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Community Member Profile - Korryn Haines
Meet Mums & Co Accelerate Member Korryn Haines from Encore Admin Consulting.
Encore Admin Consulting
The Mums & Co community is a tribe of active problem solvers, go-getters and like-minded souls. We’ve learned so much over the years from hearing about our members’ journeys and sharing their stories about life as a woman in business with you!
We love to shine the spotlight on our Accelerate Members and their business. This week it's Korryn Haines of Encore Admin Consulting.
Give us your best elevator pitch
Encore Admin Consulting helps solopreneurs and business owners structure, streamline and self-manage their administration and tech needs.
I help business owners match their abilities and personalities to admin needs, through one to one attention, that’s warm, generous, packed with knowledge and a dash of humour too.
What was your trigger to start your business?
Becoming a Mum really diverted my career aspirations. I was made redundant from my full-time Administration Manager job right before I found out I was pregnant so I spent my pregnancy working temp roles because I didn’t want to interview for roles and have to do the oh and by the way I will be needing maternity leave in 6 months time. I’m incredibly grateful that my husband and I were able to make that work.
After having my son I wanted to get back to work around 10 months after and found it near impossible to find a suitable flexible / part-time role so I went back to temping. It was during this time I was reaching out to fellow female business owners through a business group I was a part of and met for coffee with a fellow mum entrepreneur who couldn’t take me on as an employee but she said how about you come and work as a contractor and train my existing junior admin assistant and help audit my processes and structure.
And just like that I had my first client without even realising what I was stepping into (and I’m so grateful to say that client is still a very treasured client for me to this day).
What projects are coming up next?
Aside from the varying projects for my always wonderful existing clients, I have launched my first online course ‘Structuring Your Business Admin for Success’ which I will be continuing to market as I am not taking on any new 1 to 1 ongoing support clients for the foreseeable future. I’m also working on new consulting package offerings to help small business owners with their tech needs and administration processes.
What has been one of your best business calls/decisions to date?
Joining supportive networks and memberships like Mums & Co.
Small business really isn’t a solo sport and I have leaned on a number of fantastic business networking groups in the last 1-2 years and I have been able to work alongside some really talented people, brainstorm ideas and learn so much about myself and my business as well as helping to support others.
What is something about running your business that you wish you had been told sooner?
How addictive it can be and how important it is to learn to switch off from your business. Almost 4 years in and it's a work in progress trying to find that right balance.
What are your favourite business tools?
I would not be able to do what I do without:
- G Suite - my Google Calendar is my whole life and sanity
- Zapier - it is seriously the best thing since sliced bread for anyone running their own business, hello automation!
- My iPhone - the amount of times I have been working on my phone to just push small tasks out of the way is mind blowing.
Has there been a significant business mentor in your career?
One of my most significant business mentors has been one of my current clients who is a former boss from my days in employed land where I worked as his Personal Assistant.
He’s been such a great supporter of me both in that role and when I started my business he engaged me for his new business and he became my second client. He is extremely calm in his approach to business, has such a great approach to nurturing a team environment, and he allows me to be creative in how I deliver work for his company. I have learned a great deal from working with him.
What’s your approach on ‘the juggle’?
Some days I think I’m all over it, other days I’m getting hit in the face with AWOL balls. I actually love Lorraine Murphy’s description of it, it is not ‘the juggle’ it's more like the blend. I’m becoming more aware of not trying to be superwoman and it's ok to put things down sometimes.
What is one of the most important piece of advice you would give to someone beginning their business? A couple of years into their business?
Don’t feel like you have to do all of the things all at once straight away. And that applies to a couple of years in too! It is so easy to be sucked into the vortex of comparison-itis and looking around and feeling like you’re not doing enough. Find your sweet spot and roll with it.
How would you describe your family life?
There’s never a dull moment - a 5 year old and a 2 year old always keeps things interesting (along with a super needy 10 year old cocker spaniel). Just when I think I’m starting to get used to this whole parenting gig those two little rascals show me a completely new thing that I need to learn about them and myself as a Mum. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
What mantra do you live by?
Love really is all you need - in every aspect of life.
What’s the last book you read that you’d recommend to a friend?
I’ve just started reading ‘Untamed’ by Glennon Doyle - and I am already knowing that it is going to be a firm recommendation to friends. I also really enjoyed ‘Aligned & Unstoppable’ by Cassie Mendoza-Jones.
What podcasts do you listen to?
- Unashamedly Human by Emily Chadbourne
- The Kate Toon Podcast
- Outsourcing Mysteries Exposed with Rosie Shilo
- The Lorraine Murphy Show
- Brand Builders Lab with Suz Chadwick.
What supportive networks are you a part of?
- Mums & Co (of course)
- Virtually Yours (run by Rosie Shilo for Australian based Virtual Assistants)
- Digital Masterchefs (run by Kate Toon)
- The Digital Picnic (Cherie Clonan seriously is one of my favourite biz humans - the graduate group for their courses is so full of awesome people)
- That Crazy Thing Called Life (facilitated by my mindset coach Emily Chadbourne - such a great group to be in amongst).
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