ļ»æTranscription
00:00:02
Hello and welcome to the Champagne Lounge. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Champagne Lounge podcast. Today I'm joined with the fabulous Justine McLean, who was the second person to jump in and join the Champagne Lounge when I launched it earlier this year. Welcome to the show, Justine. Thank you so much for having me.
00:00:24
It's a pleasure to be here, and I'm thrilled to be a member of the Champagne Lounge, too. I love having you in my world and my orbit, and I'm so excited for this conversation because you and I both talk about this together a lot, both in the Champagne Lounge chats that we talk to, but also you and I offline. When we work together, we're both reinventing ourselves, and we have done this year quite a lot before. We dive into the ups and downs of reinvention. After a decade or two in business.
00:00:53
Give us a little rundown on who you are and what has got you. What have you done, I should say, up until this point in your career? Well, gosh, I've been in business for a very long time, almost 30 years. Next year will be the 30th year for me. And I started because when I had my first son, I just wanted to work from home.
00:01:13
It wasn't a done thing back in the 90s, but there you go. I kind of convinced the suits that I could do it, and I did. And my husband and I went on to open retail stores, and we were early adopters of ecommerce for the toy stores that we had. And then in 2016, when I was doing some freelance work, because I am a writer and have worked in publishing for a very long time, it was my original career and my first love. I found that so many women were asking me about this idea of working for yourself.
00:01:47
How do you work for yourself? What are the ins and the outs of it? What are the things that I have to kind of really look at? Because at that point in 2016, that kind of work from home, that freelance culture was really growing. And so I guess you could say I leaned into that.
00:02:04
When we had our retail stores, I was the one who had to do all the bookwork, the numbers. We obviously had to be across all of the things in business. And so I had a pretty broad spectrum on all of the aspects that I needed to cover in business. But the one thing that everyone was always getting stuck on was the finances. So I thought, you know what, I'm going to lean into that.
00:02:25
And I really leaned into it. I went and got qualified as a Baz agent, which is kind of sits somewhere between a bookkeeper and an accountant. Did that, and then started my own little kind of side hustle, I guess you could say bookkeeping and doing Baz work for a couple of people. And of course this little thing called the Pandemic came along. I lost my freelance contracts, writing, and so I thought, yeah, people really need my help on that financial front.
00:02:56
Now I know what a difference that can make to a business. So then I started a company, Flossy Creative, and before I knew it, I had grown a big practice where I was bookkeeping and providing Baz and compliance services for people all through the Pandemic. Now, I sold that business early in 2013. Why? Because I was getting so many requests to really help people on a broader scale, to provide that financial education to industry groups and on a one to one basis.
00:03:27
And for me, doing that, being that educator, really helping women in particular step up and get those financial foundations, sort of was so much more important than the day to day doing of bookkeeping. So I thought of my bookkeeping Business and yeah, in 2023, I am reinventing, I guess you could say rebranding under my own name and really focused on online digital education and just working one to one and in groups to help people level up their finances. So that is me. I love that so much. Such a broad journey in terms of business experience and just all the different levels, like bringing that back into retail, but then into finance.
00:04:13
And I love that you've got two business sales under your belt. I remember probably when this podcast drops, I think it'll almost be to the day where you and I were sat in the Langham having high tea, celebrating that you had sold your business and I'd sold half of mine at the end of 2022. And so the reinvention phase, my love, this year has been reinvention after 29 years in business, running what most people could consider traditional, but on your terms, let's sort of use that loosely. What's it been like starting from scratch again in year 29? Well.
00:04:56
Out of choice. Not out of necessity. It's out of choice. Right. We need to keep reminding ourselves of that.
00:05:03
Yeah, out of choice, 100%. I mean, the thing is, I think the first thing for me is when I said goodbye to the part of my business that I sold, I also said goodbye to my team because I sold my business as a going concern. So that meant that I walked out the door at 05:00 P.m. On one day and the new owner walked in at 09:00 A.m. On the next day.
