Shownotes
Starting a business from scratch and making it successful is no easy feat. In the highly competitive commercial landscape, carving out your own niche can be especially difficult.
In this episode, Kate Dillon shares her story of splitting her time between her role as Director of Employee Strategy and Experience at Gilbert & Tobin Lawyers and building her niche handbag brand, She Lion.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much need for a designer handbag during a global lockdown and Kate’s business, like many others was facing disaster. As a mum, who should have been on maternity leave following the arrival of her second child, it would have been understandable to let the business fall victim to the pandemic.
This is the story of a tenacious business women who took the bull by the horns and defined her own story. Not only did she raise her business out of the ashes, but she empowered 21 other local businesses to rise with her.
And ‘Walk Fearlessly”, “Actually I can” and “Support Local” branded together to become a force to be reckoned with and a true heart-warming winner in what was a bleak time in Melbourne, Australia.
Kate's entrepreneurial journey is a great example of how to think strategically, be resilient and lead by example.
WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:
- The intellectual side of the business (03:20)
- How to win the war on talent (04:40)
- How Kate got into the fashion world (06:05)
- How the pandemic has changed businesses (08:59)
- Scaling from local to international sales (15:35)
- How to make a difference through advocacy (21:45)
QUOTES
“It's about the true value you provide, rather than the number of hours that you work.” -Kate Dillon
“There's a huge strength in vulnerability.” -Kate Dillon
“Every person should own their power and know that if they want to do something, they can and it won't necessarily be easy.” -Kate Dillon
