Liz Nable 0:00
The most intriguing thing about country style icon Jemima Aldridge, co founder of Dubbo institution, Saddler and Co, and luxury accommodation home, The Repose, is the overwhelming sense I get that she's got no idea how successful she really is. Bubbling with country charm, talkative and humble (too humble in my opinion). Jemima is one half of the dynamic duo who started their business 12 years ago on a whim after her husband Bede lost his job as a saddle maker in Dubbo.They'd just bought a house and at that stage had two boys under four and Jemima was pregnant with their third. She's got five boys now. Under 14. Yes, five, far out. Okay, I know sometimes we bang on about bandwidth maps, but five boys come on, that's hectic. It doesn't take too long into the conversation of Jemima to see that this is so much more than just making and selling luxury leather goods. Although this husband and wife team do that exceptionally well. Ask anyone who lives within a 500 kilometre radius in Dubbo to recommend a great country business, any business and nine times out of 10, Saddler and Co will get a mention. I know because I did exactly that for this podcast series. But this is truly a labour of love. Jemima is wholeheartedly invested in every aspect of the business and creating a lasting legacy for her family, both in the product she sells and the service she does back to the community. And not surprisingly, that eye for style doesn't stop at long lasting leather bags and wallets. Despite Jemima's reluctance to admit it, she has evolved into somewhat of a country style icon. She's making her own mark and country home renovations and interiors. Just google the repos in Davao and you'll know you'll know exactly why I'm gushing. I'm not the only one the media has gushed to cuantas magazine country style magazine, bed threads, Rachel Development Australia have all featured her on their pages. One thing is for sure. If Jemima Aldridge has anything to do with it, you do not need to sacrifice one single scarica style, because you don't need in a big city and country accommodation show right what it is today. Hello, I'm Liz Nable. And you're listening to Nable My Business, The Podcast. When I first started in small business almost 10 years ago, I had no idea what I was getting into. You see my background was in the media. I had spent 15 years as a television news journalist and reporter working at several major networks in Australia. And then as a freelancer in the US and around the world. I spent years dividing my time between working long shifts on a news desk and travelling the world chasing stories. It was unpredictable and exciting. Until it wasn't anymore. I decided I wanted a life where I was in charge of what happened next. And where I was working to build my own empire, not someone else's. I also never wanted to work a midnight new shift again. Now, I don't have to. There was a lot I had to learn about running my own business. But one thing I already had in the bag was how to get media coverage and free PR. I knew what the media wanted. I knew the secret formula for what made us and I knew how to leverage those organisations to build my business, get more exposure, and ultimately make more sales. During my decade of building my business, I have managed to get featured in almost every major news outlet in the country. I've been interviewed on television countless times, had personal profiles written up in women's magazines, done point of view pieces for large newspapers, and been listed in top 100 List women in business and in my industry. And I've never spent a single cent on PR. I took that knowledge for granted until it dawned on me one day that I could teach what I knew to other businesses, let them in on a secret and they too could build their businesses, leveraging the media and gaining free PR. They could use my insights in the industry and my behind the scenes experience and take their business from Best Kept Secret to well known brand simply by following my formula. Welcome to Nable My Business The Podcast.
Thank you Jemima for coming on the show today. It's super exciting to have you. Thanks for having me, coming from Dubbo in Central Western New South Wales. For those of you who don't know I'm running a workshop there next month, July the 22nd. And so in the lead up to that workshop I am speaking with some of the incredible local female business owners in the area and Jemima is one of them. She owns Sadler and Co. Jemima. Tell us a little bit about the business and how you got started.
Jemima Aldridge 4:55
Thanks so much. So we started a married life in Crookwell and that was 16 years ago. And I guess our journey, like running a business started then, without us realising what we were doing. My husband had just finished his apprenticeship as a saddler, he was the last one to go through that programme, because it doesn't exist anymore. And we were working out of a shed down there. And we had a little shoe run into town as well to supplement our initial jobs, which was interesting. And then we had the horse flu come. So there was a few things that instigated us looking for alternative opportunities, which meant that my, when we were offered a job position here in Dubbo, with a Saddler, we just jumped at the chance because those opportunities really are few and far between. So we ended up moving here just for five years, like it was only supposed to be for five years and these, that's the way the story's go. So we came up here to start that job, which was great. It was a great experience for us. And we bought our first all home, I had two little boys, and we were expecting our third. And then my husband came home one day and said, Oh, actually, this job is over. I've just found out I don't have a job anymore. Because the business that we're working for had was changing and they were changing their business model. And we just talked to each other and thought what you know, what are we going to do now? We can't we've just bought a house. We didn't actually have a plan yet. So this is a we weren't prepared. We had no money in the bank. And but what we did have was a set of tools like Bede, actually bought a saddler's workshop with his sort of first earnings when he was 18.