00:05:25
And for all intents and purposes, nothing had changed. My team was still there, everything still ran as normal. It's just that I was no longer the owner of the business. But when you have a team and they're a really good team, and then you say goodbye to them and then it's just back to being you, it kind of reminded me of the early days in business where it was kind of where you were juggling all the balls and doing all the things. And so, honestly, it's been a lot because, of course, I chose to do that while making a major life change, moving 3 hours south of Sydney after living there for 32 years between renovations and moving and starting this business.
00:06:06
It's been a lot. And I think as a business owner, even though you and I have been in the game for a long time, you actually underestimate exactly how much work involved. That is an starting again understatement. Yeah. And you kind of naturally think, oh, gosh, I've done this before.
00:06:29
I've done this a couple of times before. In, I think, both our cases, this is going to be a breeze because I know exactly what to do, and yes, you know exactly what to do. But I think that it's not necessarily a reluctance to hire a team, but it's just that when you're starting out again, it's, okay, what do I actually need help with at this point? Because it's about sitting down and thinking about what this brand looks like, who the ideal customer is, what the journey is going to be, what the services are. And it's very hard to bring in team members when you're kind of still getting into the swing of what this business is going to be.
00:07:13
Yeah, 100%. But then in doing that, we've got the skills of the last few years, few decades of knowing what systems to put in place and how quickly to almost execute them. Have you found that that's been advantageous for you in reinventing what you're doing and creating new products and new services? Because you can do it much faster now you know the tech. Yeah, 100%.
00:07:40
There's no question about that at all because I think when you're starting out, it's really well, what tech do I use? What platform is going to work for me? What's going to be the most efficient use of the use of my time and the most efficient resource that's going to kind of get me from A to B. And I think when you've kind of been there, done that, you know exactly what you're going to use for your podcast and to talk to team when you've eventually got them and where you want to host your website and all those sorts of things. But it's still definitely the doing, I think, that is coming on top because it's a reinvention in that you're almost deciding how you're going to build this as you're going certainly that's what it's been like.
00:08:26
In my case, I knew I wanted to create a digital course, and I literally created this course as I was selling it, which I know most people would recommend. I'm not sure I do. It's a lot of pressure. I was with you as you were doing that. Right.
00:08:41
And just, okay, it's week four, and I've got week four filmed and ready to go because I'm not quite ready and it's Sunday afternoon, I've got to go. Which is kind of like the nature of Bootstrapping and startup world and we're kind of going back to getting really scrappy. Now you've done that and you've done the whole scrappy esque to it. You and I are both taking stock and we talked about this offline about just taking the look at the end of the year. We're recording this podcast in August, it's dropping in December, and you and I are both going to almost hit pause on some stuff right to go.
00:09:12
Hold up, hold up. Let's take stock of what we're doing, why we're doing it. Would you put yourself back into the scrappiness of it or do you reckon that you actually almost need the time to stop, pause and reflect along the way of starting something new? Yeah, I definitely think that you need to take that time. You need the white space.
00:09:29
I mean, I always talk to my clients about finding the white space in that sort of day to day of running the business. And I think that so often as entrepreneurs, particularly when we're pivoting from one thing to the next, and you and I both sold part of our business and it was like right onto the next thing because that's kind of how we roll. But I think sometimes it's that continuous momentum that can almost bring you unstuck. And honestly, I said to you just yesterday that here I was, sitting on a train headed to a retreat and I had a six hour train journey ahead of me and I thought, right, I'm going to do all the things in this 6 hours, I'm going to be super productive. And I literally stared out the window for just about all of that 6 hours because I realized in that moment that I was physically, mentally, emotionally just spent and that I desperately needed to find that white space.
00:10:25
And so that's what I'm doing now, or that's what I have been doing by the time this airs. I hope I've had a couple of months of light space, just sort of taking stock, making sure that each step that I take from now on because I've got the thing, I've got the course. I know it's a great product that everything else kind of lines up behind it. So that come 2024, I've got this great business that is really going to suit the life and lifestyle I want to have as well as the business I want to have completely. The Champagne Lounge isn't just a podcast.
00:11:03
It's an instant digital community for ambitious businessmen and entrepreneurs like you wanting more connection, community and celebration. So wherever you are in the world, whatever stage of business you're at, if you're looking for that ultimate female cheer squad of like minded women, head over to thechampainlounge.com to come and join us.
