ENTERPRISING JOURNEYS
Introducing The Smart Second Brain Your Business Needs
Michelle Broadbent
Michelle Broadbent
The Crucial First Client
You never know where your first client is going to come from and for Michelle Broadbent that was certainly the case. Broadbent was in the very early days of running her business strategy start-up when she attended a long lunch in the NSW southern highlands. When the lady opposite her, who owned her own catering business, asked what she did she thought, ‘Here goes’.
“From that conversation came my first client,” says Broadbent. “When she texted later and said she wanted to work with me I [panicked] because my website and logo weren’t ready. But none of that actually mattered because once I started doing the work I realised there was an actual need for my business.”
That was in 2016 and today Broadbent advises around 25 business women each year, working one-on-one to give them the strategies and confidence to meet their goals. It’s a far cry from the world of television in her previous career, where she worked with two start-ups in television program distribution, acquiring then selling factual content and documentaries such as Better Homes and Gardens and Harry’s Practice.
Reinventing Herself
After 12 years her job satisfaction had plummeted, she’d had two children and knew staying in the demanding role would require a lot more travel despite already missing too much of her daughters’ lives.
“But I didn’t know what I was outside that industry, so I worked with a career coach to help me unlock what it was about me that was valuable to other people that I didn’t see in myself.”
Simply titled ‘Michelle Broadbent’, the business sees Broadbent working with female founders, small and micro business owners from interior designers to marketing specialists, lawyers and accountants, helping them overcome the operational challenges of running a business alone.
“I’m their 2IC, their non-financial silent partner,” she says.
An Area Of Need
Typically clients approach Broadbent after running their business for 18 months or more, having experienced the highs and lows of going it alone, finding the stress of the business unsustainable but not sure where to turn.
Broadbent begins by immersing herself in the business to see what’s working and what isn’t, assessing the owner’s goals and priorities and how best to efficiently meet them.
“Getting clear on what they want to do and where they want to be, in business and in life, is really important to me because I don’t just look at them as businesswomen but how the business fits into their whole life and other competing priorities. Then we make a plan.”
The main areas of need tend to be resourcing (Broadbent often helps women hire their first staff member or secure premises), overhauling websites and sorting out finances. “It’s helping them identify their priorities and shortcutting the road to the solution.”
A Proud Single Mum And Business Owner
Broadbent knows well about identifying priorities, after her marriage broke down just 12 months into starting her business.
“It was a real ‘come to Jesus’ moment when I had to decide whether to keep going or not, because it’s very different starting a business in the security of a marriage when there’s another income.”
She ultimately made the brave decision to back herself and provide a positive example to her two daughters.
Learn From Your Mistakes
Treat your business the way you’d treat others. “I wasn’t prioritising my business because I was looking after everyone else first.”
Stop comparing yourself to others. “I kept thinking I wasn’t as worthy of a seat at the table as someone else, but then you realise no-one actually knows what they’re doing!”
Advice
Use your network. “The barista in the coffee shop, the mum at the school gate - my business has come from the most random places.”
Don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice. “People are really generous and open and will often connect you with like-minded women.”
Seek out events, workshops and seminars with women doing similar things. “Women in Business, Business Chicks and Mothers Den were all helpful.”
Be brave. Broadbent would regularly approach the panelists themselves at events, often politely following them up later.
