To celebrate 20 years is outstanding, but to make it to 60 years is a huge milestone for any international event – one that has not only grown in spirit and focus on their dedication to children and education, but also on their role in the publishing industry - to present to the world their best Italian foot, on the international stage.

For me to be invited me – both as an author and publishing house, allowed me an opportunity that I never anticipated, would occur.  The last few years has spelt much hardship for many people across the world, especially for publishing and sole trader businesses – it has been no different, for me.  Attending this year’s event, also meant putting aside the hesitations of CoVid, the financial strains of what that brought to the industry and saying goodbye to health concerns.  ​

It was a week of touching base with new ideas, meeting new people, believing in positive outcomes for everyone and coming away with lots of useful information, to implement into one’s business.
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With only one week on offer, it was a jam-packed event, pavilion and city - with so many things to see and do, and so many people doing their hardest to suck the marrow from the bone, to come away with a stronger understanding of books, publishing and yes – Bologna.  ​

Some of the most difficult things about working one’s way to good, if not great entrepreneurship, has to be getting access to sufficient information at the right time, for the right sources and for the right reasons.
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Being female often brings up difficulties that one can’t get away form like – being female for one. There is always a judgement issue – Are you capable of doing the job?  Shouldn’t she be at home looking after the kids?  She’s in the wrong place.  She’s doing it all wrong, or being taken advantage of, for being perceived as: innocent, weak, knowledgeless or just an easy walk over.  You will come across a few more I am sure, but don’t let this stop you.

Getting your feet wet in the world of the entrepreneur can be no easy feat, but if you look hard enough, there is a place in the world for what you offer and the world is keen to step out of the way to help you bring your gifts to the tree, for easy picking.

However, one of the best suggestions I have used over the years, is absolutely and utterly get yourself a visible and accessible mentor.  Now, given it is said, your net worth ends up the sum of the five people you hang around with most – you’d better seriously evaluate your list of contacts and ask yourself – Are they going, where I want to go?  Do they help or impede my progress?  Are they negative or positive sources of energy? …Picking yourself a mentor is just as, if not more important! 

This person doesn’t have to be a person who sits down with you every day – though it would be nice – this individual can be someone you spend a good deal of time with from afar.  In that, you spend time finding out who they; how they got to where they are; what were the tools they used to get there? Read up on every piece of literature, you can get your hands on and find out all the facts to their successes and emulate – big time!  

I have a collection of a few that I pool for ideas, methodologies, wisdom and problems that have occurred at a similar time to my own and have found out how they overcame the challenges.  After all, the cycle of life and business is just that – cyclic.  It has seasons – ebbs and flows – peaks and troughs and not all of them will be pleasurable, but they won’t last and soon your spring will hit summer and your tree will bare luscious fruit.

Get yourself a few good friends of similar goals and values who you can bounce ideas off; test your theories; back you up when the seas of entrepreneurship get rough.  Don’t take just their suggestions as the be all, end all.  Go away - mull over the ideas that came to the platter and see if they fit for what you are trying to achieve.  Either way, two heads are better than one and problems are often resolved far quicker over a good cup of tea or wine – whichever your vice.  It will lighten the burden and recharge you for another bout in the ring.

Tap into business apps/sites that will not only save you time, but money.  Remember, you don’t have to do everything yourself.  I am still struggling with the idea of delegation and outsourcing, but if you truly want to make your mark on the world and grow your business, this is the way to go.  Long gone are the frowns, on handing the menial tasks over to someone else who can do them more cost-effectively than yourself.
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If you plan on scaling up your business, try to cut costs by starting at home in your living room or family garage.  You can get into an office of your delight, once the $$$ start pouring in.

​If you have kids under five, you can always give them grandma days or bring in a struggling Uni student willing to accept a few dollars to help you out – they have great minds you can bounce ideas off, too.  If they appear really keen about what you are trying to achieve, offer them an opportunity to learn with a business internship.  These will contribute to their lives, as much as your own.

Life really is, what you make.

Get out there - be brave, live new experiences, find undiscovered places, enjoy being with new friends and find you.

It is sometimes easier said than done. For some of us, the task will be a real challenge because we all have begun to lose that natural knack of just saying ‘hi’; lost that inquisitive nature that once sparked our dreams and desires.

Life, responsibilities and what the world expects from their trustworthy, reliable citizens always seems to come first. The model citizen does have its draw backs. One tends to stay in the same job, respond in the same way the population would expect and you find yourself caught up in a dull, uneventful world of being proper.

So I declare, starting today - an entire week of new discoveries; where reporting back is obligatory - telling the world just how, what and with whom you spent this new period of discovery! :)

Type - ‘I’m in!’ and we can keep each other accountable. :)

Can wait to hear your tales!

​Throughout my life, I have listened to people say - "It's on my 'List of Things To Do'". However, saying it and creating it, are two entirely different things! One assumes that by placing it on the list, the task is ready for a strike of busyness. While other people smile when I say it; as if it is just a thing one wants to say, when you really don't want to be rude and want to appear too busy.

My list of things to do, are those things that I believe could enhance my skills; those which I would benefit from checking out, at a later date. My list of priorities however, are quite different. The latter are items I believe I MUST do, in order for me to move forward on my life-hood plan, goals and dreams (all things I want to achieve in my life). Most people go through life with only one plan, few write anything down on a daily basis; even fewer write or plan their life, in order to achieve those goals and much fewer than that, ever achieve their verbalised goals. For me, they are verbalisations and remain mere pipe dreams, all because people fail to act on a LIST that they should have written down - at least once throughout their existence. I say existence, because it is just that. Going through the motions of living; failing to have really lived, because one fears...'what if I succeed'.