#43 The Health and Beauty CEO’s wing woman – Olivia Jenkins, Business & Marketing Consultant (s02ep19)

DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE

• Life as a mum-preneur with 3 children under 6. How, by putting in place a network of support, she is able to do it all.
• The need to outsource what you can, in order to really focus on growing your business.
• The never-ending pursuit to achieve the perfect balance between work and life.
• How hands on experience in the family business as a child gave her valuable insight into the business world.

RESOURCES

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Transcript from the interview

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SPEAKERS

Graeme Cowan, Olivia Jenkins

Graeme Cowan 0:07 

It’s a real pleasure to welcome Olivia Jenkins to The Caring CEO. Welcome, Olivia.

Olivia Jenkins 0:26 

Thank you for having me. I’m excited to be here.

Graeme Cowan 0:30 

Olivia, what does care in the workplace mean to you?

Olivia Jenkins 0:33 

Care for me in the workplace, I think he’s creating an environment for myself and my team where they feel ultimately very safe and happy in their workplace. I’ve always been very passionate about working in an environment and encouraging other team members as well to foster a culture where they’re enjoying their time at work. Obviously, we’re here five out of seven days a lot of the time. So, it’s really important that we enjoy the work that we do, and we feel very happy and safe in our environment.

Graeme Cowan 1:02 

And you’re a real Mum-preneur, you’ve got three kids under five or five and under. How you do it as you managed to provide care for your family, as well as care for your colleagues and your customers.

Olivia Jenkins 1:19 

In the early stages, obviously, just me being in my business and launching the business as a solo entrepreneur, there are a lot of hats that I had to wear in the business, but also in my personal life as well to make sure that, you know, everything was looked after. And the kids had were well looked after and the business as well looked after. And what I learned as time went on, is that I needed to build a support network around me to have longevity in my business, but also for my health as well, because it’s not realistic for one person to wear all the hats all the time. And so, what I learned quite quickly was that I needed to go to support that work in place in the home. And I also need to put a support network in place and the business as well, which would allow me to be protected as the asset but also to have longevity with the work that I was doing. So, for example, we had, you know, cleaning support in the home as well so that when I got home after work, and on the weekends, I could spend quality time with the kids and not feel like I was drowning in housework that I had to catch up on and putting them in front of the TV. And equally in the business as well. I put a support network in place that meant that I could outsource things that might not have been highest and best use of my time. Or I could give to another team member in the business that would be faster and better at doing those things than I was. So, support is key and essential. I definitely don’t preach to do everything on your own. Because I don’t believe that there’s longevity to do it that way.

Graeme Cowan 2:41 

What are some of the things that you outsource to others?

Olivia Jenkins 2:44 

One of the first things that I outsourced in the business was bookkeeping. Because each and every month that we spent reconciliations that would need to take place, there were invoices that needed to be raised for clients. And those invoices needed to be checked for payment, and potentially payments followed up. So that was one of the very first things that I outsourced. The next team member after that that I brought into the business was an admin, sort of EA support. And that person helped me to do all of the onboarding and offboarding for clients, all of the contracts. And just to sort of make sure that everything runs smoothly in the business, while I was fought up with Zoom calls or having meetings with clients. And in the home, obviously, for me to be able to do the work that I was doing. We also had nanny care for the kids as well. So, we chose for our family having our two boys quite close together, less than 12 months apart. We decided that a nanny was a better fit for us financially and also because there’s sickness, both myself and my husband run businesses. So, sickness for us would cause a lot of disruption as the businesses as well. So, we decided to have nanny care. And that really allowed me to be able to be quite focused and disciplined with the work that I was doing for clients so that when I came home, I could put my Mum hat on, and I could step into that mum mode and feel very present with the kids and what was going on in the home.

Graeme Cowan 4:04 

I really disliked the term work-life-balance, because it assumes that life is good, work is bad. And many people, most of the people I’ve interviewed on this podcast, really get a sense of purpose at what they do. How do you integrate your personal and work life?

