#awinewith Sharon Williams
MEET Sharon, Founder of Taurus Marketing.
You can find them here:
Transcript
Danielle Lewis (00:07):
Sharon, welcome to spark tv. I'm so excited to chat to you.
Sharon Williams (00:13):
Thank you for having me, Danielle.
Danielle Lewis (00:15):
Of course, of course. And we were just saying your magnificent team set this up, so I cannot wait to chat about your magnificent team and how it's been growing and hiring and all those good things. But before we get into that, how about we just tell everyone who you are and what you do?
Sharon Williams (00:33):
Okay, so I'm Sharon Williams and I'm originally an English girl, and I moved here in my twenties and I'm a marketing PR comm strategist, and I run Taurus marketing, which is based in Sydney.
Danielle Lewis (00:47):
So good. And so PR comm strategy. So is that what Taurus marketing does? What kind of customers do you have? How big is it? All those things.
Sharon Williams (00:57):
Yeah, so it's business to business, so B2B, and we mainly work with entrepreneurs, so people who've got their own businesses, and that could be someone like a psychiatrist we work for who we do all his pr, or it could be a $3 billion company, dicadata, where we do their comms and their investor relations. So I've got a big range, and very early on Danielle, I worked out that when you run your own show, you have an awful lot of freedom, a lot of responsibility and hard work, but you have a lot of freedom. And we say, or at least I say, I work with people, I like people, I believe in what they do and people who pay us on time,
Danielle Lewis (01:39):
That's the trifecta.
Sharon Williams (01:41):
And so it really is a chemistry thing. People reach out to us all the time and we work with people that we like and people we believe, and if it ethically, we are not aligned. If chemically chemistry just isn't right, then when you are a professional services firm offering services, and we usually work in 24 months or 12 month or three year contracts, we're going to be together for a long time. It's longer than some marriages last. So what you want to do is make sure that you're having fun and I want to be around good people, have fun, be on a mission together, and be able to do some great stuff together. And if you are having to deal with the day-to-day friction that comes with things just not, with just not getting each other, then I don't really want to deal with that.
Danielle Lewis (02:32):
Yeah, I understand that. So did you know this about business when you first started? Or was this by making a few wrong choices when it came to customers? How did you have this brain wave that that should be the type of customer you have?
Sharon Williams (02:47):
Yep. I started contracting after I fell pregnant with my first baby 28 years ago. And my employer at that point said, oh, well you'll be off, won't you? So my only sin was to fall pregnant. And of course 28 years ago, life was a bit like that. I mean, when my mother was young, you were asked to leave work if you got pregnant. Fortunately, things have moved on a bit these days. And so I started contracting and literally started the company Taurus, the day Charlotte was born and started contracting. So I had a nice easy ride into it in terms of I was getting consulting projects on an hourly rate from the time she was born. And then I think after about 18 months, I made the big decision to hire somebody else. Then of course, hire your full timers and then move into an office, then a bigger office than to the city. And so I think it's been a slow progression of learning. Maybe it hasn't been slow, maybe it's been super quick. I mean, I've been in business for 28 years now.
Danielle Lewis (03:59):
Wow, that's very impressive. When you see the stats about people barely lasting a year, if not successfully, five years, 28 years is phenomenal. I'm sure you've seen a lot of market changes in that time.
Sharon Williams (04:14):
Time, yes. Well, of course when I registered Taurus, there wasn't an internet. The internet was only just coming in. Of course, we were sending press releases out by the fax machine, and a lot of the people I've hired to start off with at Taurus were working mums. They were like me. They out had been retrenched because they'd had babies and they were no longer allowed to stay. And so yeah, life was different. But then of course life is different constantly. So it's constantly changing. Who would've known we had 101 and a hundred year pandemic to deal with. So, oh God, I don't feel like I've been in business a long time. I feel like I've learned a lot, but still have to be reminded of the basics regularly still have to ensure that I keep to the core values of what the business is. Even though we go through dramatic change like the pandemic, like the global financial crisis like divorce, like breast cancer, two more babies coming along. I think life is a journey probably to your viewers and readers is nothing stays the same. So it's always changed. You never get there. So you've got to enjoy the journey.
Danielle Lewis (05:38):
Well, and I mean, look, that's a really interesting thing to kind of put a pin in around enjoying the journey. I've been listening to a lot of podcasts recently about designing your dream life and how to get to the goals. And one thing I struggle with personally is this always something more. It is always saying there's the next goal, the next thing, the next this, the next that. And obviously you are a fantastic success. Staying in business for 28 years, thriving, having an amazing team, and these amazing clients doing all of these amazing things. How have you been able to, so I assume you're a go-getter, but how do you actually enjoy the journey? Have you got some kind of secret formula that I need to know about?
