Posts Tagged ‘Speaking’
Business Daughters was first published on Women in Focus
Women in Focus is a recently launched website and initiative by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It is a place for women to be inspired, informed and connected with other women in business in Australia and around the world. Angela Vithoulkas, CEO of VIVO Cafe Group, will be the Guru on the Business Beat section and will be providing weekly articles on all things small business.
We often hear of the struggle we have as women to have it all and do it all. The pressure we are under to be superwomen, manage families and work, look great and unruffled. Then we wonder what effect we have on our families when we don’t meet these expectations, let alone ourselves. We agonise over the long term results - will our children hate or appreciate our sacrifices, will our partners understand and are we even happy doing it “all”. Well, speaking as a daughter of a mother who walked this path and then later as a daughter in business following in her shoes, I think I can safely say the research is in.
I spent my entire life sharing my mother with every business she ever bought and worked. I grew up in the back of a shop. I did my homework on the counter in between my list of jobs. It’s just the way it was.
Raising the family
The last few weeks have been a frenzy of speaking engagements that have seen me running around like beans in a grinder. I am almost always very nervous pre any event, big or small. My heart pounds like an RTA bus powered by natural gas, I feel sick and I contemplate running away. If you are a potential client who is thinking of booking me, please read on and or disregard this. All artists get stage fright I’m told :). Once I approach the stage or get near a mic, it all vanishes. And then I proceed to just rock their world. Oh, you need a huge amount of self confidence in order to stand up in front of any amount of people and convince them of your knowledge, substance and expertise. Like any business or sale, you must have total belief in your product or how will anyone else believe. If I come across nervous or unsure will you trust what I say? No, because it sounds like I don’t trust me. I have the wonderful privilege of getting a lot out of all my speaking events because I have learnt that I always seem to gain some new piece of wisdom. You learn the most from those you teach.
Yesterday was the official launch of a brand new concept I have been working on in conjunction with two amazing women, Julia Bickerstaff from The Business Bakery & Charmaine Papallo from Babybuds.
We are ”The Business View”
The Business View features a team of dynamic business women of different ages, experiences and backgrounds discussing the most exciting, exacting and excruciating aspects of running a business. The business view consists of hot topics in the business world combined with the opinions and experience of three fabulous business women
We are an interactive panel that involves the audience and aren’t afraid to disagree - with the audience and each other.
We had a great time, really got everyone involved and felt that we have something to offer that no one else has. Besides beauty 
I love being able to share the experiences of my business, both the positives and negatives. Its another growing phase for us and I learn more about myself each and everytime I am asked to speak. The past two years that I have been speaking has opened my eyes to how little real knowledge there is being shared about the war zone of small business. We are an amazing hard working group who make up 85% of all business in the CBD. Imagine if we went on strike, imagine if we put our demands forward, imagine if we used the power of our voice to be heard. Why don’t we?
This was my first time as part of a group on stage, normally I am a solo artist. But I figured if Beyonce & Destinys Child can do it, if Gwen Stefani & No Doubt can do it, if Sting & The Police can do it, then definitely I will do it. International fame & fortune here I come, ready or not.