New Members, New Premises, and New Businesses
First up a big welcome to Karen Duxbury of Duxbury Consulting who’s made it official and joined RBS as a fully-fledged member since our last meeting. Duxbury Consulting covers all accounting aspects from data entry through to lodging tax returns – a real one-stop shop.
And a big welcome also to Emma Foster of Boardwalk Conveyancing who joined us today as a guest.
It’s great to see some new faces around the table as we continue to grow each month. The hundreds of years of combined business experience in the room each fortnight is a huge asset to all our members, and the more people we have around the table, the bigger that asset.
It’s not just RBS that’s growing. Two of our members shared the exciting news that their businesses are on the move into new premises. Good luck to both of them and good luck to Singh who’s taken on a second business too. Already running Impeccable Hand Car Wash and Detailing, he’s now running Tint-a-Car Rockingham as well.
Featured Presentations
We had three featured speakers today:
Robyn Paterson – Celebrant in Style
The average marriage celebrant in Perth would be lucky to oversee 30 weddings a year. Robyn has 30 booked in just the next few months. She shared her method of being focused on getting to know each of her customers and making sure they know they’re getting an individualised, special service. She believes it’s her focus on customer service that keeps her so busy, with bookings as far off as late 2024, she’s certainly in demand.
Kristy Youd – What a Stitch Up
Kirsty shared the story of her background as an officer in the Australian Navy and how she came to be the owner of an embroidery business. Like many navy personnel she was a customer of the business, and when she heard it was closing as the owner wanted to retire, decided to take on the challenge herself rather than see the service disappear. Still an active member of the Navy, she’s put staff in place who run the business and spoke of some of the challenges that presents. This kicked off a discussion on the importance of having systems in place in your business and the mention of a great book that everyone in business should read at least once; The E-Myth by Michael Gerber.
Jon Ellis – My Getaway Driver
Jon spoke of the challenges he faces operating in an industry that’s not only highly regulated and highly competitive, but rife with competitors who are operating unlicensed, uninsured, and undercutting those who are following the rules. Business is going well though. Jon differentiates himself by providing a premium service at a premium price and therefore doesn’t see these “cowboy” operators are competition. He’s also booked well in advance, often by regulars, who value the service Jon provides.
Booking a car for an early morning trip to the airport? Jon won’t just take care of transport, you can ask him for a wake-up call an hour before you’re due to be picked up too.
Group Discussion
"How important is community involvement for your business?"
Not everyone has found a way for their business to give back to the community yet, but everyone agreed that operating a small business is about more than just turning a profit. Whether it’s sponsoring the local junior sports club (or the adults), providing your services to a local club at a discount (or free of charge), or even just being part of the community and helping out where you can, community involvement is important. It’s easy to make money in business when times are good, but it’s this grassroots involvement that will see the community supporting you, rather than your competitors when things get tough.
General Announcements
We’ve decided our last meeting for the year will be December 13th, and we’ll be back to kick off 2023 on January 10th.
We’ve also decided that once a quarter we’re going to host an educational workshop, with the first two topics covered being Social Media and IT Security. Stay tuned for more info on both of those.
Lastly, if you’re looking for something to do this weekend (at the time of writing) then you should check out Music at The Manor. It’s a great free event on the grounds of Peel Manor House. Hope to see you there!