Sharon Williams (06:28):
Oh, Daniella, look, I think it's about loving what you do so it doesn't feel like work. I mean, if I suddenly won millions and millions of dollars, what would I do? Well, it would be a terrible wrench not to come into the office and work with my team and grow young people. So I think it doesn't feel like work. I work by the way, really, really hard. But I think I work smart and I'm probably a time management productivity queen that helps. Which helps. So if you don't like what you do, and if it's all too scary, then maybe think of something else because life's got to be on the hole easy. It's a bit like my grandma taught me when I was a young girl about who I was going to marry darling. It's hard work, but on the most of the time, it should be easy and fun. And I'd suggest that that's the same with business. It's going to be hard work, but on the whole, it should be fun and you should get up in the morning and can't wait to start.
Danielle Lewis (07:42):
Yeah, that's great advice both in work and relationships.
Sharon Williams (07:49):
Yeah, I'm a divorcee, so I can't really put my hand up that I did well, but I can say that I was very happily married for while I was married. I married a great man. I'm very proud that I had my children with him. And even when things don't work out how you want, you ideally want them to, those decisions are one's responsibility and one has to live with the outcome of that. So I think the big message is, as you say, if you are continually striving for something, then just as you get to the top of a mountain and you think, whoa, that's been hard work. You can sail for a bit, but then you're going up the next mountain and every mountain you climb, there is another peak. And it could come from sideways. It could come as I've done with breast cancer, with global financial crisis, with pandemic, with divorce, with someone resigning suddenly that you were expecting to be with for a long time for someone on a training course and you'd been investing in them. And then they go and you get that knock a client perhaps leaving earlier than you expected.
(09:08):
So life is wonderful memes that I tend to read in the mornings. Life is not what you expect it to be, but it's how you deal with the unexpected.
Danielle Lewis (09:20):
I love that. Do you have any, I guess, secrets for dealing with the unexpected? So obviously going through divorce, breast cancer, obviously we all went through the pandemic. It is very good and well to say be okay with the unexpected, but I think that that is really difficult sometimes. And I think as business owners, as much as we may love what we do, some days are very hard. Have you found anything, any tips for women in business who might be struggling with the unexpected?
Sharon Williams (09:59):
Yes. Oh my goodness. Girls, boys out there struggling take heart. The sun does come up every day. Definitely danielle. I've been in some dark places, absolutely. And my mother died 18 months ago. My father died this year. God,
Danielle Lewis (10:20):
I'm sorry.
Sharon Williams (10:20):
I've lost my sister. I've lost my half brother, I've lost a niece. Holy shit.
Danielle Lewis (10:25):
What is happening?
Sharon Williams (10:27):
Yeah.
Danielle Lewis (10:28):
Oh my God,
Sharon Williams (10:29):
I know what it is to have to find a reason to get up in the morning. I know what it's like to have to pull myself together and get out of dark thoughts. It was one of the reasons I moved to the beach. One of the reasons why I Ocean swim in the morning because that dip in the ocean really does give you all those lovely chemicals, the magnesium, all those things that you need to keep healthy. I try and walk in the sand to anchor myself. You have to find things that lift you. So I would counsel anyone out there that's having a dark time. I hear you. I've been there ascending love, be with people that wrap their arms around you and lift you. And whether it's a neighbor, a friend, a children, whether it's church, whether it's lifeline, whether it's a rotary or it's work colleagues, there are always people out there. Sometimes there are even strangers who will come together and lift you. But certainly the ocean has been a great anchor point for me. And to walk on the beach in the morning, it's six a.m, and see the sunrise, you realize the world is bigger than your problems.
Danielle Lewis (11:49):
And do you find that when you are in dark times, sometimes it's difficult to look outward and find the things that lift you or the people that lift you. We almost have to plan a little bit when we are on a good day plan for the bad days, and kind of do that sort of self-analysis and understand, okay, what are the things that I need to put in my toolkit for when I'm having a bad time?
