InfluenceMags

Millions of single letters have spilled from my brain to my keyboard and formed words for years, all in the name of advertising. I loved it. I loved the thrill of creating advertising campaigns that were clever and won awards. I loved client meetings, shoots and all the free food I got everywhere I went. 

I was a big brand girl living a MadMen life (minus the whiskey and cigarettes). I wrote and clients smiled. I wrote and then somewhere down the line people bought burgers, drove cars off the lot, drank soft drinks and opened bank accounts. 

I loved the thrill of carving a headline out of brand facts and figures and then delighting as my art director transformed it into working man’s art complete with brilliant photography and passion. 

But something was missing. 

During all those power meetings with brand managers there was always one person missing. It was the real person behind the brand. The actual guy who decided to make that cereal that stayed crunchy in milk. The woman who dreamt up the reclining chair I was so earnestly promoting. 

I wanted to know the person who crafted the original idea. I wanted to sit down and talk to the entrepreneur behind it all. In all my wonderful years in the world of big big big advertising, what was most certainly missing was the actual person responsible for it all.

And so the idea perculated. The one that would tell the stories behind the brands. The one focused on entrepreneurial stories that were personal and unique and most importantly, true. 

While the desire to pen this magazine was building, I continued to tip my head and let ideas and words spill onto the paper all in the name of selling big brands.

And then, one of the best people I know became ill. My art director Michael, the handsome English bloke who had taken my words and wrapped them in the most incredible art direction for over a decade passed away. And it hit me, all at once and with a tremendous force the question, “Am I doing exactly what I love?” 

I decided on that very day to start spilling words by the millions onto a page where there was no brand, only stories. There would be no unique selling points, only real antidotes from real entrepreneurs. I wouldn’t have end sales goals in mind, I’d simply tell a stories of local entrepreneurs. And the best part? no one would tell me what voice to write in. No one would say “Make the logo bigger”. I would be steering the ship, I would tell stories and work with other writers to tell them too. I’d get amazing art directors and get out of their way and let them create art with words at the centre of it. 

In place of client briefs, I would simply sit and listen and ask the simple question, “Why do you do what you do and how did you get here?”. 

My Dad, Warren, owned his own business. A heavy equipment business that left diesel permanently etched on his hands and a memory of him being self-employed and able to set his sails in any direction he chose. 

And now, whether because of my early experiences or because of my big brand experience, I see local entrepreneurs in a noble light. I see hard working individuals who the Report on Business will never feature. I see thousands of anonymous grey doors in industrial parks hiding incredible people and their dreams.  These people, their stories are everywhere. Storefronts, welding shops, dry cleaners, independent schools, cafes, innovation parks, co-working spaces and writing business plans at Starbucks. 

These people drive our economy, they employ people and make innovative breakthroughs. All without fanfare. 

Until now. 

The new Influence Magazine will feature 10+ entrepreneurs in each bold, beautiful issue. 

We are here to celebrate local brilliance. Our mission is clear: To boldly celebrate local brilliance.