Liz Nable 6:49
Can I just cut in and ask you really quickly because there's a lot of cityfolk also, listening, talk to me about I could super niche being a saddle maker by hand. Tell me a bit about that. Like it's obviously not a craft that exists anymore, it's incredible. Yeah.
Jemima Aldridge 7:06
That's so true. Sorry, I'm talking about something that I now know a lot about. But when I first met them, I had no idea that what a saddler, a saddle, a saddler, is someone who makes saddles from scratch. It's quite a niche trade that used to be its own complete trade. So you'd have someone who would make saddles for horses, someone who would make the tag someone who would make whips, you know, they were all unharnessed. They were all separate trades. When I met bead, he was just super interested in making and leather work. And so Saturday was the perfect choice for him to develop that skill. I on the other hand, had come from the city had grown up in cities, all my life had moved to the country with my family for that change. So I was interested. But it definitely wasn't something I was passionate about.
Liz Nable 8:01
So if saddlers don't exist, so to speak, and training them, I'm assuming they're just made by machines. Now aside from what you do, obviously.
Jemima Aldridge 8:10
Ah, that's a good question. I wish Bede was here to answer that, I think that no, technically, they would still be made by hand. But a lot of them are made in factories overseas. So you got went to Horseland to buy a saddle, it's just going to be made in a factory in India or South America. And the really good ones are coming from England still like so the European trade is still strong. And a lot of English saddlerss, Bede, did his trade on English saddles, but his skill set would be in stock saddles, which is a very Australian thing. It's actually an Australian design for our way of life. So he did, he learned all of that. It's a very niche thing. Not many people need horses. So 100 years ago, it was an essential, and every time would have had a saddler, because you it was your only way of transport now it's a lifestyle choice. Or it's, you know, potentially for people who still use horses on their properties. It's become a lot more of a luxury rather than a necessity. So
Liz Nable 9:18
so he comes home from work and he's like, yeah, right. made redundant. I don't have a job. You've got too small. You've got two small boys. Just so everyone knows. She now has five boys.
Jemima Aldridge 9:30
story gets more intense.
Liz Nable 9:31
We'll get back to that. And you just bought a house. So then what?
Jemima Aldridge 9:37
And it was just a little cottage it was an out it's just a stepping stone. So Dubbo was always supposed to be that stepping stone. So we weren't clear about where we were going after Dubbo. So we were like, Well, why don't we just start here. See how it goes. And be being who he is. And he's he's just a maker at heart and he makes a bit Just have any situation. So give him a challenge. He's like, I'm up for this challenge. And I, I come along, sometimes kicking and screaming. But actually, I think that's where we started learning more about ourselves in that process, because I was always someone who would have wanted to wait and have more of my planning done, I would have wanted to have, you know, the business plan, the money in the bank, and all of those things, but at the same time, the appeal of the challenge, and the risk actually sparked, you know, some energy for both of us the time is over, like, I can do that. That's right. So he had his tools. And he spent his first like earnings as a after school buying this others workshop, it was just sitting in our garage. So he basically opened the garage door one day and said, I'm going to, you know, transform this into a workshop. Watch me do it. I had kids, I was literally, you know, like, we were just both doing whatever we took to support the other person. And within six weeks, like he had set up, made himself a little bench, put a sign on the gate, and started ringing, you know, people saying, I'm open for business. And, you know, thankfully, we had the support of his old boss who actually was really kind to us. And he sent a lot of clients feeds way like to because we would say yes to anything. So he'd say, Yes, I'll do that custom job. I'll do the things I don't even like doing because it's going to get me somewhere. So that was a really good. Yeah, very much. It was not it like you know, you lose money. So much in those early days, because you're doing jobs that you've added a quota for you. You're you're going you might even take jobs that don't accord at that point, we felt like we didn't have a lot of choice. And I think that is something that I would reflect on now, it's so easy to say a business where you know, where it might grow to. And now we have a lot more choice. And we can have a lot more control over what we say yes and no to. But it wasn't always that way. And I think it's very important to know what stage of business you're in, or what season of life you're in so that you can accept, you know, that stage without comparing yourself to another one.
Liz Nable 12:12
So how many years ago was that when he opened the garage door and started?