Olivia Jenkins 4:27 

I think balance and trying to achieve the perfect balance is a never-ending pursuit. I think there are times where I feel you know; I’m doing it well. And there are times where maybe I’m not doing it so well. And I think that’s just because in life and in business, there’s seasons that we go through. And seasonality is where things can be really following the business and then we might have a little bit of a quieter catch. Particularly for me a perfect example is coming into Black Friday season. October November, December. Very busy time in the business. A lot of E-commerce events happening and a lot of campaigns going on for clients. So, I know that those particular times of the year, I’m going to be very high stress. And I think that’s where it’s most important to make sure that I have the, again, the right support network in place. So, during those months, I might have an additional thing that I put in place in the home line to make sure that I’ve got home delivered healthy cooked meals that I can just pop in the microwave and heat up, we’re very blessed to have a cafe next door that does that service. And so, it’s just putting those little things in place to make sure that you’re supporting yourself. And you’re thinking ahead about how you might be able to make things a little bit easier for yourself when things are a bit busier. But it’s definitely a juggle, I feel like you’re always working on trying to get the balance, right. And sometimes you can go a little bit off track and you think, oh, I’ve probably been working myself a little bit too hard, and I haven’t been looking after myself well enough. But I think it’s just the ability of being able to recognize those Muments, and then bring yourself back into line and make sure you’ve got those support networks around you again.

Graeme Cowan 6:00 

For the benefit of our listeners, can you just give an overview of your career to date, and what exactly you’re doing now?

Olivia Jenkins 6:08 

Okay, sorry, I’ll take you right back to the very early days. So, at 18 months old, my mum started a business, so she started a skincare brand here in South Australia where I’m based, and she pioneered Rosa Paul in Australia. So, we can picture from, you know, two, three years old. Mum would have us seated around the kitchen table. And we would be labeling Rosa Paul bottles and helping her do that work. So, time went on and you know, I would go to Mum’s office after school and I would go and work there from the school holidays, I’d go to international expos with her, and she’d put me on the stand, and I’d be selling product and doing all of those wonderful things. So that was sort of my childhood, I guess you could say growing up in a family business and being very exposed to all things business and essentially the industry that I work in today. Fast forward after school, I went into Mum’s business, and I started from below receptionists. I was the very bottom of the food chain. And I just did whatever was required to make things run smoothly in the office. And I was like a sponge. I just wanted to know, everything that I possibly could about the business and every different department. And gradually, I was able to achieve a promotion in the business and take on a new area. And eventually, when I left the business, I was the general manager. And I worked very closely alongside my mother as the CEO to drive the business from a people product and processes perspective. And I really loved that work. But I also knew that working in a family business, I would probably be doing myself a disservice potentially, if I stayed only in that business. And I never had any other experiences. So, after that, I decided to carve my own path, so to speak. And I went and worked in several other businesses in the Health and Beauty space, which is the business that I ended up in just before I started consulting, which was company called Vanity, and they were the pioneer for natural tanning solution based out of South Australia. So, we actually have a lot of really amazing brands that have come out of that day. But yeah, worked in that business as a general manager and did a very similar role, I guess is what I did in my mother’s business and worked alongside the CEO, running behind her and tidying everything up and commercializing everything that we were doing. And I worked there for three and a half years, and I champion the project, I guess, to take that business from B2B to be a B2C brand and be very E-commerce driven. That was a real passion for me. And I decided after having my two boys that I was ready to start the business, start a business of my own and step into entrepreneurial life. And I had a fork in the road where I really could have chosen to go one way or the other. One way being to create a product-based business myself, because that was the back of my hand that I knew and I’d been doing all of those years, or to go into consulting, which was potentially more aligned because I was the general manager and that was the role that I took on in my corporate career. And I could actually look to serve multiple CEOs in the industry and add value that way. And ultimately, when I thought about what truly set my heart on fire and lit me up, I decided that consulting was the way that I wanted to go. And I wanted to go into the service industry. And so, Olivia Jenkins was born. And that was July 2019, about six months or six-eight months before COVID

Graeme Cowan 9:32 

Great time to start the business hate that must have been quite challenging.

Olivia Jenkins 9:37 

Yes, it was very daunting when I remember watching the news around, must have been January or February and thinking okay, I think we’re going to have some supply chain issues and that was my first thought I actually didn’t really ever consider that it would end up being what it has ended up being. I honestly was just thinking okay, but I tell all my clients to go and buy all of the packaging that they can get from their suppliers, because I could just sense that there was going to be supply chain issues. I thought that the worst that could happen is a packaging shortage. And clients wouldn’t be able to create product, which obviously would have been terrible. But of course, you know, many lives were lost, and industries have been crushed and there was a lot more turmoil that came out of COVID. But yeah, it was a very scary time, because I was thinking, you know, I’ve left a corporate role where I was very stable, and I was working in a business that was very established. And I’ve now gone into consulting. And there’s a lot of risk here, because I don’t know where this is going to go. And I don’t know what’s going to happen to the economy now. So, was this the right decision? So, all of those things are definitely going through my mind.