00:11:25
I love that you dropped that on the lifestyle piece because you and I have both moved three, three and a half hours outside of Sydney, where we've called home for a number of years. Community factor, Justine, like having people around you in terms of walk the dog with, have a cup of tea with, go for a wine with. You've moved completely to a new space and new space, new house, new business. How are you navigating that from meeting people and having that connection piece and meeting new people when you are reinventing yourself and in a new space? Making friends as an adult, shall we say?
00:12:01
New things. Yeah, making friends as an adult, it's not easy. And especially down where I am, down in the South Coast, because the area that I live in is very much a tourist town. So when you kind of look around, it's not uncommon to find that there is literally only one or two lights on in the entire street because the homes are all kind of tourist homes. But I'm lucky enough to have a few kind of friends down here who have big businesses and they just happen to be based down here.
00:12:31
So that connection, being able to talk to other business owners is really nice. And for me, in this white space time that I'm having in this time, where I'm kind of having a little bit of a Rethink reset now and I suppose redesigning life and business for this next phase, for me, I'm actually going to go and do some creative stuff. I love painting, so I'm hoping that I'll meet some like minded people doing that. But, yeah, dogs are good, though. You always meet people walking the dogs.
00:13:02
You definitely do. They're the best little creatures, aren't they? They always bring us smarter faces. Yeah, they sure are. Other than walking dogs and getting creative and obviously that's parting, building that network in a new space.
00:13:13
How has surrounding yourself with the right people at the right time benefited you since the get go? Right, like as business owners, we're leading lives and we're designing lives and creating things that's not the norm to most people that you come across. Yes. How have you intentionally put the right people around you to keep you moving forward? I think for me, it's one of those things.
00:13:36
So I really am an introvert. I would much prefer to stay at home with a cup of tea and a good book than kind of go out and network. But when I go out and network, I absolutely love it. But I find that I can quite easily build those relationships. Whether it is whether they start online in a chat on Instagram, or whether I meet somebody at an event somewhere or actually through my podcast.
00:14:04
That has been a great vehicle to actually meet a lot of super interesting people. And so for me, it then becomes a gut feeling because I think so often in business, you have to pay to play. Let's call it that. You have to join an expensive monthly networking group or if you want that education as well, you're paying to be part of something which ultimately leads to that business network.
00:14:31
If that's the choice, then that's great, you can do that. But I think there's lots of other ways to do it as well. And I think one of them is to really use that intuition, find those people who are your kind of people and then give more than you get, I suppose is the best way to put it. Because so many people come into your world, particularly online or particularly at those networking events and there's an agenda there, they're hoping to get something. But what I find is I tend to collect people that probably sounds silly, but I tend to have people who radiate towards me, who I can help, but equally are happy to help me and who have my back if I just need to ring up and say, hey, what do you think of this idea?
00:15:24
And it's really nice. And quite often those people might start off as contractors, someone that has been recommended to me that's fabulous to work with for something and then they turn out to be friends. And I think no matter whether it's a contractor or whether it's those business buddies or a vehicle like the Champagne Lounge, which you've got, where you can meet a whole bunch of people who are on the same wavelength, as you. I think it's so important to really not just surround yourself with a whole bunch of people, but to surround yourself with the people who get you and who you can have that give and take relationship with. Completely, 100%.
00:16:11
And I like that you mentioned there that there was no sometimes it's best to go in with no agenda, right? And just to see space for the magic to come and the conversations to flow. Because I don't know about you, but one of the things I've learned along the way is you actually don't know who other people know. So if you go in really hard agenda, you're almost stopping the opportunities before you even know that they've even arrived could even be possible. Which is one of the things I really love about that magic space and not having an agenda and just having those opening conversations.
00:16:44
So on that note, because it's no agenda, the Champagne Lounge runs on not having that agenda there and just being there for when you need it. What have you loved about being part of the community? Because you've been part of it since I launched it at the beginning of this year. What have you loved about it? Because I know that you've been to most calls most weeks and I've loved us talking in the mornings, on the Monday mornings and also you and I have cooked dinner together a few nights on a Wednesday on wine time.
