Overview

Innovator. Entrepreneur. Artist. Project Manager. Events Planner. Owner of Whatever Floats Your Goat.

• I am a respected professional who has exceptional knowledge of developing strategic plans and business building, with a special focus on the arts, artists, and local communities.
• I am highly creative and artistic in equal measure to being organised, analytical and business focused.
• I have extensive experience engaging many stakeholders from all walks of life to create a shared vision and collaborating with artists and community.

I speak three languages, have three nationalities and three passports. Belonging to many countries brings with it an understanding of human diversity, and inspires my deep curiosity about people and life.

Key skills

• Business development and operations management in a variety of business types and settings
• Analytical and problem-solving capabilities with an eye for detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong time-management, with the ability to prioritise a diverse workload and meet stringent deadlines and budgets

Experience in liaising effectively with key stakeholders at all organisational levels and with diverse backgrounds

Personal attributes

• Adaptable, flexible, passionate, dynamic and creative
• Goal-oriented and self-motivated, equally adept at fostering teamwork and cooperation as at working solo
• Empathetic and driven to always act with integrity

Professional experience

April 2018 — Present
The Patch Craftivism – Founder, Mentor and Project Officer

I founded The Patch Craftivism as a friendly space for local artists and crafters to learn, practice and connect. As part of running Craftivism, I:

• design and develop art and craft classes
• run classes two nights a week in a dedicated space I designed and renovated myself
• provide guidance and tuition with individual support and mentorship to the artists and crafters who attend
• program, market and manage ticketing for the classes
• maintain inventory and stocks of art supplies.

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May 2016 - Present
Whatever Floats Your Goat – Business Mentor, Trainer and Presenter

Whatever Floats Your Goat is a business I created to mentor women who are operating or planning to start a small business.

The main activities I have undertaken in this business are mentoring and training.

Mentoring

Running one-on-one business mentoring sessions from my home office, I have mentored more than 25 women on an ongoing basis. I advise them on goal setting, time management, intellectual property issues, marketing, assessing return on investment (ROI), market research, copywriting, targeting, social media – basic business building skills, assessment and planning.

Training

As a subcontractor to Holmesglen TAFE, I present on and train students on the NEIS (National Enterprise Incentive Scheme) program. As part of my involvement with NEIS, I have:

• delivered content on Marketing, Customer Service, Operations and Financial Management
• co-created course content and delivery for a new entrepreneurial course, EBMOB (Explore Being My Own Boss) course, alongside Head of NEIS Sophia Amos
• written quarterly assessment reports for NEIS program participants, covering accountability, viability, marketing, customer activity and areas for improvement, for about 60-70 students per quarter
• performed NEIS Advisory Committee reviews, involving a final read through of students’ business plans, acceptance and sign off for finance approval.

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April 2018 – Ongoing
Horses for Causes and SEASOL – Project Officer

In this role I was responsible for managing and maintaining a 4-acre rural property.

• I was initially engaged to relocate the owner to a new property, requiring me to pack up four sheds and garages, a cottage and a house, and select and manage tradespeople, including removalists, cleaners, maintenance people, pool cleaner and gardener. Due to the success of this project, I was offered the property to manage and use for one year until the owner decided she was ready to sell.
• I was then contracted to rejuvenate and enliven the exterior design of an equestrian property for disadvantaged youth, which included setting up large metal sculptural art with welders on site; organising a crane truck to bring in a truck chassis; many deliveries of soil; sourcing of rustic farm equipment for art installations; and placement of four large mosaic panels that I made myself to surround a pool. I managed the project to a monthly budget of $2,000, with a total budget of $20,000. I am still currently her personal shopper… my best job yet.

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January 2019 – May 2019
Kallista Nursery – Project Officer

While working at the Kallista Nursery, I:

• assisted with rejuvenation of the nursery by organising, marketing and running a Working Bee
• defined and documented project and long-term goals, objectives, milestones and marketing for ongoing use.

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2018
The Grub Club – Project Officer

The Grub Club is a well-known Hills restaurant. I was engaged to help the owners establish the restaurant. In this capacity, I:

• designed the restaurant interior and created children’s rooms and function areas for events
• acted as “personal shopper” and Girl Friday – everything from plant potting to HR manual rewrite
• assisted with staff interviews and employment, writing a report on each applicant
• managed the business website, networking with the local community and B&B owners and generating copy for newspapers and magazines.

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2007 – 2016
in.cube8r Gallery Pty Ltd – Founder and CEO

in.cube8r is a unique business providing a sales outlet for artists and creators.

I created the concept of in.cube8r, which was new to the market, developed the business model, started and grew the business, established a franchise model, and eventually sold the business, which is still going strong.

I had between 80 and 100 artists onboard at all times, 800 in total over 9 years, from 7 years of age to 92.

Starting and running the business

The store has a bricks and mortar retail location at 321 Smith Street, Fitzroy. The lease arrangement when I opened the business was 3 x 3 x 3 ongoing.

In starting and running the business, I:

• had my own point of sale (POS), data entry and artist portal software developed
• managed inventory, data entry, the website, newsletters, a blog, systems, contracts, artist payments and customer service
• hired, trained and managed long-term staff, and interacted with artists, franchisees and the local community
• designed, organised and managed events, including a 4-day conference with franchisees, various gallery openings, bands, catering, workshops and attendance at trade fairs.

Franchising

After successfully running the business for 3 years, and based on a 6-month feasibility study, I branched out into a national franchise model. As part of the franchise arrangements, I:

• wrote seven procedures manuals for plug-in-and-go franchisee ease of entry and set up
• performed Quarterly Standards Evaluation Reviews for franchisees as per the franchising code of conduct, flying to each location
• managed expectations and set boundaries with a good warm sense of humour.

Education

2019 
Currently training to become a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) under the International Coaching Federation

2016
TAE40110 – Certificate IV in Training and Assessment

2007
BSB40407 – Certificate IV in Small Business Management (NEIS)

2005
Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary ARTS) Monash University

2003
Bachelor of Applied and Fine Art (GLASS Major) Monash University

1993
Contemporary Jewellery Diploma ASA (Auckland School of Art)

Memberships

2016 – Present
Belgrave Emporium Cooperative member

2019 – Present
Arts and Culture Advisory Committee member to Knox City Council

About to commence
Public Art Advisory Committee member to Knox City Council

2017 – 2019
Eastern Makers – President 

** Referees & References available on request **