"Women entrepreneurs can honestly do anything."
Stephanie Roberts is a minute taking expert and the Founder and Director of The Minute Taking Academy and The Melbourne Minute. She is a passionate entrepreneur and juggles her businesses while raising her two beautiful children with her husband John.
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Table of Contents
Thank you for joining us, please introduce yourself to our readers.
Stephanei Roberts: I am Stephanie Roberts, a minute taking expert and Founder of The Minute Taking Academy.
To get us started, Can you tell our readers what does your company solve differently in the crowded marketplace? Give an example or share a story.
Stephanei Roberts: The Minute Taking Academy directly targets anyone who needs to learn how to take effective meeting minutes, but has no experience, and those who have experience with minute taking and would like to refine their skills.
The Minute Taking Academy is different to our competitors, as every training program is customised for our students which means that they are able to address their actual requirements.
While your company is growing, what are some of the challenges you face? Hiring? Tech development? Raising capital? Branding? Tell us more about the journey.
Stephanei Roberts: The Minute Taking Academy is in its infancy, and so our biggest challenge right now is branding and getting our name out there. Fortunately enough, I have been through the journey previously through my other businesses so will be applying the same tested formula to The Minute Taking Academy.
Everyone has a different story, what influenced your decision to be an entrepreneur, what would you have done differently?
Stephanei Roberts: In 2017 when I had my first child, the working world was a very different place. I had been working as an accountant, and the company I worked for would only allow me to return to work full time, with absolutely no flexibility. I therefore started my first company The Melbourne Minute. I had spent my entire maternity leave trying to come up with a business idea that would suit being a mother and was fortunate enough to find a gap in the market. As my business has continued to grow so quickly, I have decided to expand into a training program so that I can continue the momentum and see where it will take me. Its a very different world to my old accounting career, and I am so grateful that I didn’t need to return to working in Corporate Australia.
Now for the main focus of this interview: what qualities or characteristics do women entrepreneurs have that make them great leaders? Please share some examples.
Stephanei Roberts: Women entrepreneurs can honestly do anything. We have empathy towards others and can wear many hats. As a mother especially, you take on many roles in the household: you are the doctor, the psychologist, the chef, the cleaner, the teacher, the personal shopper, really the list goes on….and as an entrepreneur, especially during the foundation of a business you need to take on multiple roles as well. Being able to at least try every single facet of a business means that you know where you strengths and weaknesses are and you know what needs to be outsourced, which is similar to being a mother.
What are some of the biggest challenges you still see women face while conducting business, compared to their male counterparts? What would you like to see change, and how would you make it happen?
Stephanei Roberts: I have to be honest, that in my old career as an accountant, I did witness the difference in treatment of men and women, pay disparity in particular. But in my role as a business owner, I have never experienced anything of the sort.
The only difference really, is that as a mother it can be difficult to attend networking events as I would rather spend my spare time with my children, whereas men may be better able to network in such settings.
With all of your experience as a business leader, what is the most important thing you can tell fellow entrepreneurs that you’d like to share with aspiring women entrepreneurs?
Stephanei Roberts: Start today. Don’t wait until tomorrow. Your future is in your hands and if you really want to be independent, able to carve your own world and achieve your own ambitions, time is of the essence. Don’t waste your days thinking ‘I will do it tomorrow’. You need to do it now. Make hay while the sun shines!
What do you plan on tackling during 2022? Share your goals and battles you expect to face.
Stephanei Roberts: I need to hire quality staff to operate my other businesses, and finding quality staffing in Australia currently is proving to be quite challenging.
Growing The Minute Taking Academy is my number one goal, and the challenges I will face will be getting the business’s name out there as the market is quite saturated.
How do you keep learning? Podcast? Books? Audiobooks? Videos? Share some of your greatest sources of inspiration? Share an impactful story.
Stephanei Roberts: When I started my first business, The Melbourne Minute, I literally did not have any money to put into the business. My dad gave me his old laptop and I made the first website, by looking up YouTube videos. In addition, I learned everything I now know about SEO on google. Within three months, my phone started ringing. I had no IT experience yet was able to do this myself. I think that people can do anything that they put their mind to and I am a prime example.
I’m sure our readers will be very thankful for the insights you have shared. Where can our readers follow up with you?
Stephanei Roberts: You can check out my business websites and follow me on Linkedin!
https://www.minutetakingacademy.com/
https://www.themelbourneminute.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-roberts-a807371b/
Jerome Knyszewski, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Stephanei Roberts for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Stephanei Roberts or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
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