Graeme Cowan 10:45 

What important business lessons did you learn from your mother?

Olivia Jenkins 10:53 

I think Mum was always a great role model for when they use that, she was always very happy to go against the grain for things. And I’ll give you an example, I remember we went to a trade show or Mum had gone to a trade show. And you know, everybody had this stand set up all of the cosmetic brands and skincare brands had their own stands. And she said there was all these beautiful posters on their stands, the other brands. Beautiful model shots, and airbrush facial faces, and it was all very aesthetic. And what she decided to do with her stand was put up pictures of burns before and afters of burns units and, you know, scars and all of these really, you know, graphic things which were not aesthetic, and were not the traditional what you’d seen in the beauty industry. And it worked. You know, she, I remember her saying her stand was packed, there were lineups to speak to her. And everybody wanted to know what this amazing product was. And I thought that was really testament to Mum and the way that she was always happy to go against the grain. But it really worked in our favor because she stood out. She did things in a different way. So, I’ve always really admired that about her.

Graeme Cowan 12:05 

And is your Mum still in business?

Olivia Jenkins 12:07 

She is, yeah, she still runs the business today. She has done exceptionally well. And she’s got a very strong export to the business. Now the brand is very popular. And yeah, she’s built up a long history. It’s a very established brand, it’s got a lot of credibility for the products and the results of the products provide. So, she’s done very well.

Graeme Cowan 12:25 

That’s, that’s fantastic. You mentioned just before we came on-air that with your Mum, you moved 18 times when you were growing up, what was that, like? Just– did you know, so many new starts.

Olivia Jenkins 12:41 

It made me very resilient to change, which I think has been one of my biggest strengths today, personally and professionally. I am very comfortable to pivot and think on my feet and adapt to new situations. And I think I’ve always been like that and looking back on my childhood and my personality. I’m the type of person that could go into any situation, I would be able to work that room or fit in or build rapport with the people in that room no matter you know, what stage of life they were at. So I think it built a lot of resilience that it was definitely challenging. I remember school life was quite hard, because obviously, when you go into a new school, there’s a lot of established friendship groups and circles. And so, again, you get pretty good at building rapport and reading a room and understanding the culture of a classroom or of a school before, you know, you start to sort of establish your own friendships. So, and I’m very like that up to now. I think in group situations, I’ll often go into a new situation. And I’ll just sit back, and I’ll observe the room. And I’ll really take in what’s going on around me. And I’ll calibrate and then I take action. So, I’ve also learned that skill, I think from being in a situation where I’ve had a lot of change growing up. 

Graeme Cowan 13:56 

Yeah. That’s– When you think of your close friends now, are there any from that period pre– when you’re 18 years old?

Olivia Jenkins 14:15  

That not primary school, but my high school friends, today, they’re all the same. So, all of the friendships that I have, currently are the same circle of friends that I’ve had for that the oldest friendship would be 25, 26 years old, as in the field length of a friendship, and then the others would sort of be from year eight onwards. So, there would be at least 15 years there of friendships. So, I have been very fortunate to meet some amazing people. What’s interesting, though, and I think this was a funny quirk about me growing up. I often would be friend one first and in a group that I really connected with, and I would sort of had one friend from that friendship circle and one friend from that friendship circle. But together, I created my own group of people, and I got married in March this year, my bridesmaids were a testament to that. Each of them I had an amazing strong friendship with, but none of them knew each other. They were all from different parts of my journey. And you know, some– one of them I worked with that Cosmere and mums’ business, and other one had actually dated my brother, and we ended up becoming the best of friends. So, it was really interesting how they all came together because they didn’t know one another. But I had a very strong friendship with each of them. 

Graeme Cowan 15:32 

What do you think about your approach to work and leadership now? What has really informed you and really been a significant impact in the way you do things? 

