Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Paula Maidens, Founder of  Paula Maidens - Building Awesome Teams, located in Brisbane, QLD, AU.

What's your business and who are your customers?

I am a serial entrepreneur and hiring and leadership coach who is pioneering a new way for female CEOs to grow and run their businesses. My unique leadership approach supports my clients in strategically designing their teams to drive the business success they desire while also living the life of their dreams. I've been consulting for over 15 years and draw on my extensive experience as a corporate recruiter, HR consultant, and leadership trainer.

I've delivered leadership training to some of Australia’s most innovative corporations and offered strategic hiring guidance to businesses all around the world. My true passion lies in the small-medium business space, where I lay great foundations for successful teams and coach entrepreneurs globally.

Tell us about yourself

I’m obsessed with supporting entrepreneurs to rewrite the story that hiring and managing people needs to be a headache. I teach entrepreneurs a business and life skill that they’ll use time and time again, which is (1) choosing great people and (2) having powerful conversations in a way that feels feminine, powerful, graceful, and inspiring and ultimately gets them the performance and results they deserve.

I started my business ten years ago, in 2010, with a background as a corporate recruiter. I realized that there was a gap, which was the business owners or entrepreneurs' ability to make a great choice for themselves, and in turn, they gave away their power and responsibility to recruiters or other people who were giving them advice.

I decided to empower the entrepreneur to know who to choose, how to interview them, and then how to lead them in a way that made their new team member perform and want to stay. I am motivated by the transfer of knowledge, the true empowerment of the entrepreneur, and the ultimate success of no longer being needed.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Building a business that provides me with a stable income that feels "abundant" while also giving me a huge amount of flexibility to be able to be a present mom to my two small children (who are 2 and 6).

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The lack of predictability of income (especially in the early days), the variable costs as you establish your foundations, and the effect on your profit (and personal income) when you need to pivot and respond to situations such as the pandemic or any market or economic factor that impacts your business—and staying calm and positive while you are working through this!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Draw on the advice and mentorship of people who have grown similar businesses. There are a bunch of mistakes you can avoid by learning from others, so minimize those and focus only on the "lessons" that you have to learn on your own.
  2. Hire early—whether it's administrative or sales support—get used to sharing the load and paying a wage as soon as you can, and be very focused on your ROI (return on investment) for that spend. That will establish a really great discipline for you as you hire more people, and you will grow faster by not trying to do everything yourself.
  3. Seek the opinion and advice of others and draw on their examples, but design your business to suit you as an individual and the unique life you are building. Too many entrepreneurs focus on the business and think about "life" later, and it's hard to ever rebalance. Build your dream business that supports your dream life, and get a dream team to help you make all that happen!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://paulamaidens.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulamaidensbuildingawesometeams
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulamaidensconsulting/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulamaidens/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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