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"When I was on maternity leave with my first child, I decided that I would never work full-time for someone else again," says Sophie de Somerville, owner of PrecisionPays. "It was too restrictive and didn't offer enough reward. With a child on the way, I wanted the freedom to put my family first. So I started an at-home bookkeeping business for local tradies and friends."

Because of her impressive background in accounting, Sophie's at-home business grew quickly. However, she did not have much experience with marketing, and this presented a challenge when she decided to expand her business.

"I had to let go of my biggest client at the time to allow myself time to focus on expansion."

Sophie explains, "I was doing a lot of online research and educating myself about websites and marketing. This was a major challenge for me, as I am not from a sales or marketing background."

During her online research, Sophie discovered the Australian Businesswomen's Network (ABN), a community of 20,000 like-minded businesswomen that provides opportunities for education, networking, and enhanced business planning. The ABN helped Sophie learn about real-world marketing strategies from experienced businesswomen and develop an effective marketing plan.

"ABN webinars educated me and gave me a chance to connect with other businesswomen."

Sophie continues, "The topics are so relevant, and I have learned something new every time. Also, the online delivery makes it so easy to fit them into my schedule. I often don't get to attend them live, but I can listen to them later. This feature is priceless to me."

"ABN also offered great marketing opportunities," Sophie continues, "from placing member specials in the ABN newsletter to attending networking events. The networking events gave me an opportunity to really connect with other members in a business-social environment. You can't underestimate the effectiveness of connecting with people face-to-face over a glass of champagne! Oh, and the Monday morning newsletters are such a great way to start the week."

Sophie also found that being a member of ABN motivated her to set her goals higher: "After working with some other members, I was inspired by their achievements, and so I started to see more possibilities for my business. I started to think, 'Why can't that be me?'"

Sophie's Advice for Building a Successful Business:

You absolutely must have a comprehensive Business Plan, including a Finance Plan and and effective Marketing Plan. It may seem unnecessary in the beginning, but you will constantly refer back to it down the track. Set your goals high. Don't be afraid to dream about the possibilities! Don't underestimate the power of networking. About 80 percent of my business comes from word of mouth. Find a mentor. I was fortunate enough to have a close friend who is a very successful business owner and he was happy to mentor me. He tells me to keep moving when I am feeling flat or discouraged, he pushes me when I want to slow down, he gives me fresh ideas and best of all he totally believes in me. ABN also offers a great mentoring program - MentorNet. Most importantly, make time for yourself. It's so easy to work 14 hour days and weekends, but if you don't take time out, you will burn out.

Sophie's consulting business PrecisionPays provides onsite and offsite MYOB software training across Sydney. She enjoys working with a diverse clientele and helping other businesses manage their finances and plan for the future.

Sophie de Somerville is passionate about helping small businesses to not only get the most out of MYOB but also manage their financial systems efficiently by implementing simple processes.

As a MYOB Certified Consultant and director of a successful bookkeeping consultancy, she is well experienced in all aspects of MYOB consulting and bookkeeping processes. Utilising her strong bookkeeping and training background, Sophie is able to train students using her own experiences working with many and varied clients across Sydney and throughout South East Queensland.

Email: sophie@precisionpays.com.au
Website: www.precisionpays.com.au
Facebook: The Precision Training Facebook Page
Twitter: @SophieDeS
LinkedIn: View Sophie's public profile