00:17:10
So what is it about the community that's keeping you engaged and wanting to be part of it. Well, look, first off, when it was just mainly you and I on the calls, it was fab because it was like a chance to kind of jump on and have a girl chat. We kind of didn't even talk about business, we talked about floorboards and renovations and painting and colors and all those sorts and dogs and all those sorts of things. I think the thing that I really like about it now, though, as the community has grown, is, well, first of all, it's a really supportive space and it's what I will call a safe space. So I could go in there on a Monday morning and have my five minute mental breakdown and everybody would be there to support me.
00:17:57
But likewise, I could come in and say, hey, I just did this, and everybody would be cheering for me. And so I think that is one element of the Champagne Lounge, something that you have managed to create. But I think the other interesting thing is you can come in and someone will say, well, how's your day? What's happening? And you can say something like, oh, well, I just did this interview and the sound worked, but the video just didn't work because we had no juice in the internet and next minute you've got a solution for that.
00:18:35
Have you tried doing this? And so I think there's that sharing without kind of worry about giving away trade secrets that you've just managed to engender within this space. And I think that's the really lovely part about it, because everyone genuinely is just happy to share what they know or what's worked for them, without necessarily giving advice or talking at each other. And that, I think, is so important. So I really love that about the community and I know that that's just going to increase as the community grows and I'm also equally sure that there's going to be lots of opportunities to collaborate with one another on that sort of business front as well, which I think is super exciting.
00:19:29
I love that you've mentioned that because it's that space of getting to know people, right? It's the conversation, getting to know people, because actually people have started to work together or started to suggest that, oh, this person might be able to help. Or even we recorded it, jumped on a call last week, someone said, oh, I'm looking for website clients. And someone else went, Well, I sold that part of my business a week ago, a year ago, and I get an inquiry every week, I'll just send them your way, I can't send them anywhere else. And so it's just the magic that comes in that and I totally agreement with you, as it grows, it's going to have even more magical moments.
00:20:03
But I also still enjoy occasionally, occasionally it's just me and one other, or me and two or three other people, despite the fact the numbers are growing because it is there when people need it, which I think is fabulous. And what you've just said means that I'm hearing it going. Yeah. It is the business bestie on speed doll, which is what I wanted to create. Now, Justine, the last thing I ask people on the podcast every time, how do you celebrate the successes in your business?
00:20:30
What are the things that you actually mark as this is my goals and this is how I'm going to celebrate achieving them. Because as seasoned business owners, we've just said it on this podcast today, we sell things, we do things and we dive straight into the next thing. How have you stopping and starting and succeeding. Yeah, celebrating. I'm going to be really honest here and say that I am not as good at this as you are.
00:20:57
I'm not a real drinker, so I don't have my champagne bottles lined up with the postit notes on it. However, having said that, when I sold my business, I actually bought myself a statement piece of jewelry to celebrate that achievement. So every time I look at my hand, I think, wow, I did that. And for me, now, when I finish a launch, if I get an opportunity that I didn't expect, I will shout us a meal or hubby and I'll go out to breakfast or we'll do something that is really simple just to take a moment and acknowledge it. But I do have to get better.
00:21:38
I do have to find my figurative champagne bottle and start to put those postit notes on it. Yeah, it doesn't have to be champagne. I'm not pushing champagne onto everyone, as you've just attested to, which is great. It's just great.
00:21:57
Justine, I have absolutely loved having you on the show today. I cannot wait to see the iteration that comes from your business in 2024, because I know after the year it's been and the stepping stones you're putting into place, the new foundations, the new branding, all of the things that you've done this year are just going to completely skyrocket you into 2024. So I look forward to doing that. I look forward to sharing all the links to the new things in the show notes at the bottom of this episode. And I have loved having you on the show.
00:22:26
Thank you so much for having me. It's always so much fun talking to you. Love you always. Love you, too. See you next time.
00:22:35
Thanks for listening to the Champagne Lounge podcast. If you'd love to be part of our thriving global community, head over to thechampainlounge.com to join us.
