Where to work and how to think

THE B31 Ballarat Business Festival will kick off with a thought-provoking workshop entitled Embracing diversity with Whole Brain Thinking.

Clare Linane, Human Resource expert and owner of Thrive HR, will present the first workshop of the B31 calendar on Thursday, 1 August.

At the interactive event Ms Linane will introduce the four thinking styles proposed in the Whole Brain Thinking model which is based on brain research developed during the 60s and 70s.

“Businesspeople who attend my workshop will take away how to understand the difference in thinking styles,” she said.

“Whether you are an owner of a large corporation or a member of a small team, using this model will help you adapt your thinking to suit the style of the person you are talking to and dramatically increase your influencing power.”

The next day Samantha Davies, founder of Platypus Coworking, will be inviting B31 participants to her Lydiard Street premises to explore how coworking space could suit their business.

Ms Davies said those who attend Platypus will be able to learn there are different ways of doing business, both in where they work and how they can set up a business.

“The benefit of this type of space is business owners have interaction with other people, they can work without distractions, and they have access to a fully furnished office with everything needed to run their enterprise,” she said.

During the morning session Ballarat business owners Penthea Marshall-Radcliffe from Vegas & Rose, Amy White from Sustainalize and Sally Kennedy from Dearly will share stories on how they set up their businesses.

While in the afternoon architect Talina Edwards, Potential Psychology’s Ellen Jackson and Aspen Interiors’ Marshall Crick will discuss workplace design from home to commercial offices.

One of the major sponsors of the month-long business festival is the City of Ballarat.

Mayor, Cr Samantha McIntosh said B31 is a fantastic networking and development opportunity for businesses.

“I would encourage all business owners in Ballarat to take advantage of the amazing workshops and presentations throughout August to help grow and develop their businesses,” Cr Mcintosh said.

For information on all events go to commerceballarat.com.au.