Jemima Aldridge 12:17
Yeah, that was about 12 years ago. So 2010
Liz Nable 12:20
year, right. And now you have this incredible business where you've diversified. It's obviously not for saddles, yes, small businesses today
Jemima Aldridge 12:30
and how it's going. Yeah, so we launched into the salary side, which is probably you know, a little bit, you know, foreign to a lot of people that don't even know that it exists. Obviously, the beauty of doing a trade for four years is that you've learnt a lot of skills. And so you can translate that into other designs. And that's where the being a very creative person who likes to figure things out for himself as like, I can design anything with leather, and it's an amazing material. So he convinced me of all this, like, I can now advocate for that and write about it and speak about it, because I've listened to him talk about it for 16 years. Yeah, and you know, he's, you know, leather is an amazing, you know, natural materials, so it can be formed and moulded and sewn. And it will last and forbade, he's always been keen to produce things that will do what they're supposed to do and lasts the distance. You know, he hates waste, he hates throwing things away, like buying things, we both hate buying things and then going this is broken within six months or especially when your parent any parent knows, you know, like the multitude of plastic toys, and items that have literally made for single use. And I mean, I think nowadays, like we've have a lot more awareness around this. Whereas I would say even 12 years ago, there was a lot less conversation happening around, you know, the sustainable practices and people investing in quality products. It was more about price. And you know, that yeah, we always wanted to run a business not based just on what the price was, but on the quality so back in who would say, Oh, you're expensive, and we'd say but it's a product that you're going to live with for years. So we haven't answered your question still. So he diversified into making leather goods is essentially that simple answer to give me an idea of the range of what you offer now. So what we offer now is like a signature collection of pieces that we consider to be items you would enjoy using in your lifestyle on a day to day basis such as tote bags, and belts and wallets and office stationery. So leather journals and laptop cases and work folios like pieces that you can actually handle and enjoy you thing and not feel too special around like they're not too precious. Because leather is hard, it's actually supposed to be used and the more you use it, the better it becomes. So we do a whole range, but it's very timeless in nature. So we very much discussed this from the beginning, we like what's our business going to provide an are we going to get caught? Trying to compete with, you know, we, I should refrain that and say we didn't, we knew we couldn't compete with fast fashion. And when we started making our bags, it was a sort of happy accident, because they had made something for me. By my requests, like I was watching been making all these things, and every day, and I was like, you can make me a bag, can't you? You know, and here's a sketch. And he went back to the workshop and presented me with the tote bag that had sort of formed the start about our brand. So if they're still being yes, they're still being purchased, you know, each day of the week, because people are sick of the same experiences that have driven us to produce those products in the first place.
Liz Nable 16:09
Yeah, I think more so now than ever, particularly post COVID. People want quality over quantity, they want to support local, they want to support small business. Tell me a bit how the brand grew like there must have been challenges along the way. You know, obviously, as the business grows, you know, you might have a little bit of demand in the beginning, but you need to then put more money behind the business to help it grow. Can you tell me a bit about that rollercoaster ride of how the brand grew? Or was it easy? Was it just like, boom, it took off. And I mean, I've never heard of that before. But if that,
Jemima Aldridge 16:40
to me would not have been because I want to know, it's very easy to think that that's what could happen or should happen. If you've got a good product, or you're committed and passionate enough, I think you we all sort of have wonderfully that it will be easy. Possibly there are overnight successes for some, but Bede has always tried to remind me that they might not last as well, like as in we were always thinking about where do we want to be in 30 years, like the legacy of the work that we do today? Are we going to be happy with that? And are we going to be happy with ourselves where we find ourselves with every decision we make? This has meant we've done a lot of talking over talking, talking together, there's been no boundaries between our personal and work life for many years. I think that's just a reality. So rather than fighting to find balance, I think that's a little bit elusive. So we also have, you know, I don't have the balance, right? Well, actually, a balance is always changing. So sometimes you're going to have to give business, there were times when we poured every waking hour a minute into our business, and then there were times that we had to give that to our family. So it was slow, really slow to begin with. And I would actually say, for us already challenging. Yeah. Oh, so worried there were times of financial stress that I mean, I think financially, when you're starting out in business, you don't have a lot of backing, you want to make your own way, like we actually went into it without a lot of debt. So that was a blessing for us, we just sort of grew as we could. But then at some at one point, about probably six years ago, we knew we needed to take that leap to get to the next level of say, growing your team. And that's when we started looking into moving from home into the store. We had to, you know, borrow money to do that in terms of from ourselves, like, you know, we just get for our own our own earnings into that. And we said it will be worth it. And it was you know, it has been worth it. You do you know reap what you sow. And so I think initially, we decided we would give it everything that we could. And now we have a team that's now supporting us to do that as well. So we're all part of this story. It's not just been Jemima, it's actually everyone who works for us. We're all going to work every day to produce beautiful products and to, you know, celebrate craftsmanship. And that's something that is success as well. Like we have to sit down and contemplate, like what does success look like? It's not just dollars in the bank either. And it's not just profitability, and it's all those like all those things, create a good business, but then you've also got yourself personally to answer to and you've got your customers and so for us it was always going to be a mix of trying to grow the business sustainably like not too quickly so that we could have a good conscience around that like go we've done this well and properly and you know, with as much love as we could,
Liz Nable 20:01
in terms of I don't I hate the word COVID. And I'm not going to mention it after this, but it hasn't COVID had an impact on the business and or technology in general, because obviously, you know, 12 years ago, you'll reach would have been in Dubbo and the surrounds, how has that changed your business? And was COVID like a windfall for you guys?
