Rising prospects linked to nature
Q&A ANGELA DERKS, AUSTRALIAN SUSTAINABLE WELLNESS ACADEMY
FIRST JOB AND WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
At 14 years old, I started out as an office assistant for a transport company in Lae, PNG, counting the float from the service station takings, assisting with wages/payroll and driving the forklift to move cargo when required. I am now the founder and CEO of the Australasian Sustainable Wellness Academy.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED?
Know where value is being added – how you add value and how what you do adds value. Assume nothing; ask questions to make sure you know what outcomes are being sought after.
WHAT YOU WISH YOU KNEW WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED OUT?
Identify your strengths and focus your energies there. Reach out for help from those that want you to succeed rather than trying to do it all yourself. Curate your dream team of mentors and supporters who are passionate about the same thing.
YOUR GOLDEN RULE IN BUSINESS?
I trust my instinct. No matter how good something looks, even when the numbers are tempting, if it doesn’t feel right, I don’t do it.
A LONG LUNCH — A WASTE OF TIME OR ESSENTIAL?
A lot of my role is remote through using technology. I value the personal connection, as it builds relationships in a way that cannot be replicated with technology. A thank you email is (not) the same as a heartfelt lunch.
WHO IS IN YOUR BUSINESS MOBILE’S SPEED DIAL?
My team of ASWA mentors and supporters. They are passionate experts in management, training and the principles of wellness, ranging from nutrition, movement, mindfulness, breath, sleep and resilience.
IF YOU HAD $1 MILLION SPARE WHAT INDUSTRY WOULD YOU BE INVESTING IN NOW?
Wellness real estate. Research into the global wellness real estate and communities sector finds the market will grow to $US180 billion ($243 billion) by 2022, with Australia the third-largest market behind the US and China. The potential for this sector is huge, given that consumer demand for healthy homes and workplaces is outstripping supply.
WHAT SHOULD PRIMARY STUDENTS BE STUDYING?
Build life skills – resilience, adaptability, personal communication, entrepreneurial thinking, emotional intelligence and social skills that build relationships.
BIGGEST FRUSTRATION DOING BUSINESS ON THE GOLD COAST AND HOW TO FIX IT?
We tend to buy into the mindset that we’re just the GC so we don’t capitalise on our natural assets. We could easily be providing the $3.7 trillion wellness industry with the wellness component of what the GC offers – lifestyle, purity and connecting with nature.