I’m always looking to learn and grow my business, so I was delighted to be a winner of The American Express Qantas Business Rewards Mentoring Competition.
Boarding a return Business Class flight from Sydney to Melbourne, I was able to connect with business expert Mark Bouris as well as in the Business Class lounges on either side. I’ve long admired the work Mark has done throughout his career, so this was a really wonderful experience for me.
I started L&W Sports Communications in 1998 after identifying a need within the association-level rugby league refereeing community for good quality, affordable on-field communications systems.
My background is in nursing, but rugby league is my passion. Outside of my day job I became a referee, which helped me identify the need for this technology. My business grew out of a love of the game.
Since then, our product has gone through a few evolutions, and we’re now the product of choice for most of the rugby league and rugby union market in Australia and New Zealand. We’re also used by Australian Rules Football, water polo, field hockey, netball and sailing teams, with somewhere in the region of 7,000 to 10,000 units currently in use.
An opportunity to learn and grow
Aside from his obvious business expertise, I was thrilled to realise that Mark and I had shared interests as he sits on the board of Sydney Roosters. I’m also related (and share the surname) with a former well-known rugby pro, so that broke the ice quite quickly!
Logical, sensible advice
Mark was friendly, warm, open and nothing was off limits during our conversations. He was interested in my business development plans and conversation flowed from the minute we met.
When speaking with Mark, he identified the importance of the idea and identifying a need in the market for the product. Ours was that local administrations couldn’t afford the expense of hiring systems. The pandemic has caused some organisations to reassess their expenditure, presenting us with the opportunity to sell communication systems to organisations that previously hired them.
After hearing my story, Mark quickly noticed that I’m handling a lot on my own and bringing in new team members may prove useful to help the business grow.
We talked about everything from scaling the business to social media. Mark’s advice was realistic, he shared his mistakes and how he’s learned from them, and we spoke about strategy development and focusing on one area at a time. When I ran through one plan Mark told me why he didn’t feel it would work and offered some great alternatives.
Putting the plan into action
My conversation with Mark gave me a lot to think about and his advice will prove invaluable in helping me shape my plans to grow the business locally and internationally.
Rugby is one of the fastest growing sports in the US, so that’s one market I’m hoping to expand into. The goal is to achieve the same influence in the US as we do in Australia. This US market is at least 10 times larger than Australia, so if we can achieve this, we’ll be very successful.
We’ve also had interest in the product beyond sports, including industries such as construction, emergency services and marine rescue, so it was great to get Mark’s input on how best to handle this.
Star treatment
The experience of being on a Business Class Qantas flight was such a great experience. A full day of talking business in a room could have had the potential to get dull, so I really appreciated their creative take – it was like being a celebrity for the day!
It was a really positive experience and I’m grateful to American Express and Qantas Business Rewards for the opportunity. With Mark’s advice contributing to our strategies, I’m excited for what the future holds.