Jemima Aldridge 20:21
Oh, look, I would say the last few years have been hard like everyone else. It's tested us and been a challenge. I would say, personally, because we did not stop working. And I from what I can hear is that well, we were we just wanted to keep our business alive and thriving through that time. And so it felt like we had to work extra hard to do that. Because of all the changing, you know, there were lock downs, there were restrictions, there were rules and policies and plans that had to be put into place. It was, it was good person that it gave us time to, to actually sit down and think about our vision where we were going, How could our business survive in a digital, you know, world, which we were already a part of, I think it was really difficult for businesses who had never launched a website or social media. And suddenly, that was overwhelming. Whereas we had begun slowly a few years ago. So we were already there, we just had to tap into that. And it felt like pour even more time and energy into connecting with people digitally. Like through social media, emails, phone calls, like the phone calls, we're actually special talking to people in lockdown in Melbourne who are calling us and then of course, they're on for a conversation, not just to buy a product. And you suddenly realised this is so much more than just, you know, it's a business, this is actually community. And this is, you know, talking to others and putting others first. And like, we've tried to keep that in mind that every order we were sending out, could have been opened by someone who had potentially not seen anyone for, you know, weeks or months, or they were sending it to a loved one, the stories behind COVID were very special like, and I think I found that inspiring as a as a creative person as well, I felt there were lots of opportunities. And if anything, that was exhausting, as well, because you're sitting there thinking, there's so much potential, there's so much opportunity here. But there's also we're finite, and there's limited resources, and we're exhausted. And we're at home, you know, with kids, and we're all in this together. So I think the fact that everyone was experiencing, it meant that there was a sense of community around support. So we actually had people supporting us through COVID. And they specifically said that they were looking to invest in local businesses, and they knew the importance and we all knew the importance, like even if it was just ordering coffee from the takeaway, you know, from now, local cafes, who were open for takeaway pick up, you know, everyone I felt locally was actually really going out of their way to support one another. So we did a few, you know, we came up with some things like an Easter like kit, like chocolate packs, that people could come and pick up and at the gate where they were allowed to, or we would drop off. And we did beautiful, you know, gift packs for people at home like care packages. And it was really good. It was exploratory. Coming out of that has been interesting, I suppose like going back to creating an in store experience for people as well. And I really believe that as people like we're wired for real connection not. So the online is fantastic. Like it's where we can connect and find our people, but you need to take it. Sometimes it's that next level, I can meet up with, you know, maintain friendships and connect with people outside of
Liz Nable 24:14
Instagram. Sounds important to be back in your life again.
Jemima Aldridge 24:18
Yeah. destinations, you know, like we all need to create space for people to come and yes, parents in real life.
Liz Nable 24:26
Now, I know you disagree with me about this, but I think you've had some great media coverage for your business and not just your southern co business, but you've recently renovated, is it recent that you renovated?
Jemima Aldridge 24:39
The Repose? Yes, I suppose. So. It's actually it's actually better for your project. And we finished it two years ago. So it's not recent. It happened. We actually finished it just before COVID, which was another, you know, challenge and accommodation, when the tourism industry was like just about deployment.
Liz Nable 24:59
So Jemima, has like an Airbnb I guess, like a heritage listed cottage that's been renovated. So she has beautiful taste. In interiors and design. I can see she's sitting in The Repose right now. And it looks beautiful behind her. So you've had lots of really great media coverage. I've seen you on bed threads. You've been in the Qantas, Magazine, local media, podcasts, Country Style, Regional Development Australia. How did you go about getting that media coverage from the business? Did it how do people approach you? Did you reach out? And how has it helped your business particularly being rural and regional? Has it helped your you're not from what I can gather about your business? I haven't been there yet. But I'm coming in July. It seems like a bit of an institution in the town. Everybody knows about it. So how is that sort of media coverage happened for you? And has it benefited the business?