Sharon Williams (12:14):
I think that's a very clever thing to do. And for everyone it will be different. For me, it's ocean swimming in the ocean. And for someone else, they would think that that was not a good thing to do at all. So I think it is, is it gym? Is it a walk, is it, I mean, often if I've had a particularly bad week or a particularly challenging week, let's say challenging, not bad. I don't have bad weeks. I have more stressful weeks than others or more challenging weeks than others, and I am a half cup full person. So I try not to think of things as half cup empty, but often if I've done a big date, then I'll pop down and maybe just have a steak at my little cafe downstairs. The live sax is playing at Barangaroo here and have a glass of bread and go home.
(13:01):
And I've just had that beautiful experience before I get home. Whereas if I go home full of, it's a bit like the cave, isn't it? When you stop at the cave on the way home, the men come home and go in their cave. Or it could be a trip to an exercise class or it could be a coffee with a friend. But I absolutely think that if there's individuals out there right now, who by the way, there will be who are in a very dark place, then tips to take responsibility for oneself and find light moments and reach out and get help is a really good way to go. Just because call for help. Fabulous counselors.
Danielle Lewis (13:45):
And I'm always, and I shouldn't be surprised, but you will be surprised how many people want to help. I have never met a woman in business who I haven't reached out to who hasn't been like, oh yeah, I'm in there. I've got contacts, I've got an ear, I've got a wine to share with you. I've got anything. Women in business are so, and look, a lot of men in business are as well. But I know we're speaking to a female audience, we're so generous. I know sometimes that women in business find it hard to ask for help or a conversation or whatever it might be. But women in business are so generous. You will reach out and someone will be there for you.
Sharon Williams (14:29):
Yeah, absolutely. Women are amazing for other women, not always, by the way. And we do have to be thoughtful. True, true. And I've lived a long time, but women are extraordinary. When you do have a girlfriend, they are extraordinary. And women do tend to help other women. And I went round Reverend, bill Cruz's Church and his setup the other day and saw firsthand women helping women who have nothing. And Bill actually said to me, Reverend Bill Cruz said to me, it's where there is nothing that you see the most extraordinary acts of kindness and support. And that's a really inspiring thing also. So girls out there, I know what it feels like being there and being in dark places, please don't feel you're alone. Please reach out, lifeline the Black Dog Institute, call a friend. And I would suggest that if you're feeling dark and down that you try not to keep off alcohol. Yeah,
Danielle Lewis (15:45):
That's great advice.
Sharon Williams (15:47):
Because yeah, alcohol is not a great mental health lifter for many people. It takes you down. And one of the big things of our generation and our women out there, many of them now who live on their own, there's a big high divorce rate or high rate of single women living on their own is not to make alcohol your friend. And I know for my peer group, we're very conscious of drinking. So if you're down, it can take you further. And what we want when we are down is to have all our faculties around us to be able to lift us up.
Danielle Lewis (16:27):
And it's really interesting. I was listening to another podcast yesterday about, and it's a podcast about divorce actually. And I know we're getting off business topic here, but just it relates. It all relates. But they had that a similar kind of vein. If you're going through relationship breakdown, which you can liken to going through any kind of business breakdown or business challenge, drinking, you don't have full control over all of your faculties, all of your best decision, you're not showing up as your best self. So don't do that to yourself. Give yourself, empower yourself, enable yourself to make the best decisions for yourself.
Sharon Williams (17:12):
When you think of people like, oh gosh, I mean there's David Bowie, there's Jamie, Lee Curtis, they've done the sobriety thing because they got into dark places with it. And I've lived, as I say, I've lived a long time. There are some dark moments in life isn't always great, but then there are wonderful moments and we celebrate them too. So I think it's very important for us as individuals not to be bitter and always take responsibility for our own actions in business and in our personal lives. And they are totally intertwined. If you're in business for yourself, I mean, I'm in business for myself. Just before you came online, Danielle, I was meeting with a wonderful lady who's a partner in a big four, and she was saying that part of her, almost her professional requirements every year had to go and do the ethics course.
(18:14):
Every year we redo it. Great thing to do because our businesses are going to be as successful as we are humans, and we have to keep ourselves not frustrated, have to control all our emotions. We have to be professional. And I think that changed after Covid. I think people are far more on the edge after covid of emotions bubbling to the surface. I'm seeing some strange things happening in the workforce now, and that's not just at my company, that's throughout clients' businesses. So yeah, let's get onto discipline and a mission and a friend and walking on the beach or a gym class.
Danielle Lewis (19:04):
So good. And I mean,
Sharon Williams (19:06):
Not being so hard on ourselves.
