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Name: Sarah Cross
Business: Sarah J Cross
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Industry: Professional Services
Reason for starting? At the age of 24 years old I successfully built and sold my own million-dollar gift hamper business and was formally recognised twice in the Australian Telstra Business Women’s Awards. With the rapid expansion of my rags to riches gift business, I built systems and procedures to enable its sales and marketing success and mastered the art of outsourcing to fulfil the demands of a highly-seasonal operation. Following the success of my own start-up business I decided to use my hard-won wisdom and expertise and become a business growth mentor to help creative women in the giftware, wholesale and homeware industry. I want to help them accelerate their sales and have their own financially-successful businesses.
Related: Read about another business coach here.
How do you define success? For me success is pursuing my passion as a business growth mentor and helping coach creative women to think BIGGER in the giftware, wholesale and homeware industry. I am energised by empowering women to accelerate sales and build a lifestyle business that allows them to have their own financially successful enterprise. Living my passion brings commitment and through commitment I believe you can focus on the BIG picture. For me, that involves building a lifestyle business that provides time for self-care, family holidays and flexibility when juggling babies and business.
Biggest success: My biggest success was starting my first business at age 24 from my kitchen table, then going on to sell it for half a million. My biggest success was starting my first business from very humble beginnings at age 24 from my kitchen table, then going on to sell it for half a million. I absolutely loved the adrenalin rush of packing and sending out large volume corporate gift orders. Today, I get the same fulfilment from seeing my clients achieve their goals.
What is your top challenge and how you have addressed it? My top challenge has been wearing too many hats which has led to feelings of burn out and overwork. I overcame them by outsourcing to scale and rapidly increase my revenue. By implemented systems and processes and using automation and delegation, I was able to better manage my overwhelm. Experiencing my own business challenges has made me a stronger and more effective coach.
Related: TSE Quick Take: How Necessity Fuels Female Entrepreneurs
Who is your most important role model? My parents are my most important role models. Each of them successfully built their own small business over a period of 30 years and they taught me to do what makes you happy and to always follow your passion. I always knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur and when I did start my first business in my mid-twenties there were times I wanted to throw in the towel but what helped get me through was picking up the phone and getting reassurance from my father that everything was going to be okay and I needed to stay focused and push through. Outside of my family, I am constantly inspired by inspirational business women like Oprah, Arianna Huffington, Lisa Messenger, Janine Allis, Naomi Simson and Kristina Karlsson.
[box_light]Website www.sarahjcross.
Facebook www.
Instagram @sarahjcross_official[/box_light]
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Edited by The Story Exchange