Olivia Jenkins 15:44 

I think a few things. I think, number one, I never wanted to run a business the way that potentially we had leaders in the 80s. I do not want to be the boss that was you know, screaming at people and yelling at people and throwing handbags across the room, because that realistically was what used to happen. It was, you know, you do what you’re told. And that’s it. I don’t think that leadership style works today. And I think– so that was one thing. I think the second thing for me, I said to you off the air. When I did my master’s, I loved the leadership subject, because it taught me so much theoretical about leadership, which you sort of know based on experience that then when you have the theory, it just sorts of bridges all the dots, and you can connect them all. But in the subject, we learned a lot about leadership power sources. And this has been one of the game changers to me, which I found so interesting. When I look at majority of my clients, and definitely the leader in the business that I worked with previously, their power source was very friendship orientated. So, it was very much if I befriend the people that are in my team, they will do the right thing, they’ll perform well, because you know, there’s a personal relationship there. However, what we learned in leadership is yes, that’s a fantastic power source. Because you know, you have rapport with your team. And you know, there’s obviously respect there. However, when things go off track, or when the performance might not be where it needs to be, it becomes very hard to discipline and have those conversations because then potentially that team members might feel upset because it feels a little bit like your friends telling you off instead of potentially a leader in the business. So, I found that really interesting as well about the need to use multiple power sources as a leader and not just rely on one power source all the time, because that may not serve you well. And I think the third thing is just, I’ve always been under a magnifying glass. When I worked in my mother’s business, I was always told it was drummed into me by her that if you show up at this business, you are under the magnifying glass 100 times more than any other team member in here. Everyone is watching your every move the way that you dress, the way that you speak, the way that you, you know, you show up every day. That’s really important because as the daughter of the founder of this business, and as the daughter of the CEO, you have to lead by example. And you have to set the highest possible example amongst the other people in the business. So, I was always very conscious about that. And I’m really grateful that I had that experience because it taught me how to carry myself in other roles as well. And I think that discipline and those boundaries that she put in place really serve me moving forward.

Graeme Cowan 18:28 

When someone has disappointed you, within your team, how do you approach that? 

Olivia Jenkins 18:35 

I think it’s just seeking to understand why potentially the performance wasn’t there. And I often say this to clients as well, when potentially you know, the expectation was not met. Did we actually set that expectation clear enough to start with? Because a lot of the time, that’s actually the issue. You know, have we actually explained clearly what we were asking for in that Mument? Or with that task? Or with that project? Was it clear what the expectation was around the quality or the timeframe in which it was delivered? So, I think that’s the first thing. And once you have the understanding about that, you know, if it’s a yes, it was the expectation was clear. What happened? What went wrong on the other side? You know, is there some personal things happening at home? Does that person actually need support? Because they’re going through a personal crisis at home? You know, are they feeling like they’re, they’re not getting the praise that they’re looking for? Everybody’s driven by different things in life. You know, some people are motivated by one thing, other people are motivated, motivated by another. But definitely, you know, and I’ve seen it as well working with my own team in this business, but also previously, as a general manager, sometimes people need a lot, a lot of praise and a lot of sorts of reiteration that they’re doing a good job. So, I think you just need to seek first to understand and then once you understand that gives you the ability to then respond in the right way.

Graeme Cowan 19:59 

Yeah, really that that respond rather than react. It’s not always easy in the heat of the Mument to, you know, be calm and be rational in that sort of situation. You had some time also with a big brand, Swiss. What did you learn from your time there?

Olivia Jenkins 20:17 

I think the biggest thing I took away from Swiss is run, don’t walk. They were the type of organization that sprinted. And they ran a million miles an hour, and they fell over, absolutely, we fell over lots of times, we scar our knees and all the rest of it. But we got up. And we were still further ahead, in my opinion, than competitors, because we were running. And I think that’s really important. Because a lot of the time, you know, everybody’s appetite for risk is a little bit different, right? That doesn’t sort of sit well with 100% of the population to think, oh, we’re just going to run through things, and we’re gonna rush and hope for the best. So, I definitely recognize that. But I think it really taught me that you just say yes to things. And you work the rest out later, a lot of the time we get in our own way. And we say no to things because we think, oh, you know, am I, am I 100% ready to do that? Or do I have 100% of the skill set to do that? Say yes to the opportunity, work the rest out later, because nine times out of 10, it’s just you’re getting in your own way. And you’re putting roadblocks or barriers up, because your mindset, your mind wants you to stay safe and comfortable. And doing the status quo, because that’s what it knows. And that’s where it feels safe. But in order for us to grow, we actually do have to get uncomfortable. So, I really love Swiss as ethos of running and not walking.

