It's My Birthday And I'll Cry If I Want To ...

OMG..... Where has all the time gone, on the 14th of April, yep this Saturday to be exact I will be 20 years of age in company terms. I can still remember the day that I started out on our farm just outside of Morrinsville, in a tiny office with a phone and a fax and a second hand photocopier.

I had nothing but an absolute self belief and a love of the trade. I also had an absolute ability and a passion for doing the deal, yep, I loved to negotiate, from the purchasing of fabric to the selling of the frocks to the generic traders. I had finally found something that pushed all my buttons, sure I still had lots to learn, but if you love something as much as I did and still do, you will always do well at it ... and I suppose the rest is history. There are many people who believed in me in those early days, they took the punt, gave me the chance and in doing so set me up to become the business force that I am today. Kevyn Male of Route 66 and 3 Bears fame in New Market, he was Mr. Retail and when he spoke the other womenswear retailers listened. I became his new protégé, supplied him with his garments at great prices and he in return extolled by abilities to those that would listen and in those days they all did!

Pam the head womenswear buyer at K Mart NZ, she truly enabled me to create a very robust cash flow for my business. Gerard Gillespie at Ezibuy, a hero of the industry then and today, just by watching and having involvement with his company my learnings where always rich, I so wanted to be like him. Brenda and the team at Max Fashions, Vaughn and Snow Rainger Textiles Team where I got all the great fabrics at great prices and possibly my most poignant moment and there have been a few.... has to have been the day Farmers Trading company gave me the order for 20,000 shift dresses. We must have employed the whole Tatuanui district to sew, press and QC those frocks, but we meet our deadlines and delivered every dress ... so many memories, so many frocks. Never once have I regretted that day that I packed up my stuff and left my last employer, to start my new venture. Sure there have been some tough times, cancelled orders, cash flow challenges, employee disruptions but I have never for one moment looked back with regret. I love this company of mine; there have been so many milestones, so many great leanings. My story is such a big one now that it can never be told in one sitting... On Saturday, April 14th 2012, I am 20, company years old. Where did all this time go? This company of mine has seen my two children grow up; they are now 23 and 21. It has allowed me to work with my Mother, Vicki and my partner Tony for the last 13 years and has afforded a lifestyle that has bought so many of my dreams to fruition. I have meet and employed so many wonderful people, Ali our Head Designer, so many collections, with so many wonderful winners. Nina, our Head of Retail, went from an Annah.S store franchise owner to an employee running our retail platform.

Sharee our Operations Manager, who started her years on the farm (6 to be exact).. did her OE, then has rejoined us at our Morrinsville head office. Maggie, Shirley, Kim, Dean, Delia and Monica, working in our sewing, cutting, distribution and production areas, these people have been there for so much of the journey, I am privileged to have had their input and support on a daily basis. Then there is my retail team, longevity is not always easy to sustain, as all of the team work remotely, but there is no doubt that over the last three to four years these girls have been a big contributor to my income base, Angela in Colombo Street, what a year we have had!!! From hero to zero and back to hero, this store continues to be the number one right in the middle of earthquake torn Christchurch. Rose in the Wellington area, her steady influence on my company and the team has seen so many great sales and constant team growth and Tanya; it would be difficult to find someone that was more loyal to the brand and the outcomes we need to achieve each day. Our Australian team is not without its heroes as well. The wonderful Belinda and her absolute commitment to making this market a success has enabled me to plough on with my global vision. This list is by no means complete, I have so many that support my dream and vision daily and over the next ten years as I transition into my succession, it is all about how I develop my leadership style and create a platform of employment that is second to none. A company culture that is impossible to beat, as it is the great girls that support me, that form the lifeblood and enable the longevity of my company! So what has the last twenty years meant for me? There have been so many learnings, so many opportunities, so many successes and so many failures. I have met so many wonderful people, spoken to so many groups, travelled to a huge number of countries, had so many wonderful awards and recognitions from my peers and my country, bought a publishing company and dabbled in hospitality but most of all I have learnt how to lead well, how to apply integrity and dignity to all my dealings and to trust the decisions that I make. I have learnt to sit comfortably in my own skin and I have developed substantive and very capable networks, I have a wonderful discipline to my life, I have embraced innovation and change and learnt to never doubt myself. I sit so comfortably with failure and I have left a wonderful legacy in the two children that I have raised. The stuff that used to be important to me just isn't anymore. My focus is toady and moving forward is on how I can empower others. How I can channel success for the next generation of creatives as well as those that I interact with daily. And finally to quote Richard Branson ... "The brave may not live forever, but the cautious have not lived at all ... and I.... have had a ball!"