Lessons from The Huddle 2023

Image by Kirsten Cunningham Photography

Last weekend I packed up my suitcase (with not nearly enough warm clothes) and headed south for one of my favourite weekends of the year – The Huddle – an all day event hosted by Pip Brett from Jumbled in Orange, NSW, aimed to educate and inspire small business owners in regional areas.

Hosted by Edwina Bartholomew, the featured speakers of the day were from all walks of life – product based business owners like the team from Kip and Co and service based operators like Bonnie from Three Birds Renovations and the team from WedShed, an online wedding planning and hire platform. Now, although it was super interesting hearing the stories and wisdom from these business brains, what I really relished was the opportunity to be surrounded by people just wanting to learn, build their businesses on their own terms and have a heap of fun doing it.

So, for those that couldn’t be there, here’s my Top 10 lessons from The Huddle 2023…

1.       It’s OK to go to things SOLO.

Unlike last year, I attended this year’s event by myself. Walking into a room of 700 people and actually not knowing anyone felt a little daunting. I don’t do that often. But! It meant I got to nab a spare single chair right up the front, that I was motivated to introduce myself to the gals sitting around me PLUS!  I got to enjoy a quiet moment in one of the breaks where I could read some of the material that was handed out during the day. That in itself, felt like such a luxurious treat! Bottom line – yes, going to things by yourself is a little scary, but don’t EVER let that stop you from doing the things you want to do. You don’t have to rely on someone else to say “Yes,” to you so that you can say “Yes” to yourself. So go ahead and book that ticket for 1.

2.       Changing up your environment is super beneficial.

It is ever. I live and work in a place which is pretty damn delightful. However, I was in a creative rut and needed to be somewhere – ANYWHERE – that was going to snap me out of it and bring the sparkle back. I had to get 2 planes to a little country town to find it but the sparkle is back. Mission accomplished.

3.       You need to actively seek out and work hard to create new opportunities.

Enough with the lofty manifestation talk already. No matter how much you ‘manifest’ what you want, you’ve got to actually take some steps forward and DO some work to bring it all to life. Right? Deciding on a goal and just ‘throwing it out there’ is total BS if you ask me (and also, a sentiment referenced by some of the speakers.) If you want to accomplish something, you have to take accountability. You need to reach out to your network, connect with others, have the conversations to really get the goal kicking party started. To bring a goal to fruition, you have to actually lay some ground work and then put the work in to make it happen. Success isn’t built on ‘magic and divine timing’ alone, the willingness to work super hard is a realistic MUST in small business.

4.       Never underestimate the power of COLOUR.

Sure, you might like the monochrome capsule wardrobe favoured by the far-shun crown right now, but holy heck, when you walk into a room filled with hot pink streamered garlands lit up with fairy lights, some disco sequin backdrops, multiple glitter canyons and a rainbow sprinkling of fresh blooms,  you can’t help but smile. The dopamine is coming at you in full force! I beg all those people planning events – don’t just do black and white because you think that’s what you HAVE to do. Bring your personality, spark the joy. Make people smile just by walking through your door.

5.       Don’t judge an event by it’s glitter.

To continue on from number 4….I’ve been to MANY, MANY speaker events in my life in corporate land and I can honestly say only a couple were actually memorable (and funnily enough, not hosted by media companies.) Like I said above, an event can be filled with colour, fun, personality and joy and still be attended by guests with just as much creativity, business acumen, intelligence and WEALTH as those you’d find in a bland conference room featuring grey carpet, egomaniacs and suits.

6.       Your team is an extension of your brand

The whole Jumbled team was out in force over the weekend, not only supporting their founder Pip, but working behind the scenes too. Everyone I spoke to – from the event to the actual Jumbled store in town was a total delight. When you invest in your team so that they feel as passionately about your business as what you do, they become the most valuable brand ambassadors out there. Team Jumbled, take a bow.

7.       Regional small businesses (still) need our support

When it comes to country towns, Orange is actually considered a reasonably wealthy one. But surrounding the main township are many smaller towns that have suffered immeasurably in the last few years thanks to drought, Covid and the devastating floods of this past summer. Forbes, Eugowra and Molong are among these. Seek these locations out. Spend with the businesses in these areas. Visit these towns if you can. Give them a shout out on your social media. There are ways to support small business in these rural areas that are actually free and it is so, so needed. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Every little bit helps.

8.       Telling your story is extremely POWERFUL and also, makes you MEMORABLE.

One of the speakers from the day was Tanya-Lee Holmes who runs a business called Imperfectly Perfect Sugar Cookies. She started baking as an outlet when she suddenly became paralysed and alongside her cookie business, she is also a disability and mental health advocate. Her story was unlike anything I’d heard and I’m so glad she was able to tell us about her journey. I won’t forget it. Last year, Tanya-Lee was a guest at The Huddle and here she was on stage telling over 700 people all about her work. I chatted with Tanya-Lee after and can confirm, she’s just as delightful has her sugar filled creations.

9.       Generosity of spirit never goes unnoticed.

Over the weekend I took the opportunity to collaborate and support a few businesses myself of course! They all went over and above and took time to spread an extra dose of kindness that made the weekend even more memorable. A huge shoutout to Kristen from Byng St Hotel, Kirsten from Kirsten Cunningham Photography, Jess from Jumbled, the team at Gather at the Sonic who were all so patient and generous with their time. Thanks also to Jack Brown (chef) and Emily Swift (owner) from Printhie Wines who took some time to come and say hello to my friend Beth and I as we enjoyed the BEST meal I’ve had in a long time at their gorgeous restaurant. It was such a treat. Seriously amazing humans.

10.   Finally, yes, it can snow even in MAY!

Snow in Orange happens reasonably regularly in Orange but in May? Not so much. There was a whisper on the weather app that it COULD happen as the temperatures dropped way too low for my liking, but when I saw it actually snowing out the window, I couldn’t believe my eyeballs. This little Queenslander can’t hack the cold at all but luckily for me, my friend Beth had the heating cranked and the wine glass filled for me as soon as I walked in the door…country hospitality at it’s very finest!

All in all, the investment of time, money and effort to hotfoot it down to Orange was so worth it, I’m inspired and excited once again and can’t wait to be back there next year!  #thehuddleorange