Eeeeeek!
Shut the front door!
This little birdie not only went to the gala for the 2020 SA Woman Australia Awards as one of the 5 finalists in the Regional Woman in Business Category but I came home the OVERALL CATEGORY WINNER! This award was for a regional woman in business who created a star business in her local community and I WON! It is all a bit surreal.
Being nominated for a SA Woman Award was humbling, being a finalist.......WOW, that was up there, but being announced a WINNER gives me all of the feels.
And it all began with this mystery nomination;
"Julie is inspiring in her approach to business and her community. She has great vision and design. Her ideas are unique and her passion contagious. Everything she does, she does to the very highest of standards. Our town / region is lucky to have such a forward thinking business woman."
And to think I wasn't even going to submit my award application. It has been a long 11 weeks of anticipation due to the postponement of the existing date due to the Covid lockdown, but it was totally worth the wait.
The 2020 Summit and Awards was hands down two of the best events I have attended. The venue - spectacular, vibe - amazing, wine - delicious, food - impeccable, guest speakers - inspiring, connections - abundant. Congratulations and thank you to Carly Thompson-Barry, Anita Martin and the SAW Dream team. You gals nailed it!
To my fellow finalists Amy Quist from Bubbles of Sunshine Photography, Bronwyn Campbell from Sassy Lass and Lucy Dodd from Lowan Park Produce and Peoples Choice recipient Alison Meaney from Bukirk Glamping Clare Valley, it was such a honour to be standing beside you on stage. The caliber of superstars in regional SA shouldn’t be underestimated. Congratulations also to the other category winners.
Photos: Hashtag Insta Prints
WHAT WINNING THIS AWARD HAS MEANT TO ME!
In the awards application the last questioned asked; "What would winning this award mean to YOU?" and my answer that I wrote back in October last year couldn't be more truer today and just like Aly Garrett from All In Advisory said to do at the Summit "If you win an award tonight, wear it like a badge of honour - be proud!" I intend to!
"For the adult part of my life I have overcome so many personal obstacles, individually they are journeys of their own. I would be the first to be humble and say that I am already a winner by overcoming these obstacles and the fact that I was nominated for these awards in the first place, but winning this award would mean formal recognition and further credibility of what I have accomplished, the business that I have created and that I am making a difference to my community. The community in which I live in and the community I have created around JT Elements. It would be proof to the imposter syndrome and anxiety that creeps in – I’ve got this!".
SO MANY THANK YOUS
So here goes:
Thank you to SAWer Fiona & Your Estate Lawyer for being the sponsors of Regional Woman in Business Award.
Thank you to Amalia Malaika, 99% Marley, Intrinsic, Megan Potter Cosmetics, Kindred Self, Rose and Lily Studio, Puddle Jumpers Inc, Earthyma, Lakun Mara, Shona Gates, Tangled Kids Hair Care, Queen St Pilates Studio and Adelaide Portrait Studios for all the gifts in my goodie bag.
From the depths of my heart:
Thank you to all of my cheerleaders that have and continually advocate and support my passion of helping others unleash their business potential. Thank you to the Kingston Connect members for their continued support in my vision to building a stronger community together.
Thank you to Mr JT and little miss, the loves and lights of my existence. The biggest “why” and inspiration in my life and in business. Thank you to my family, in particular my sister Moo, a big supporter and my daily listener. To my dear friends old and new, you are all terrific as far as I am concerned. Thank you all for loving me!
Thank you to everyone for all of the messages and phone calls of support and congratulations.
To the mystery person that nominated me, thank you, thank you for your acknowledgement. It means the absolute world to me!
SNIPPETS FROM MY AWARD SUBMISSION
Tell us a bit about your business...
JT Elements was born for a number of reasons; my flair for creativity, the want to spend more precious moments with our daughter, the desire to learn, a childhood dream, a desire to help my community grow and after a frustrating morning in my former role, on the counter of my local café whilst getting my coffee was a book “Start Today”. On the second page it read “dive deep, uncover the dream you’ve been hiding like a pearl and lift it to the surface, let it shine”.
I am a complete marketing department offering small businesses and community group organisations, a tailored consulting service to unleash their potential by crafting and integrating solutions to ensure seamless customer experiences with their brand and products.
Operating from my creative studio in Kingston SE, I provide once-off and ongoing support services in all areas of marketing; strategy, design, digital, print and photography. I also drive a network Kingston Connect which is a dedicated platform for support, growth and collaboration along with connecting people with local businesses and organisations that trade in or service the Kingston SE community.
As a former Bank Manager of 10 years, an Office Manager of 2 years and a Motor Claims Officer of 3 years has afforded me the underpinning knowledge, experience and drive to take a leap and go on the adventure I am on today; customers at the heart, operations and process management, building trust and at the heart of all of that is marketing.
What do you love most about being in business?
Being in business gives me the flexibility to roll with what the universe has instore, be there for the ones I love most, all whilst continuing to do what I love from wherever I want.
I get to be a part of helping others begin or live their dreams by assisting their business become the best version of itself, just by being me, creative and supportive with a touch of inspiration.
And I love watching the community I live in grow and prosper.
Share with us as to what sets you apart from others in your industry?
JT Elements offers one point of contact across all areas of marketing which equates to a deeper understanding of my client’s business. I operate with the holistic approach to marketing which recognises that “everything matters” with a strong focus on the customers experience and their journey with my clients.
I operate locally in Regional SA, with a strong drive and focus not only the success of the individual businesses but building the capacity and success within the community/region.
Our economy is driven by a few key industries which in their volatility can be the difference between a strong and weak economy; the ability to attract and keep key professionals, stakeholders & trades (educators, doctors, nurses, builders, electricians etc), the ability to have the minimum living requirements (medical centres, hospitals, schools, supermarkets etc) the ability to have good lifestyle options & choices (café’s, restaurants, retail stores, hairdressers, sporting clubs etc).
AND THE WINNER OF THE REGIONAL WOMAN IN BUSINESS IS.....
MY FINAL THOUGHT
I choose an intuition card that evening from the Intrinsic Intuition Cards for Abundance and Joy, which was gifted from the beautiful Adele Basheer as a part of the goodie bag. It read "Trust - Trust and the universe will provide".
Well, here is cheers to 2021, I look forward to what else the universe has instore for me.