Jemima Aldridge 25:52
Yeah, that's a good question. And I think what you just said at the end about the locals, like we wouldn't be where we are without our locals. And that was where it all started with that amazing support. Country communities often can be like that, where you know, you might still have hundreds of kilometres between you, but when they come to town, they will come and visit. And that's sort of where that sense of community started, which we brought, I think, to our digital platform, and I was keen to figure out how we could create that sense through Instagram. So social media, Facebook, emails, primarily, I would say Instagram and Facebook, are a platform where you can show show yourself, and put as much into that opportunity as you want to in terms of photography, and words and styling. So I think we probably put a lot into that in the first few years, and then over and that developed connections where people where you can be seen, so in terms of PR and opportunities like that, you do need to have something that can be experienced and seen digitally, and then that can be shared. So I think it was definitely an experience where you put all that hard work in and then over time, someone shares a post with the right person in this department catches their eye, and they send you an email, and you can take
Liz Nable 27:30
that coverage, did they approach you? We've
Jemima Aldridge 27:33
been approached, and then yes, most of it, I would say we've been approached, I can't remember, I'm just trying to think specifically through this. I think most of them were good. Like they were opportunities. But because we invested in photography, well, again, I would say, you know, do the work of investing in good photography, investing in actually having a good product as well, that, you know, that's original and unique. So I guess even with the repose, it was, at the time, four years ago, there wasn't a lot of beautiful, you know, artisans sort of accommodation here in the local in in Dubbo. There was in other regions. So we I was very intent on wanting to bring some experiences, I've had further afield to Dubbo. And the same through southern COVID store, a lot of people, you know, where we store there were some people saying, Oh, this is, you know, not this is something you'd see in Sydney, but they were a bit surprised to see it in Davao. And I was like, But why? Why not? Like, why should we to bring this stuff to, you know, regional areas, because there's so many people doing amazing things here. And that is continued, you know, to be evident. Everywhere you go in regional New South Wales and Australia.
Liz Nable 28:51
Pushing back on such a fancy store opening in Dubbo
Jemima Aldridge 28:53
sometimes I think some people thought, you know, it's not gonna laugh. And, you know, it might not reasonate. But it certainly has. And I think it was also because that was who we were. So like Ben might have tried to do as an, that was an honest expression of who we were and what we valued. And, you know, you pour a lot of love into it as well. So that's what people would sense they would come into the store and, and sense that, because we had the workshop there. And then in terms of the cottage, we got a lot of I think actually having a beautiful brand southern co had created a launchpad for connections. So I really had a lot of connections and I made sure that when we were designing this space, that I was collaborating and telling the story and doing it intentionally. And so because we had collaborated and had that mindset from the beginning. It came back later when it was all done. And you know, like that was a lot of you have to have a lot of commitment and belief, you know, to keep me going through Through the inevitable ups and downs, and the times where you just I remember sitting in this exact room at three o'clock in the morning, you know, like some, we had people looking after trying to just get get us through the last few weeks of renovating this place. And I was like, I just, it wasn't coming together. And I was like, sitting here going, I can't do this. And of course, you that was that rock bottom point where you rise up again? And you're like, No, we can we know what we're doing. Push on. And, and that was a beautiful offering. And that was lovely, then when we started getting opportunities and people contacting us, we could then share it. And that is, I mean, you can't underestimate how good you know, PR and people sharing your story like thing and believing it and then sharing it does for brands like it really creates a lot of credibility and opportunities. So we had some for sovereign power a few years ago, like with our first one ever was when Victoria Carrie offered. She we met her here in Dubbo at an event and she came to our store, we're just beginning and we had the children there and the store was being renovated. And I remember this clearly because I was like, you know, this is someone I was very inspired by and the magazine was, you know, inspirational to me growing up. And to have had our story to be believed in and have that story told when we were just at the outset, we didn't know whether it was going to be successful. But she believed in that told her story, printed it in country style. And like on Saturday, this past Saturday, this is you know how many years later, six years later, I still have people coming in and saying I remember reading that story. And we're finally here to see you. So those stories are amazing. I mean, you can't, I didn't go seeking that story. It was just an opportunity that came up from participating in, I guess, workshops in local events. So I would turn you know, going to there was a local event running where Victoria Kerr was speaking. And, you know, as an editor, and I was taking any opportunity to learn at that point, it's just about learning. For me,
Liz Nable 32:21
it's quite clever what you've done, though, because it renovating the cottage, you know, for, you know, accommodation purposes, is just really an extension of what you do. And yes, you are double opportunity to showcase your leather goods for photoshoots or in the home itself. But it also gives you credibility as a designer. And
Jemima Aldridge 32:44
that's a story in itself. Because I guess, as women we often think, and this was definitely part of my story personally is that initially, I can say those first four years, even 2010 onwards, I felt like I was just helping be achieved his business dreams. And I was in it because we were married and, and it was our dream to run a business together and raise a family. And so we aligned there, but it was definitely his craftsmanship that I was telling that story. And I found that I could just experiment and because it wasn't all about me actually, I was able to just go well, there are no I don't know what the rules are. I'll just tell the story as I see it. And then that gave me the confidence to go, oh, I actually have interest in design and writing. And so over time, I've had to build it up to the point that I was like, the opposes, you know, project that pretty much I had had on my heart for a while, but I felt like I would have to go into a course and be accredited and be a professional like that. I was always sort of comparing myself to professionals, and I think these I'm not gonna say these days. So in that comparison game, you know, you can actually limit yourself when you already had some skills yet, if you can give him the opportunity. They might actually bought them in China, and then you could go on, I mean, to further learn from those experiences. It doesn't. I am now interested in learning more. I'm always like, we're always curious and always learning. So yeah, definitely.