Danielle Lewis (19:08):
And I think that that's really important, isn't it? You do have to almost take a step back as a business owner sometimes and just evaluate the situation. We have been through a very tumultuous couple of years and you are so right. Emotions are high, everyone is on edge and all different levels and all different things. I think there are some, I know we've been talking about relationship because a lot of this podcast, but even through Covid that did happen. There were lots of relationship changes, there were lots of work changes, a lot of people lost jobs, a lot of people got different jobs, all that kind of thing. So I feel like there is almost this ptsd that the human race is going through after the last couple of years. And you really do as a business owner, have to be hyper aware of what everybody else is going through,
Sharon Williams (20:02):
Which is my mission to spread grace. Oh,
Danielle Lewis (20:06):
I love that.
Sharon Williams (20:06):
We need to have grace written here and be graceful, speak gracefully, act gracefully. Don't get frustrated. I mean, I'm not saying that I'm some angel, but try and give yourself enough downtime and good times and to be able to operate from a position of grace.
Danielle Lewis (20:31):
I love that. Why did you choose that as a mission?
Sharon Williams (20:39):
I think people need to be loved, forgiven, accepted. When you get on a bit, you realize that not everybody's perfect and sometimes they need to be forgiven and move on. And we don't need to write everybody off for the first thing they do. That's not acceptable because you never know what's going on behind the scenes. You never know quite how their lives are playing out and what stress is they're experiencing. And therefore, I feel back to what we were saying, life was supposed to be fun. So if you are down in the dumps every day or you're feeling stressed or it's not good, change it.
Danielle Lewis (21:25):
Yes,
Sharon Williams (21:26):
Don't stay there. We
Danielle Lewis (21:27):
Have the power to change it. We are the ones that can change our lives.
Sharon Williams (21:33):
So we do need to look in the mirror and see some grace in what the universe wanted us to be, which is happy and successful and healthy. And then I think as leaders to roll out the influence of grace is a really good piece of advice in today's crazy world. It does seem to be getting a bit crazier, doesn't it? When we turn the telly on every day or read the news online.
Danielle Lewis (22:03):
It's so true. Do you think that you contribute your growth and success to those human values?
Sharon Williams (22:12):
Yes. I think I have very strong values. Taurus operates on my values, which are tenacity, loyalty, going beyond the extra mile, a pursuit of excellence, results driven. That is who I am and how I live. Stubborn Taurus likes nice things, won't stop, won't stop tenacious and stubborn. And so Taurus lives very much as a reflection of me. But I think what we do as business owners is have to create something that lives on beyond us. And over the years, if I can be operating in a level of grace every day, then I think that's a really lovely thing. Now does that mean I do, that's another matter, but I can aim close
Danielle Lewis (23:09):
Up the intention.
Sharon Williams (23:11):
No one's perfect, but I can aim for that. And I think it's a really beautiful word, and it also sums up a lot of calm in a time where we're all so unsettled, I guess,
Danielle Lewis (23:24):
And tense. I feel it in my shoulders at the moment. It's not good.
Sharon Williams (23:30):
That's yoga or an ocean swim.
Danielle Lewis (23:32):
Yeah, that's what I need to do. A bit of yoga this afternoon, I think. No, I love it so much because I think as business owners, we need to be okay with the fact that our businesses will be an extension of us and our values. And I think that that can be a beautiful thing. I think going back to the building something that you love so that you do want to wake up and do it every day and you get excited about it. I think that if it doesn't align really strongly to your values, it's very difficult to do that and show up every day as somebody else. So I love that.
Sharon Williams (24:09):
Yeah, personal brand, they've got to be aligned.
Danielle Lewis (24:13):
And I think, I guess touching on personal brand, I think these days you've really got to have a strong personal brand to have a successful business. I mean, it's just in the social media world in which we live. I feel like as a business owner, putting yourself out there is just such a strong sales and marketing channel for any business.
Sharon Williams (24:36):
Yeah, I believe so too. Because I think that we're captains of our own personal brand and we've got to be ourselves with purpose. And if we're not, then someone else will come in and steal that space. So I don't think there's any room to be not shy and retiring because your personal brand on purpose might be shy and retiring, but it needs to be present. You need to be present and on the field of play.
Danielle Lewis (25:05):
And I saw a great speech the other day around, someone was saying, how do I compete when everyone's just following trends and rah. And the person that was doing the speech was like, well, you are your competitive advantage because yes, you can show up and be a marketing agency or a shampoo or a whatever, but you bring the personality, you bring the uniqueness. So tapping into that I think is what really connects deeply with customers these days.
