Queensland Leaders Update June 2022

Last week I had the opportunity to go to Queensland Leaders event for the first time – and there were a lot of things I liked about the session.

Initially – there is an ‘Ask the Expert’ session where my senior Clint Adams and I paired up with Gary Myburgh, a consultancy business owner in the I.T space. He had lots of connections and success with his business in South Africa and New Zealand, but was finding the Australian side of things difficult to get started – as we know, HR laws/legislation here can definitely feel like a minefield to try and navigate correctly! In the end, both parties walked away with knowledge gained from the discussion and a great experience.

Following this – we heard from a few other business owners talking about key takeaways from the previous financial year, or what they were doing moving forward with their company.

Succession planning and planning your exit from a business were really highlighted. It’s something that not many think about, plan appropriately for or execute well when the time comes. We heard from Xpon, who with a recent health scare – one business owner spoke about the importance of being able to step back from the business you’ve built and loved for so long, and doing it at the right time, with the right people who have the same vision – so that you can rest assured when you do pass the reigns – your beloved company will continue to strive for everything you have worked hard for over the years.

We then heard about a great cause from Danielle Appi from RizeUp Australia, a business/charity that is raising awareness for family and domestic violence. They help victims of domestic violence in a time when they need it most by;

• Sourcing critical items needed at a moment’s notice and assisting with costs of emergency relocation;
• Sets up and furnishes homes sourced by specialist services to support victims;
• Support young family members with much-needed items for schooling such as uniforms/clothing and help them ease into school.

Following this, everyone was left to their own devices to introduce themselves to people/businesses they were interested in finding out more about or to chat with those they already knew from previous sessions.

Overall, I would highly recommend a QLD Leaders session to anyone involved in business, interested in networking with like-minded people or just curious about up-and-coming businesses, ideas or causes.