For the 2017 grand finale of Ladies Wine Design Auckland, we had 3 extraordinary businesswomen sharing with us how they navigate their businesses and their brands towards success, and what they do to make sure their customers come with them for the ride. In 'Show Me The Money', Mimi Gilmour (Mexico, Burger Burger, Fish Fish, et al), Jordan Rondel (The Caker) and Hady Wenham (Forme Spa & Wellbeing) cut through the BS and reminded us that being adaptable, pro-active and really thinking about what your customers want is key to their success… that and making sure that you invest in and protect your brand.
You can build a successful business and still have integrity
“When you get to a certain level of business you get into the boys club, and they are all about chasing the bottom line. But you can build a business with integrity and make decisions that are about being true to your vision and your brand.”
Mimi – "People care more about ethical decisions and integrity now, so they respect business with integrity.”
Be prepared to reassess your business. Be brave enough to change what isn’t working
Hady – “You can’t assume that what you started with is still right and relevant years down the track.”
It’s vital to balance the evolution of your business with staying authentic to your brand values
Mimi – “If you don’t evolve you become boring and irrelevant, but you also need to stay authentic to what your brand is... otherwise your customers will say ‘that’s not really who you are.”
Hady + Mimi – “It’s not always who you think you are… it’s who your clients think you are.”
Money may not be everything, but it is a measure of success
Mimi – “Creatives tend to put dollars last, but we have to prioritise it and recognise that if the money isn’t working, there is something else that is not working.”
Hady – “If people aren’t coming back, it’s a sign that there is a problem somewhere.”
Effective branding has been essential to our success
Jordan – You can have an amazing product, but without a really strong or innovative brand it’s almost for nothing.”