Sharon Williams (25:40):
Absolutely. I would endorse that wholeheartedly, Danielle front up, be who you are on purpose. Take responsibility of your personal brand, take responsibility for your health, and then the business has got a good chance. I remember when my first baby was born and everyone was full of advice. My lovely mother said to me, darling, there is no one in this world better than you to mother this baby, because there is only one mother and you are it. And it was very empowering. If this is your business, it's your baby and you are the only person and the best person to be able to drive it. But in saying that, I would suggest that one of the best things, Danielle, is to have an advisory board around you. I have had so many beautiful mentors over the years, and now of course I mentor others, but I've been so blessed with having people in my life who've mentored me and grown me and taught me things that, no, I didn't go to university. I haven't done an mba. But when I say to my advisors, oh gosh, I should go and do an mba, they said, oh, Sharon, you've got an mba.
Danielle Lewis (26:57):
Don't worry about it. I love that advice because you are right. And I think it goes back to not only if you need support, reach out to people, but it's also if you need growth, reach out to people as well. People are so generous with their experience and we need to remember that a lot of times we're not reinventing in the wheel. We're not doing something that is so different that we can't learn from others. People have paved the way and there's no better way to shortcut success than tapping into mentors.
Sharon Williams (27:33):
Absolutely. And I do think that's great advice. And I don't think there's ever, ever in a position where we can't learn. I think we are learning constantly and often we have to relearn. I mean, I'm old enough now to be learning things I learned years ago, and I have to remind myself again because it's trailed off. Well,
Danielle Lewis (27:55):
Especially in marketing as well, marketing changes every day. I mean, the fundamentals, yes, stay the same, but there's so many different platforms and strategies and tactics that come out every day.
Sharon Williams (28:06):
Yeah, that's right. Constantly learning. But I think learning as a leader is important. We constantly need advising on how to lead. And also can I suggest to all us girls out here and listening and watching that your gut instinct is usually right.
Danielle Lewis (28:27):
I agree with that because the sake of ignoring my gut.
Sharon Williams (28:31):
So you don't necessarily need a team of advisors if your gut instinct is saying, don't do it, or there's something not right about this. Well, the words gut instinct are there for a reason. You are almost certainly right, and you don't need someone else to tell you.
Danielle Lewis (28:47):
I know. It's interesting. Trusting yourself is a journey. I think as a business owner, I think sometimes we start out and because as a business owner, you're wearing so many hats. There's so many things to learn. Sometimes we don't back ourselves enough because we are still learning in different areas, but I could not agree with you more. That feeling that you have that tells you to have that hard conversation or make a move. It's always right. It's always right.
Sharon Williams (29:18):
That's right. And if you are using advisors, then their advice should be simple. So don't take advisors on that. Make life more complicated for you. There is always a very simple solution, and that's what I've also learned. So you can spin with advisors and they can take you on a very complicated journey, and you don't need that simple. There's always a number of choices in the decisions you've got to make. There's not 20 or 30, there's usually two or three, and there's often two. So you don't need to be spun or go and see someone for weeks and months on end to fix a problem. It is usually able to be fixed very quickly.
Danielle Lewis (30:02):
I love that. And I also like the right advisor for the right problem you're trying to solve. Actually take advice from people who've done what you want to do before.
Sharon Williams (30:12):
That's right. Such good advice. Such good advice. I love it when you go and get all this consulting help and the person's never done what you are doing.
Danielle Lewis (30:22):
It costs a lot of money.
Sharon Williams (30:24):
That's right. Find people who've done what you want to do and ask them what they've learned. That's a very clever thing to do.
Danielle Lewis (30:30):
Yeah, I love that. Well, look, we could talk all day. I know this, but on that, on advice from a successful woman in business such as yourself, what would be one last piece of advice reflecting on your twenty-eight years in business, A piece of wisdom that you would pass on to another female founder or woman in business that has held true for you over that time?
Sharon Williams (30:57):
Daniel, I, I'm going to actually put it back to finances. I'm going to say, girls, fund your own life carefully, and if you want the business to be successful, manage cashflow because you can be running a profitable business, but it will go belly up if you haven't managed your cashflow. So have your emergency fund ready and plan cashflow carefully.
Danielle Lewis (31:22):
That is brilliant advice. Oh, Sharon, you are absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for sharing your time and wisdom with the Spark community. I'm so appreciative.
Sharon Williams (31:35):
Oh, Danielle. Thank you and love to everybody out there. Take care.
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