Liz Nable 34:31
Listen, do you think that was for you to prove yourself and doing the repose? Yeah, definitely.
Jemima Aldridge 34:37
I think I was my, I was like, I need to be my own client first. Like, I need to do this for me. And if it fails, it's it's just, it will be my failure, like to myself, but no one that need to know. I was like I could, you know, I had my exit plan. So but of course you know, that was it's funny how we do that ourselves. Uh, I mean, I should have just had, I had the. But we did that with in partnership with another couple and their bullet like, that was my best, you know, best friend who had disbelief in building me up as a woman and in my creativity and saying you can, you know, you can do anything you set your mind to. So let's figure out how to do it. Instead of being, you know, waiting for the perfect opportunity or waiting to have better skills, I think you get the skills by doing the work as well. Sometimes, though, and figuring out what you need to learn, like, where the gaps are, there are definitely gaps, and I'm fully aware of those.
Liz Nable 35:44
Do you feel like the media exposure? Obviously, it validated what you were trying to achieve in a way? Did you see it come back in terms of dollar terms to your business to help grow your business? I know, that's quite hard to quantify, probably in retrospect, as well. But have you seen, you must have felt you must feel like your brand awareness has grown because of the variances in meaning you've had?
Jemima Aldridge 36:14
Oh, yeah, yes, definitely. So I guess in both, I'm sort of thinking about both businesses here, because they are quite different. Different offerings, but all centred around craftsmanship and experience. So experience for me is the thing that I'm interested in is like designing experiences, whether that be through a brand through a product or a place. So yes, the PR, and the exposure, gave the credibility gave the interest and, and drove traffic to our either add to our website or to the accommodation, whichever way you look at that. I think if anything, I think that's important to never, I think as a brand, you're always have to find new ways of telling that story and probably not resting on your laurels as well. Like, I think it's important, like, I guess maybe that's just a personality thing. Whereas I don't sort of sit in that place of, oh, we achieved this. And now, let's just sit there. Like, it's actually like, Oh, that was nice. That was a little, you know, and what's the net, but there's another thing to improve. There's another thing that we're trying to work on, or there's new challenges, because every growth creates its own set of challenges. So like what was okay for better myself, you know, as a partnership, running a business is different to us running a company now with, you know, employees. So I think that is a challenge. Growing yourself as a leader through that process is something that you don't even consider at the time you you're not going into it for that
Liz Nable 37:49
that was actually going to be my next question. Because you seem to have done a pretty good job as well. Whether you whether you know it or you've done it deliberately, or it's just by the byproduct of your success, sort of growing your credibility as an industry expert with interiors, and style and craftsmanship. And you mentioned before we hit record that you were had done a couple of panels and that sort of thing. Talk to me a little bit about that part of your journey. And I know you mentioned you don't feel like that comes naturally to you. So from the outside for a lot of people who would be listening to you right now or seeing you on Instagram or Googling your name, that you are super successful, but it that imposter syndrome creeps in.
