Interview with Business Chick's Emma Isaacs

Thu, 27 Aug 09

At just 29, Emma Isaacs has achieved more than most three times her age - she has bought four businesses and sold one, all of them successful and profitable. Superwoman? Maybe. A serial entrepreneur? Absolutely. She bravely bought into her first business, recruitment company Staff it, at the age of 18. Under her leadership, Staff it was named Australia's Favourite Recruiter for three consecutive years and also won the Westpac 2005 Small Business of the Year award.  She is currently Chief Chick at Business Chicks, the largest national membership network for women in business; Managing Director of Last Thursday Club, Director of Studio Bodyfit; and President of the Entrepreneurs Organisation (EO) Sydney.

• You've been in business most of your adult life and manage a number of companies.  What drives you and what do you attribute your success to?

 I've never actually been an employee so I don't know any other way! I love business and love the challenges and spontaneity it brings. Business is a way to find out what you're really made of and it's an opportunity to impact others and move beyond your comfort zone. I'm just driven by learning, being a better person and trying to enrich the lives of others - whether that be my team members, family or customers. Besides, it's all I know now - between my husband and I we have eight companies, so it's just what we do!

• Business Chicks is a fabulous membership network for all women in business.  What's been your biggest challenge in growing Business Chicks to become a national organisation and recognisable brand in Australia?

We stepped in to help Kids Helpline with Business Chicks over three years ago and are still very much involved with the charity, working to fundraise and lift their profile. Being so committed to a charity and working to raise as much funds as possible means that our budgets to market the brand are limited and we rely on word of mouth, which surprisingly has been incredibly effective. People love to talk about brands and causes they believe in, and this has been the reason why we've grown on average of 65% year on year and now have strong communities in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.

• What advice do you have for people with an ambition to start their own business?

Surround yourself with positive people and strong mentors; never be afraid to ask tough questions and have straight conversations; do something that scares you every day; invest in a viable product or service and if it's not viable, walk away and look for another; build your networks and be nice to everyone; continuously do favours for people no matter how inconvenient they are (the universe loves reciprocity); work hard and believe in yourself and go for it!!!

• In 2009, what do you see the biggest challenge businesses face?

Managing the changing economic conditions and being quick to make hard decisions in relation to doing business differently. People and companies who do what they've always done just won't remain sustainable in this market. Keep marketing, keep networking, keep innovating, watch your cash flow and get creative with cost-cutting and revenue raising.

• With three companies, the Business Chicks magazine Latte; your role as President of EO and your first child on the way in a few months how life must be very hectic.  How do you go about achieving balance in your life? 

I've given up trying to be Superwoman and am a lot kinder to myself these days. I'm very fortunate to be supported by incredibly talented people in my businesses and make a point of setting an example in relation to work life balance. My team are encouraged to exercise in their lunch breaks (it helps that one of our businesses is a fitness studio!) and to leave early to nourish their friendships/ relationships. I've just moved to working four days per week so I can prepare for our first child and while it was challenging not to reach for my laptop at the start I'm loving being able to rest and be good to myself. Other quick tips? I regularly leave my laptop at the office and turn off my phone at nights; have a personal trainer that keeps me accountable for my health and fitness; I measure my success as a well-rounded person on how much I'm relaxing (instead of just working) and I engage others in my efforts to be balanced - in fact I get kicked out of the office by my team members if I'm overdoing it these days!