This Christmas I have been thinking about how much life has changed for me in the past nine years. I am lucky enough to love my job, and am passionate about everything I have chosen to involve myself in. In the current climate- where a lot of people are down and out- like I was, some because their leaders have failed them, some because they have failed themselves,- I strongly believe it is time to step up and start investing in ourselves, our friends, family, community and planet by supporting those who are trying to make the world a better place- everyone makes mistakes- everyone suffers from failure at some time or another. we all have to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get over it- thank god- if we were all perfect we would never learn nor grow...
...right- back to aussieBum;) I started the company in my house and have tried to keep the office homely with reminders of the beginnings of the company, these things anchor me and remind me of how important it is to follow my truth and ensure the company is always true to its' values. There is a white couch at the entrance of our office - and for the first three years, while I was building aussieBum I slept on that couch most nights - sometimes when the rest of the staff arrived in the morning they would wake me as we start very early to make sure orders get out on time.. besides the change of being able to sleep in a bed, my focus is now more on helping other people grow and achieve their goals in association with aussieBum- and I honestly find this more emotional than those beginning stages.. (I will go into this more later...)
I suppose in the beginning I was driven by the fear of failure- or not being able to pay the rent, get dinner on the table... My parents - dad a plumber and mum working at a local super market in Melbourne- were not very impressed when I told them I was starting an underwear company, I guess that it was not a safe choice in their eyes... lucky it all worked out... sometimes I laugh, as Christmas time is when I interact with my family most- no matter what or how much I achieve- I still sometimes fear those conversations where I feel like I am in trouble for something I have done, throwing me off balance for a second- then quickly snap back to reality;)
since school I have always known I don't fit in. That said, I also knew- even back then- that through dogged passion and determination I have a knack for transforming nothing into something- by using my creative faculties and a vivid imagination- through making the choice to stop blaming everyone else for my problems and by taking responsibility for everything in my life- I have been able to continue to grow a successful and fun company- TBC with less philosophical rambling;)
Sean.
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