Jemima Aldridge 38:31
Definitely. And as I say, I think that it's very easy to have, like for the inner critic to be quite loud for us as women, I am aware that I've been very encouraged by other women lifting me up as well in this process, so learning from others and that you're not alone. And you're not the only one to feel, you know that imposter syndrome, I think we've all experienced it, knowing. Knowing that, I suppose gave me a sense in which I I guess I started something I had to work within and work to overcome in some ways like as in be comfortable with realising I was lacking in confidence. It's so funny to say. It's almost like becoming confident in that sense of imperfection and all your flaws and knowing, like I think actually the competence that I see, that I admire and other women is there is them being comfortable in their reality and in who they are at this present time with their experiences. Having grown them and developed them and no one's arrived, you know, like no one arrives at perfection or at the peak, you know, their professionalism without thinking that there's Another area for them to explore or to grow in. So I think I did struggle, as I was saying to you earlier, before we recorded confidence was definitely a huge issue for me in terms of growing that for myself, like, initially, I could hide behind the weeds, you know, he's such a personable guy, and he was very friendly, will talk to anyone. And I would just go, you know, I learned a lot, from the way he talked to customers and developed friendships and relationships through work. And soon I learned that I had to grow those skills for myself as a person as who is Jemima and all of this. And that has been the hardest question, you know, that I grapple with. And I still do, I'm in terms of an identity, and especially when you're a creative person. And a lot of women, I think in business are really multifaceted in the way that they absolutely can address all these areas. And, you know, we're, we're so capable, and smart and able, and yet, we are our harshest critics. And biggest, you know, that, you know, whether the judgement comes so quickly from ourselves, that we can tear our own work apart when others aren't doing that. So it's, I don't really know what the, like, I don't have answers in terms of I just I understand, we, I understand, because I still grapple with that. And I think I've but I think more than just sitting in that space, I knew that I had things to share with others, there were ways to encourage and connect. And that always one, in the end, even if I was unsure of myself and felt silly or embarrassed. Like, you know, shame is a big thing. For us as women, we think we've been told so many stories and messages, some of those we've just internalised and we've told that story to ourselves. Like it might not even be the correct the truth. Absolutely. But we've told ourselves that story over and over and over again. So I think you actually have to start rewriting that narrative for yourself. And I've done a lot of work in, like, I'm just gonna say, you know, that's, I can honestly say, I've spent 10 years working on that for myself, and talking and putting myself in a place of learning and asking for help. And
Liz Nable 42:38
so is the goal. Now, to do more, you obviously have established yourself as a bit of an industry expert, whether you like it or not, no, it's obviously super beneficial for the business because you are in a rural community where I guess you will be turned to and have been turned to for your advice or your your comment on women in business or cific business itself, you know, what communities in business or that sort of stuff? Is that your would you like to do more of that stuff, so you can build up a build up that confidence and be kind of get your message out there more?
Jemima Aldridge 43:16
I think I think I know deep down that I've always wanted to help and inspire others through my own journey, whether that was through words like writing. I'd love to write a book one day, I just am mentoring. But I still feel like I have a lot to learn myself. So I guess I keep thinking of that in the future sometime. And then those little opportunities come up in between. And I think it is important to say yes to them, even when you feel like you're not ready. And even if they're not perfect, because what that cause they're not going to be perfect, like this whole sense of why don't we think things are going to be perfect, be comfortable with things just being real. And we'll all there's always something to offer and I think as women and look at my motherhood journey has shaped me as well. And so I did find that those early years of mothering which are very humbling, you know, because you can be, you can succeed in other areas and control other things like business and then you have a child who has to have needs you and and they won't fit into your preconceived ideas of how this journey is supposed to be, I think, excuse me, I think motherhood taught me the value of meeting other women where you know, they are and we all need each other and we all have something different to give and we all have a different offer. And so if you're offering your area of expertise and strength, someone else can add theirs and becomes a complete picture, but it's not isolated. So definitely I'm keen to not do it in isolation. In terms of myself, I think I know that there's things I'm thinking about for the future. But right now I'm just trying to accept where I'm at, with running our business. And this opportunity that has now meant I'm now providing opportunities for women in our business. And I, I have never actually went into it for that reason. But now I'm really excited by that. So we've gone from just being in myself and and to be honest, most tabloids are just sole traders, like, if I hadn't joined Ben in this journey, he could still be doing it for the backyard shed, but I'd be off on my career path. However, doing it together initially has now meant we're creating opportunities, career wise for men and women. So we have an equal mix of men and women in our workshop and our retail side. And I'm really thrilled about those opportunities for like thinking about so we have two women in our workshop learning Leathercraft. Alongside our other makers, we have, you know, women in our retail and marketing, I'm creating remote opportunities for men and women to join us in this business. So that's really interesting. I'm learning a lot as I go. And also I would say, you know, advice to those who are listening would be, you know, get be mentored as well, like, so I've sought out mentors and coaching and put yourself in the place of having an outsider, you know, give you good advice. somebody you trust someone who can, and who's going to be able to help you achieve more of your goals. But listen to that, because you have to do the work. I'm still doing that.
Liz Nable 46:47
We all are. I think, um, just before we wrap up, I did want to ask you, we haven't really touched on I did mention you had five boys? How old are we? Let's talk through that. how old
Jemima Aldridge 47:00
they are 14 down to seven.
