Think about business differently

ENTERPRISING people are invited to attend next week’s Commerce Ballarat Business Day Out to gain tips, tricks, and resources to level-up their brand or commercial services.

The afternoon of key-note speakers and business networking will be held at Creswick’s RACV Goldfields Resort.

Attendees will hear from sports presenter, producer and former Ballarat local Melissa Haase, the National Australia Bank’s head of behaviour and industry economics Dean Pearson, ProfitHQ founder and business mentor Philip Coombs, and Monica Brown, founder of international communications agency, Lotus.

Ms Brown has worked with big names in hospitality, including Heston Blumenthal, and has put together many large foodie events like the Margaret River Gourmet Escape.

She initially launched her business 21 years ago as a sole trader, nurturing Lotus into a flowering agency, with Australian and UK offices.

“My job is about managing individuals, understanding and identifying their brand, and what a brand means. It’s quite personal,” she said.

“I can’t tell a pharmacist or a manufacturer how to do their job better at Business Day Out, but I can perhaps get the audience to think about themselves and their business in a different way.

“It’s all about, ‘what does your consumer want, and how do you communicate with your consumer? Nobody’s path is smooth, so it’s also about sharing all the mistakes I made, where I failed, what went wrong, and what I tried, so others can learn from them.”

Sleep’s Plumbing’s Jamie Sleep has attended five Business Day Out events, and said he comes back for the expert guest presenters.

“There’s always something to learn. Commerce Ballarat books speakers who have done well, and are willing and open to offer their stories and advice,” he said.

“People from Ballarat don’t have to leave town to access the Melbourne or national experts, they come to you.

“Coupled with learning, there’s the network ability of the event. There are breaks to allow you to catch up with people you do and don’t know, and the choice of MC always has the ability to pull everything together.”

Business Day Out will run from 12pm to 5.30pm this Wednesday, 26 May. Visit commerceballarat.com.au.