From Apprentice to Small Business Owner

Starting my own business has been quite the adventure, but I sometimes think I actually stubbled into it. I didn't plan to go out on my own ... it just kind of happened that way. And that's kind of how my whole career has been. A series of being in the right place at the right time.


My journey kicked off in an unexpected way during my Year 11 Christmas holidays. Picture this: my teacher gets a call from the owner of a pre-press newspaper & print provider. They were on the lookout for an apprentice. My teacher rings my mum, and next thing I know, I'm at an interview. By February - instead of beginning my last year of high school - I was signed up for a four-year apprenticeship as a “Hand and Machine Compositor.” Yep, that title is a relic now!

Those first years were intense. I was doing a mix of practical work and block release at TAFE, and by the end of my 3rd year, I had snagged the best apprentice award. And then, I went on to win “Apprentice of the Year” for the whole of Western Australia. Not bad for someone who didn't even know what a Compositor was when I went for that first interview.

From there, I explored a variety of areas within the industry — magazines, newspapers, and printers —until I discovered the exciting world of the internet. I landed a gig at an ISP just as the web was beginning to take off. There were no manuals or online courses at the time; I had a programmer guiding me through the ins and outs of HTML using Notepad. Remember those 14K modems? Yeah, those were the days!

Things really took off when the company expanded, and I found myself managing a team of designers and programmers. We worked on some pretty cool stuff, including touchscreen directories for shopping centres. I was involved in everything from planning to testing the software. Let’s just say my knack for breaking things by thinking outside the box wasn’t always appreciated by the programmers, but it did result in some amazing results!

Eventually, I got a call from a major advertising agency. The Art Director position was a big deal — like, the pinnacle of the industry. I stepped into a whirlwind environment where I managed a large and  diverse team of designers and programmers. It felt exhilarating at first, working with talented copywriters, photographers, and videographers, all collaborating on projects for some really big clients.

But as time went by, I found myself buried under budgets, deadlines, and endless meetings. The thrill of creativity I once felt was getting overshadowed by the daily grind of management and logistics. I wasn’t creating anymore; I was simply overseeing the creation of others. So, after much reflection, I took a leap of faith, left the agency, and decided to just be a filing clerk temp - just to clear my head and reset.

While temping, I started picking up design gigs on the side for friends and old clients. Slowly but surely, the side hustle grew, and before I knew it, I was in a situation where I was refusing temp jobs. That was 17 years ago, and here I am!

So it's not just about the job, it's about doing what I love. I’ve always had a passion for drawing and writing, and now I get paid to do it. I can work from anywhere — couch, café, you name it. Plus, I’ve learned about some pretty fascinating topics over the years, from water tanks to wild dingoes.

So there you have it! My journey from a quirky title that doesn't exist anymore to running my own creative business. 

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