Graeme Cowan 21:40 

And it’s so important, because the whole world is just changing so quickly, whether it’s business or community or whatever. And what you’re really talking about is being in the learning zone where you try new things and if they go wrong, we learn from them move forward. And it’s a critical success factor for organizations. One of the things that I do when I have my keynote addresses or workshops is ask people to really reflect on what’s been a really fantastic team you’ve been involved with, you know, really great team, it doesn’t matter whether it’s, you know, netball or footy or when you work at McDonald’s, or this job or the previous role, what was it, what made it different/ And I have people vote remote remotely in webinars via QR code. There are about 10 different things there. But always the top three, is that we cared about each other, we had each other’s back, and we enjoyed working together. And having each other’s back is such a critical issue. Because when things go wrong, you know, we learn from them, you know, there’s no big finger pointing, we’re much better off to try something I should say and move forward. And I love you know, reading about Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest, richest man, and he talks about the 70% rule that you’ll never have all the information that you need to make a decision or if you get 100%, it’s too late. He’s disappeared and the 70% make this decision run with it and then learn as you go. So, I’m sure that has held you in very good stead that quality, Olivia of run not walk. You know, Facebook, at one stage had a, an ethos of move fast and break things. They’ve interested in the band on that that thing now then– I think it’s now move fast and make things sustainable, something like that. But–

Olivia Jenkins 23:38 

Yeah, not that ramp. I think one thing that is always resonated with me as well is I remember one of my mentors, I was mentored by an executive chairman, now in his 60s, and I adore him, we still have a very close relationship. And I call on him a lot of time if I need advice or something. But I remember he asked me one day, you know, you have to decide what to get 100% perfect before you take it to market, before you go ahead with it. And what you can sort of get away with having 80% and you just need it to be done. And I think that’s really important. You know, an example in my industry would be if you’re taking 20,000-unit cartons to print for a new product, and there’s a packaging error or the barcodes wrong. That’s obviously a time where you need to get something 100% perfect and correct before you go ahead with it. Because that could be hundreds of 1000s of dollars that you’re wasting. But there are other times where I think we have this perfectionism paralysis and I’m guilty of it at times as well where I want things to be 110% Before I go ahead with it. But the reality is, your competitor is going to have advantage over you if you’re not taking things to market fast enough and you’re getting those two situations the wrong way around. I think you really need to know when to just done is better than perfect. And you just need to get something out there. And when it’s important to sort of hold back and make sure you know all your T’s across, and your eyes are dotted before you take something live.

Graeme Cowan 25:04 

Yeah, I think it’s a very good, very good insight. Besides, oh, no, sorry, I’ve just– You’ve made a really big impact in E-commerce. How is that different to the traditional business of, you know, going out and seeing people physically at cetera, et cetera?

Olivia Jenkins 25:27 

It’s very different. I think it probably has come more naturally to me, because of my age and the generation that I’ve grown up in has been very tech orientated. And I am also very techie and love tech. So, I’ve sort of embraced it very easily. But it is very different. And even in the type of work that I do, I say this often where if I go right, the way back to the very start of my corporate career, working in my mother’s business, that sales strategy was pharmacy, so pharmacy and health food store and department store was the sales strategy, the distribution model that we had, and obviously export as well. But that relied predominantly on a B2B dynamic, because you’re pushing product into pharmacy or into a health food store, and you’re relying on them to pull it out. So, you’re really investing in the people in those stores to make sure they have the education and the confidence to be a brand ambassador for you to sell that product to make sure you’re able to get another order from that store beyond Parkfield, and that’s essentially the success of the brand. So, it was very traditional, you know, traditional print advertising, and we engaged a lot in a PR agency to get you know all the products into the right hands and to get that press. But that’s not really how things are today. I mean, there are still brands don’t get me wrong, that have that distribution model. But many are now surviving very comfortably off just B2C and direct to consumer E-commerce. So, it’s changed a lot. And even in terms of the firepower that you have at the business. When you look back, we never used to have a social media manager, or one person’s job that was a tip top content creator or one person’s job that, you know, just looked after email marketing, we had one marketing manager and maybe an assistant to support that marketing manager if you’re lucky, and you have the budget, but everything was done by that one person in the business. So, it’s so multifaceted. Now you’ve got this ecosystem, and you can pretty much build an entire business, service business around one point in this ecosystem, you know, you could build a whole business around being an email marketing provider, or a whole business around being a Facebook ads provider. So, it is very different now. And I think you need to be very focused to succeed in E-comm is extremely competitive, it’s not enough to be good anymore, you have to be exceptional, because the competition out there is fierce. And it’s a very expensive business to run in terms of the amount of investment that you need to put into growth marketing activities, to influence the marketing to Facebook ads, to Google ads, to your lead generation strategy. So, there’s a lot of cost, and you really need to have a strong brand, a very engaged audience to sell to. And a product that fulfills, there is a product to market fit and solves a problem, genuinely solves a problem because it’s not as easy as just whacking a website up and putting a label on a product and away you go. That’s– it’s just not that easy.

