesn't come off, but when it does, it has a real impact.”

He further added, “People will remember you as the one that made them smile and the one that made them feel good about the topic that you're talking about. Depending on what you're talking about, it could be a relatively boring or stale topic, so you want to lighten it up and have a bit of fun with it.”

6. Give good key takeaways

Lastly, adding a summary at the end of the presentation will make it easier for your audience to recall and digest everything that you’ve said. According to David, “Give people some really good key takeaways. It doesn't matter what you're presenting or what you're explaining, there's always something that people can learn. I found that doing a summary makes it easy for people to get key takeaways. I put them on one slide and allow myself to put a little bit of text there so that people can know what I'm talking about and they can write it down or screenshot it. I think that helps create a presentation that is impactful and engaging.”

Moreover, take time to practice and hone your skills. Take the opportunity to present when it comes knocking at your door. Better if you record your presentations and review them later on so that you can see how you can further improve your presentation skills.

The Excitement Soars High at the iFLY EO Melbourne Family Event

It was a fun Sunday for EO Melbourne families as participants had a thrilling experience at the iFLY Family Event held on 3 April 2022 at the iFLY Melbourne attraction. 

Recognising the importance of entrepreneurs spending quality time with their families and loved ones, EO Melbourne has always been putting together family events for its members and their families to enjoy.

Adults and children alike had the opportunity to soar high in this indoor skydiving facility without having to jump out of an airplane. The facility is the first 14-ft diameter iFLY wind tunnel to be built in Melbourne. 

Participants first had hands-on training with a professional coach as they were briefed on the safety procedures of the activity. They were also provided with flight gear to prepare them for their indoor flight. The good thing about this activity is that no previous experience was necessary and anyone over the age of 3 years old could participate.

Members have nothing but commendation for such a fun and one-of-a-kind experience. “It’s a great unique experience to share with the family,” Damian Blumenkranc said. 

EO Melbourne is part of the global network of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, a unique, experience-based network that supports the needs of the 360° entrepreneur through business, family, community & personal experiences. Our chapter offers world-class learning events, skills-specific workshops and a venue to exchange business stories that help our members learn and grow.

Futurist Sarah Owen talked about “Future Forecast 2024” to EO Melbourne

How will young people think and behave in 2024? 

Trend forecaster and futurist Sarah Owen, Co-founder & Global Futures Director at SOON Future Studies, recently shared how SOON Future Studies has uncovered “the global drivers of change as well as 30 emerging trends that will help drive business decisions over the next few years.”

SOON is a futures think tank focused on human insights. Hosted at The Taboo Group, office of EO Melbourne Member Andrew Mackinnon, the "Future Forecast 2024" EO x SOON Event with Sarah Owen was attended by EO Melbourne Members, Strategic Alliance Partners and members of the SLP Forum. 

At this event, Sarah, also a social scientist with a background in studying youth culture and social media, revealed that “In 2024, a social, political, and environmental tipping point will drive people to drastically reform and rewire their world. From reinventing the notion of work and challenging the current growth narrative to reshape societal norms and developing entirely new digital realities, this report outlines the emerging mindsets and movements unfolding in the next few years.”

She pointed out that “We live in a liquid society; a period in time where the concepts of identity and individuality are becoming more and more elastic.”

Sarah then gave an overview of the different Drivers of Change and possible News Headlines in 2024. She also talked in detail about the various Key Trends, such as Life Wellbeing, Meta-worlds, Age of Awareness, Reworking Work, Revenge Travel, Retail Revival and the Post-Growth Paradigm, illustrating the emerging trends for each.

The insights shared and discussed allowed the participants to better understand how Gen Z and Millennials would approach work, travel, food, gaming and shopping in the future. It then gave the members ideas on how they can align their businesses with the emerging trends taking into consideration the various drivers of change.

Participants say that “the content was great” and “it is so diverse and eye-opening” that they hope for “more future events because this was incredibly inspiring.”  An EO Melbourne member who came to the event shared that he got at least eight good take-outs from the session.

Leadership teams from various sectors now look at futures studies with interest as these studies provide them with tools for dealing with uncertainties, building resilience among their teams, and mapping out the future of their businesses or organisations.

How to keep your team inspired at work

The lockdowns imposed during the pandemic have pushed many businesses to manage their teams remotely. Now that restrictions are easing, and the world is starting to return to some form of normality, some have embraced the “new normal” with people going back to face-to-face activities but with certain safety protocols imposed. Others still work from home, while there are others that have adopted hybrid working arrangements.