Liz Nable 47:03
Shivers. Okay. On your plate. Yeah. This is like meat, I guess. No, it's not a myth. It's like a it's like a reputation of country women. stoic and solid and tough. It's a lot like it. I mean, a lot of it when you're in a city, you know, we're all saying, Oh, it's too fast paced lifestyle, and I've got to like, move to the country to relax, but you've got just fast paced lifestyle as I do. Like, it sounds hectic.
Jemima Aldridge 47:32
It is. It is. And I never thought I didn't think of myself for the first 10 years of mothering. Anyway, as a country woman, funnily enough, I just like just Mum, you know, at home with these kids and trying to grapple my way through motherhood, and my, you know, my, and you go through a bit of an undoing I think as a woman, and in a way, it's also an opportunity for you to figure out what you really want to do. Like, for me that came through those years, everyone's story is different. So it is hectic. It's not, yeah, I'm not a stoic. I talk, I cry, I need Yeah, I need to do it with a Yeah, I need to do it with community, I couldn't do it without, you know, my friends. Like, I think if you that village, that community idea of, we all you need to reach out and do it with others. Because otherwise you get in your head, you know your own headspace too much. We do it as a partnership to like Ben and myself. And I think that was important for me, I always felt that if I was going to be equally, running the business and contributing to that, that we both sort of felt that the home and running a family was equally our share. And so I've been very lucky that I have not had to, you know, do ask for
Liz Nable 49:01
help. Yeah,
Jemima Aldridge 49:02
and do all the wit you know, the what is the stereotypical I suppose, run the house, do the kids and my husband, you know, lift a finger he has been fully hands on. He's, he is so and he you know, we both do what needs to be done, I guess essentially. And sometimes the moment that means you know, when beads working nights because he's working on some new projects or when he can get some solitude because we don't have a lot of solitude. I'm doing the Juggle at home and when I'm out, you know, going out to a meeting or going you know, interstate to go to a workshop he's running the house and we just make our business WordPress like that. That's actually a beautiful thing about my hair business is that part of that was the appeal was that we could have a lifestyle that accorded with the way we wanted to run our family and Um, don't know what it is. It's, you know, it's not easy. It's, we're working on it. Yeah. Do
Liz Nable 50:06
you think there's an advantage? There is an advantage to being you know, from what I can see there is quite a big advantage to having a business in you know, back in the day. You know, when when country towns just stuck alone single street with you know, a bakery in a supermarket. It's so different now. But the community still there. So do you feel is is distinct advantage because you've got these really strong ties in the community. And having a small business, you know, run by a woman who's obviously got a big family. Yeah. Do you find that it's an advantage being in country New South Wales, as opposed to being in a big city?
Jemima Aldridge 50:47
No doubt the community is, is is amazing. And we that's what we love, I guess I can't speak in terms of I haven't ran business in a city because we started here. I also love this of the city, too. I've always, you know, had, I think that's probably my childhood, and I've got a family in Sydney, and I love it. I don't get there often enough. So yes, I, I do feel that community is something that the country does well, and we can all learn from one another. And running a business here has felt, you know, for me, it was the people who would come to us in our home workshop, and walk down our driveway and actually speak to my children who I was feeling, you know, like, a bit ashamed that, you know, we didn't have a beautiful store for them to turn up to it. It was very real. It was so raw and real that we've always had that there. That was the beginning. Now it's not so much because we had to move out of that space. But out team is still very much part of it. So like, yeah, I latest, you know, event our boys were helping because they wanted to be there. And people are encouraging. I think you meet like the other day I was, you know, because we have been lacking this through COVID. I would say the last few years have been so hard for everyone. So then when I went out to get coffee the other day, I thought this is what I've missed is bumping into some women in a local store who, because everyone supports one another a you have a chat and you go away just feeling that bit more, you know, encourage like, yeah, the power of, you know, meeting with others. And yeah, relating to one another, sharing your stories. Oh, it's been
Liz Nable 52:35
An absolute pleasure having you on this episode of the podcast, and I can't wait to come and visit Dubbo in July.
Jemima Aldridge 52:42
Please. We look forward to seeing you.
Liz Nable 52:44
That will be great. Thanks, Jemima.
Jemima Aldridge 52:47
Thanks so much for having me.
Liz Nable 52:49
Thank you for listening to this episode of Nable My Business. If you've loved it, please share it on Instagram and Facebook for your friends. I'm all about listening and learning from you my audience. So please pop a review on iTunes and let me know how you're enjoying the show. I'd love to hear from you. So if you have any questions, email me at Liz at Liz naval.com And if you want to know more about what I do, head over to Liz Nable dot com. I truly hope this podcast is a game changer for you. Whether you're a small business owner, franchisee you have a side hustle or you're just starting out. This is where you truly begin to build your own empire and the life of your dreams.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
