I’ve just been away for two days with my Accountability Circle to work on our business rather than constantly in it. I knew I needed the headspace, and the experience hasn’t disappointed.
Day One was practical. What could we do differently?
Day Two was personal. What do I need to do differently?
And between the two, the theme of “What if?” became “What now?”
DAY ONE: WHAT IF?
We started with wonder, curiosity and the idea of changing the lens through which we look at our businesses. One of my biggest takeaways: Allow an idea to be fully explored before practicality comes along and kills it.
I'm sure we've all been in those brainstorming sessions. Someone throws out an idea and within seconds we've found six reasons why it won't work. Too expensive. Too complicated. We tried something similar before. We don't have the time. Idea dead.
Instead, we were encouraged to create space for the ridiculous, impossible, expensive and completely impractical ideas first. One problem. Eight minutes. Eight ideas. Eight lenses.
And then, only after we'd stretched the thinking, ask: What's the smallest, quickest version of this that we could test? I’m going to challenge the team on this at our next meeting as I enjoyed the experience.
A lot of my Day One thinking was about making what we already do, better and most importantly, more simply, with better clarity.
We were asked if we were starting our businesses today “What would you want to be known for?” I’ve always said, “To be the brand that is synonymous with Australian made quality and timeless, easy style!” is this statement still true today. Yes. That felt gratifying, I haven’t veered off course.
Hospitality, not simply customer service Another conversation that really resonated with me. There's a difference between saying “Can I help you?” and genuinely making someone feel welcome.
A handwritten note. Remembering a name and starting an authentic conversation. Making it easy for a customer to engage if she wants to, and equally comfortable if she doesn't. It made me want to look again at every Philosophy touchpoint, online, wholesale, our studio, packaging, emails — and ask: How does this make her feel? Are we sprinkling enough kindness in our interactions?
Be more visible Another very practical takeaway was exposure. We need new eyes. That could mean local markets, pop-ups, studio days, aligned events, collaborations and cross-promotion with businesses that share our customer. There are opportunities sitting right in front of us if we're curious enough to look for them!
And rather than committing enormous resources to every idea: Test. Learn. Pivot.
Stop trying to be everything to everybody. That last point also made me question my role as designer. Should I trust my own taste lens more? If there's something in our range that I personally don't particularly like, why is it there? Maybe editing is every bit as important as creating.
DAY TWO: WHAT NOW?
Less about what we could do to the business and much more about how I am operating within it. We started with energy, and understanding where is your energy going? One line particularly struck me: Should and Could are energetically expensive.
What feels heavy? We looked at our workload as heavy, medium and light. Not according to whether we like doing something, but according to the brain capacity it requires.
I know I think best first thing in the morning. That's when the heavy stuff needs to happen. Later in the day I want the lighter, more creative work. And then, strangely, I often get another burst of clarity once everybody leaves and the interruptions disappear. Instead of fighting that I need to design my working days around it, and I need one day every fortnight outside the business, working on it rather than in it. No interruptions. No divided attention. Space to think.
We were encouraged to spend around 20% of our time chasing joy, and it made me realise just how much I have with my brand already.
And perhaps that's what I needed these two days to remind me. Strengthening a business means getting very clear about what matters, removing what doesn't, harnessing the joy and taking considered action. I’m naturally a glass half full girl, so why I am acting glass half empty because of the environment around me?
I went into the conference feeling “heavy” asking: WHAT IF? I left asking: WHAT NOW? knowing that with a broader horizon and clearer headspace, everything feels a little more positive.