Graeme Cowan 28:26 

Yeah. And what are the important technology platforms that you use your business?

Olivia Jenkins 28:33 

I’m a Shopify girl, through and through. So, website platform choice, for me is a way Shopify for E-commerce. And you know, 99% of clients would be using Shopify as a platform. I also love Klaviyo, which is an email marketing platform that is headquartered out of the states. And that has been an amazing tool for my clients in terms of generating a lot of sales, particularly from an automation perspective as well, because again, going back in the day, you know, we didn’t really have abandoned cart, things set up and all of these whiz bang flows and automations that we have now. So, there’s a very sophisticated strategy in place for clients as well. We’re where we are capturing a lot of lost opportunity that can occur through online shopping as well. So, love Shopify, love Klaviyo. They’re the two main systems that we use regularly. And then there’s a whole host of different applications that we plug into Shopify, depending on the client and the goals of what we’re trying to achieve as well, which are amazing, and I think is one of the major selling points to Shopify is that it is easier now for you to build a website on your own and to have all of these amazing features because you can do it click of a button with an app. And you know, back in the day, if you wanted to get a website, a lot of the time you’d pay 10s of 1000s of dollars to an agency, they would own the platform. So, if you wanted to change one homepage banner or something on the site, it would cost you hundreds and hundreds, if not 1000s of dollars every month to have maze nets. Whereas now everything is at your fingertips. And a lot of the time, you can do much of the work on your own. 

Graeme Cowan 30:10 

It’s amazing how simplified it’s become, isn’t it? It’s just making things– the user experience, it’s just so important for need any platform to really grow and keep on adding value the heck because they have to keep evolving as well, that didn’t evolve the least, to replace them.

Olivia Jenkins 30:27 

Yes, exactly. 

Graeme Cowan 30:29 

You also mentioned with your team that, you know, they’re very dispersed, they presumably live all over the place, do you have a platform to help manage that virtual team?

Olivia Jenkins 30:41 

Slack and Zoom, my best friend. So Slack is essentially like an instant messenger for business. So, we have channels set up for different clients and for different things. And that’s a way that we communicate between the team. There are also team members that are here with me, in South Australia as well. So, there’s still that face-to-face connection for the team as well. But I think it is possible to have a remote workforce in any business, providing that you manage it in the right way, and you recruit in the right way in the first place. And I think this is true for a remote team or physically present team, the recruitment part is actually critical. Because if you’re recruiting the wrong person to start with, it is very hard to have a relationship that’s, you know, going to move forward. And you know, you’re going to be happy and aligned with one another for the long term, if you don’t get that right to start with. And I think that the remote element shouldn’t really change the performance of the team providing that you’re running the business in the right way, and you have the right support structures set up. 

Graeme Cowan 31:43 

And have you monitor the well-being of that, of that team?

Olivia Jenkins 31:48 

I have regular check ins, I’m also very intuitive as well, which has been a big strength for me, a lot of the time, I have feelings about things. So, if I can sense that somebody is feeling a bit off, I will usually ask if they’re okay. And if there’s, you know, something that they might need some support with. And I think that’s really important as well, that if you have a gut instinct about something, or something feels a little bit off, to have the courage and the strength to ask if that person is okay. And a lot of the time they are, they might tell you that there’s something going on at home or you know, there’s something that’s upset them usually unrelated to work, but it’s just having that intuition and responding to that as well if you feel like something is not right. 

