Tell us about PCB and Charlies Interiors.
PCB is a construction company functioning in commercial and industrial construction in the government sector.
Charlies Interiors is a residential development company developing and selling homes fully furnished in Sydney Eastern Suburbs.
Tell us about your career and background.
PCB was co-funded as a construction company which could provide a way of financial stability and growth using both our combined skills. At that time my approach to the business was purely functional and financial, the best possible outcome to provide a future for my family.
I did not know nor could have imagined the growth and success that was still to come when I co founded this company nor did I have any grand plans, it really was just a case of start someplace, just start and see how we go.
Charlies Interiors was established some years later mainly working on residential interior furnishings, I felt that I wanted something of my own, an outlet for creativity and the ability to be able to achieve my own business agenda.
Given that my first company was functioning in the construction sector it just seemed like a natural progression to build on the foundational blocks of that industry, while allowing my creative mind to explore the field of design and architecture.
In 2018 I changed the business model to purchasing, developing my own properties and selling them fully furnished. The difference here fundamentally was not just to design and develop the properties but to do so as environmentally as could possibly be achieved.
Fundamental changes and attention given to the design and practical use of the family homes, environmental factors in the building and design while at the same time crafting beautiful, elegant and unique homes which the owners would be proud to own and live in.
The twist of course came when I decided to take this a step further and fully furnish the developments, from opening the door of your new property you could host a dinner party and enjoy the space. The fundamental difference with this idea really was to then carry ethical production and the concept of uniqueness to the soft furnishings.
Describe a typical work day for you.
My properties are complete with original artwork, handmade ceramics, ethically sourced and made products which not only speak to beauty, elegance and comfort but also come with the functional side of being usable within a family home.
A typical work day starts for me at 4am, a quick coffee on my back veranda, followed by a one hour work out in my gym, finished with a quick yoga session.
I then prepare the school lunches, prep my teens for school and usually add a mix of laundry and housekeeping someplace between that. A very normal life of a mother, not too far removed from the earlier preschool days.
I normally enter the office around 9am after school drop off, my days vary between senior management meetings, site visits, project analytics and general daily problem solving which come with running companies.
My real work starts once I return home, I start this process by doing a quick work out and always a jog, just to clear the noise from the day away from my mind.
I normally spend the evening working on the creative aspect of the things which I love, from design, ZA Collective fashion line, my jewelry collection in Mongolia the time difference between the countries and scheduled conference calls work well in this frame with the time difference.
I try if I’m not exhausted to spend at least an hour or two working on my books in the late evenings and certainly on the weekends.
I know, it sounds like I don’t have a spare minute! I guess I don’t, this is a comment made by all my friends, if she has 5 minutes she will find something to do to fill it. I normally sleep for four to five hours a night, I have done this for years. It seems to work for me, no negative side effects so why mess with the formula.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
I’m not sure that I’m a big believer in giving advice, that road is filled with too many variables and every woman has a very different positioning in life. I think that perhaps the most fundamental thing that I have learned over the years are these;
- Be yourself and only that, you are good enough, other people’s opinion of you is not required
- Make a start, it does not matter how small the start is just start, the road will lead you on the journey, just keep moving forward
- Focus on the fundamentals of becoming the best that you can be, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually
- There is no right or wrong decision in business, learn to risk assess and base your decision making on that alone. There will always be negative and positive outcomes no matter which way you go, which choice you make.
- If it’s not working, change it immediately, don’t wait and hope for things to get better, changing directions is not a failure, it’s a reflection of smart, quick and efficient problem solving.
What’s next for you, business-wise?
The structure of my companies is preset for at least a projection of one to two years with business modelling and targets, at times this needs adjusting according to the economic climate or other outside variables.
I think that personally for me the focus really needs to shift more towards the sharing of knowledge, experience and absolutely removing some of the set stigma which comes with success, business and a woman’s place within that.
What the world wants us to become, to be seen as and project other than what we want to be, should be and most of all dream of becoming.
We are not what they think, this is the era of women, all of us, perfection in motion always punching at our dreams and hopes.
Maybe we could learn to do that openly and unapologetically.
For more check out: https://shopcharlies.com.au