Regardless of the work set up in your organisation, it is undeniable that your employees’ happiness and mental health are important in keeping your team together. It also helps them to be motivated and engaged in your business and immersed in their jobs. Apart from your regular catch-ups and meetings, it is helpful to come up with some activities and initiatives that also cater to their other needs.

Reach out to them individually

Letting your staff members know that you value them as part of your organisation will also enable them to put importance on their relationship with you. Since every staff member may be going through different situations and may have varying concerns, it is helpful to reach out to them one by one and check on their circumstances.

When the pandemic happened, Ben Beattie, Managing Director of True Blue Plumbing Australia, dedicated time to check on his team. “I took the time to call every staff member individually, asked them how they are coping and if there was anything True Blue Plumbing Australia could do for them and what their thoughts were on how the company has handled the pandemic,” he stated.  

Clayton Cross, Head of Strategy at Expia, shared a similar sentiment. “We reach out to them to know where they are at, individually,” Clayton remarked. This simple gesture matters to every member of your team, so it’s beneficial to do this every now and then,

Gather feedback and address issues

Whether during individual calls or at regular group huddles, make sure to gather feedback from your team members and address immediate concerns. “Taking on their feedback and addressing any issues was a great way to make all staff feel heard,” Ben iterated.

Such feedback will provide you with insights on how you can further strengthen your team, improve your systems and services, and grow your business. When team members feel that their input and ideas are being considered by the company, the more they become engaged and involved in the business.

Host a dinner or socials and do activities that build the team

The pandemic was challenging to most individuals and businesses. However, people have become more creative in keeping their teams together. Many have come up with virtual get-togethers and other fun and enjoyable activities, big or small.

During lockdowns, Ben and his team at True Blue Plumbing Australia gathered online for some lighthearted moments. “We held an online social and paid for dinner and drinks for everyone. This really helped morale and eliminate the feeling of disconnect,” Ben shared.

Team lunches or dinners, fun games and team-building activities are initiatives that will get your people to strengthen their bond as a group and reinforce their teamwork. 

Jeremy Chen, Managing Director and co-founder at Good Things, has tapped experts for their team-building activities. “BeChallenged runs a great course that is fun and the enchanted adventure garden in Mornington peninsula has some fun scavenger hunt/ropes courses, but nothing beats a good internal dinner and drinks.”

Give them some pampering

Allow your staff members to enjoy something that can help them relax and de-stress. Clayton has come up with some initiatives that could bring delight to the team. “We offer them something that meets their immediate needs, such as a massage or a quality home-cooked food delivered,” he said.

These are things that will make your team appreciate being part of your organisation and inspire and motivate them to be engaged in your business. 

Encourage continuous growth

People always yearn for growth, such as skills upgrade, advancement in their career path or bigger roles in the organisation. Provide them with an opportunity to thrive and learn more, wherein they can apply such learnings to their personal and professional development as well as to the growth of your business. Training, seminars, workshops, conferences or additional education would be beneficial to them and your organisation. 

When it comes to continuous learning for your key executives, EO has a Key Executive Program, a program that permits an EO member to have a key executive from their business to participate in EO learning events and EO Accelerator learning events and become a member of a Key Executive Forum. Learn more about it at https://www.eomelbourne.org/key-executive-program. 

President's Update - April 2022

From the President

CONNECTIONS

I have just come back from EO Ignite and witnessed firsthand the power of connections. It was great to see our EO Melbourne Chapter members making connections with other Chapters and expanding their outreach. Spending time developing relationships with like-minded entrepreneurs felt like nourishment of the soul. I found myself sharing my darkest moments and walking away with a new perspective on the challenges ahead. As the EO Global community opens up and more event opportunities present themselves, I encourage all of you to build up your connections.

I trust you have all seen our latest comms advising you of our new date and venue for Board Handover and End-of-financial-year Gala Dinner being Saturday, June 18. The W Hotel is effortlessly cool and so EO! The evening is all about celebrating with our members and guests. I recommend booking a hotel room and taking the opportunity to explore the hotel, especially the amazing bar on the lower ground and the pool, both of which are stunningly designed.

As we edge closer to the end of the financial year, it is membership renewals time and you will be receiving your request to renew. The Chapter is in a healthy position and continues to attract amazing new members. The new board is already planning some exciting new events and the new location of the Chapter retreat will delight everyone, so stay tuned for more details as the year unfolds. For those attending our Grand Prix event this weekend, I look forward to seeing you all.

Warmest regards, 

Socrates Capouleas
President 2021/2022, EO Melbourne