Graeme Cowan 32:28 

Do you ever have physical catch ups with your team, face to face? Face to face. 

Olivia Jenkins 32:34 

Yes, all the time. I mean, I regularly check in with the team throughout the week anyway. But quite often we’ll have you know, a weekly catch up in and discuss things. So yes, there’s a lot of regular touch bases.

Graeme Cowan 32:49 

What do you do for yourself care?

Olivia Jenkins 32:53 

A lot of things. I see a physio and an osteopath, who is very intuitive and very, very good. And he has helped me a lot. I also have doing bio resonance therapy, which has been quite an interesting modality to experience as well. And that’s been done locally. I love Reiki for my energy clearing and I am engaged in that quite a bit as well. And I also see a naturopath who just helps to sort of make sure that I’m on the right supplements and my health is on track. And then in terms of what fills my cup up, I have horses, so we live on a farm. And the time that I spend with my horses is very replenishing for me. I enjoy going for a ride and just getting out into the farm and into the fresh country air. And that sort of the thing that really helps me to disconnect and switch off because working in a digital space, it kind of feel sometimes like you’re in a parallel universe, and you really need to recenter and ground yourself back into planet Earth. Otherwise, you can get a little bit Stacey and a little bit up in the air too much. And it’s important to ground yourself and bring yourself back. 

Graeme Cowan 34:03 

And in terms of– if you could share a message with the world, what would that be?

Olivia Jenkins 34:20 

I think my message would just be to believe in yourself and to invest in you. This is something I wrote about to my email marketing list this week of when was the last time you invested in you. And I was very fortunate to learn quite early in the piece that the investment we make in ourselves is the most valuable one. And I’ve been very fortunate to do things like I did an NLP practitioner course which I’ve truly believe changed my life and helped me understand the way that I think and the way that people think on a much deeper level. And that’s helped me personally and professionally you know, years after I did that course, and I’ll be investing in a higher level of that later in the year. So, I think it’s just to never stop learning to back yourself and to invest in yourself 100% Because you are the greatest asset. And it’s really important that you, you allow yourself the opportunity to learn new things and to experience things.

Graeme Cowan 35:20 

And are there any books or TED talks or podcasts that you find really helpful?

Olivia Jenkins 35:28 

I love Atomic Habits. That’s one of my most favorite. How to be a badass at making money. I thought was amazing true for money mindset. There’s so many pennies drop Muments in there where you think, oh, I remember mum saying that to me as a kid, I remember when Dad said that. So, there are a lot of limiting beliefs and things that we carry on generationally from our parents, and likely, you know, their parents before that. So that’s been a great book. essentialism has been amazing. True, I’m a type A personality, and I never stopped. So that book was really great to read. The five levels of leadership, I loved as well. But that was really amazing. And I think How to win friends and influence people think that’s Dale Carnegie. That’s just a book that everybody needs to read, I think because it tells you a lot about how we’re wired and how to get the most out of situations with people. And obviously, we’re in, we’re in personal relationships and professional relationships all the time. So, I think that’s really important. So, they would be my favorites.

Graeme Cowan 36:32 

It’s interesting. I mentioned before we can be here that I did a session yesterday for an agribusiness, the 30 top leaders, and everyone was given a copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People certain it’s an old book, but it’s an evergreen book, isn’t it? The lessons, you know, certainly apply forever. You know, there’s a few classic books like that. What were some of the important lessons that came out how to be a kick ass about money? Is that the name of it? Lessons learned from there. 

Olivia Jenkins 37:04 

That came back to the investment in yourself. So, she’s spoken a lot about the investments that she’d made in herself through coaching and different mentorships. But also sort of breaking some of those generational patterns around money, and money mindset and how we think about money.

Graeme Cowan 37:21 

Very good. The question–it’s been just great catching up today, Olivia, and, you know, your wealth of inspiration and motivation. It’s been a real pleasure talking today. But if you could go back to your 18-year-old self, knowing what you know now is what advice would you give your 18-year-old self?

Olivia Jenkins 37:50 

I think I; I would have told myself to back myself a little bit more. I think, if I look back to where I was at 18, I think I had a lot of self-doubt. And I think it was, it was a good thing in a way because I would always look at myself and think, Okay, how did I contribute to this situation? How could I have done better in this situation to make sure that didn’t happen again? But I think looking back, there are a lot of situations that occurred where I didn’t fully back myself. And I think a lot of that came down to boundaries as well. And you know, this is a topic we could talk about forever. But I truly believe that when you put those boundaries in place, you build self-confidence, and you build self-worth. And I think it took me quite a long time to learn what boundaries were, why they were important, and how they could improve your life for the better, and how much confidence and self-worth you’ve yet to create by having the right boundaries in place and actually enforcing them. So, I think if I could go back to my 18-year-old self, I probably would give myself a lesson and boundaries and what they were and why they’re important. And I probably would have saved myself a little bit of heartache for the years to come. But that’s life. It’s part of our journey. And it’s made me the person that I am today. So, in some ways, I wouldn’t change the thing.

Graeme Cowan 39:05 

And how do you apply boundaries now?

Olivia Jenkins 39:09 

I think the first step is you need to know what your values are, so that you can create the boundaries. And I think a lot of the time people feel quite uncomfortable when you talk about boundaries and enforcing them, because they’re sort of sensing that, you know, something occurs and you’re putting your hand up and saying, oh, you’ve crossed my boundary don’t come any further. You don’t really need to make it a big thing. In that way. It’s just learning to say no to opportunities that don’t align with you. Looking at something and saying, you know, this doesn’t feel right. So, I don’t need to partake in that, or I don’t need to engage in it. Or I can shut this down in a polite way. Or I can, you know, politely say no, you know, that doesn’t suit me, or you know, it’s not the right time or whatever that is it doesn’t have to be this really scary formal thing that we do. But it’s learning to trust your gut and know and feel, when things don’t feel congruent. If something doesn’t feel right, it’s usually not and it’s okay to say no. And it’s okay to shut something down and not entertain.

Graeme Cowan 40:10 

And how can people find out more about Olivia Jenkins Consulting? 

Olivia Jenkins 40:15 

can find me online via my website, which is www.olviajenkins.co. C-O. And I’m also on Instagram as well, my Instagram handles oliviajenkins.co. So, you can come and say hello there. I love when people drop into my DMs and say hello. So definitely come by and start a conversation or if you have any questions that you want to ask me, I’d love to hear from you.

Graeme Cowan 40:39 

Thanks for being part of The Caring CEO podcast, Olivia.

Olivia Jenkins 40:42 

Thank you for having me.

Graeme Cowan 40:45 

Excellent. That was great, Olivia. Yes, capital, lots of great things there and some really great insights, that you know, just shows doesn’t have a new world of work is evolving. And, you know, the traditional thing was you had to be in a big city to make a business work. And that’s been one of the real upsides of COVID really, hasn’t it? You know.

Olivia Jenkins 41:13 

Even, even though E-commerce as well. I think that’s, you know, that’s been huge. Because growing up, I sort of always knew that if I wanted to go into marketing and this line of work, I probably would have to move to Sydney. And I think it’s really proven now that I’ve never had to leave Adelaide. And I’ve been able to work with some amazing brands, and still, to this day, have some incredible clients from all over the country. And I’m based in the Barossa Valley in SA. So–

Graeme Cowan 41:39 

it’s wonderful, good. Well, thanks for being part of the day, Olivia. We’ve been in contact when we’re about to launch it and it won’t be too far off, actually. It’s probably about three weeks away I think so anyway, we are in touch and provide a social media tile and be great if you could share it as well across your platforms. That would be sensational.

Olivia Jenkins 42:03 

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Graeme Cowan 42:05 

My pleasure.

Olivia Jenkins 42:06 

Take care.

Graeme Cowan  42:07

Thanks for joining us today. I hope you’ve learned something new and heard some practical tips you can try with your team. If you enjoyed this interview today. Please rate us on iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. When you rate us It helps other people to find us. We also welcome any comments. If you’re interested in seeing details about our scalable WeCARE Mental Health Training Programs, please visit us at FACTORC.com.au. Our goal for these programs is to make them accessible, practical, and ongoing. If you’ve been impressed by a CEO that you would like us to interview please email details to support@factorc.com.au. Please subscribe by clicking the button below. We really would love to have you as part of the care movement. Thanks for joining us.

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