Winging It with Business Chicks Founder Emma Isaacs
Emma Isaacs is well equipped on what it takes to follow your dreams and build a successful brand. As Founder of Business Chicks, Emma uses her platform to support and mentor a worldwide community of women. With the release of her new book, Winging It, she hopes to provide actionable advice to empower people to start following their dreams. We chat to Emma about her new book, the important lessons behind building a global brand, and all the things she can't live without.
Location/Where do you live?
I was born and raised in Sydney, Australia and moved to Los Angeles around two and half years ago to launch Business Chicks there. We love it!
Who inspires you?
Creative people. Anyone who is attempting to build something is inspiring to me. It takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there and create – when you do you immediately open yourself up for criticism and that takes courage.
What is your dream job?
Am I allowed to say mine? I love my job and never really see it as work.
What is your Life Mantra?
My mentality has always been, ‘If it is to be, it’s up to me'. You have to create the opportunities and not wait for them to come to you!
What inspired you to put pen to paper (so to speak) and write a book?
People have been asking me to write a book for years and there have always been a million things that seem more important at the time. I’m much more comfortable serving others and always seemed to find an excuse to put others before myself. I suppose I ran out of excuses!
Your new book is called Winging It - what is the biggest situation or decision that you have ever had to “wing”?
I’ve always been someone who tries new things without knowing how they’re going to turn out. I birthed my five babies at home, moved countries to start a new business with my family in tow, and have started my companies with no formal education or know-how – I believe in starting things before you’re ready and just having a go.
To many you are the ultimate mamapreneur - how did you juggle your career and motherhood with writing a book?
It was without a doubt one of the hardest things I’ve done that’s for sure! I snatched moments and wrote whenever I could. Other times I sat down and made myself focus for long periods of time (not entirely my strength) and the deadlines often pushed me to my limits. For the first time I felt I was reporting into someone (my publishers) and I actually enjoyed being told what to do!
You provide so much inspiration and support to women through your Business Chicks platform. What do you hope readers take away from your book?
I really hope it equips a lot of people with a ton of tools and that they’re inspired to do that thing they’ve been voiding because they’re too scared. Life’s too short!
Describe your usual daily routine
My role is Global CEO which means I spend most of my time agitating for change and growth. I start most of my sentences with ‘What if we could …’ I have a lot of ideas, and it’s my job to keep my people and my community alive and awake to my vision of building a truly global network of women who support each other and want more for themselves and their lives.
That really means my days are super varied. I’m back and forth between Australia and the USA about six times a year and can be on conference calls with investors, members, my team (and occasionally my mum!) around the clock each day.
I’ll often be in media interviews or doing speaking engagements too – my role these days seems to be as a kind of custodian of the brand and spokesperson, which I really enjoy.
Emma wears the Original Sexie Rashie.
Do you have a set morning routine? If so, can you please describe it.
With five kids, sleep-ins are a thing of the past! Every morning is different but the baby is generally the first to wake and it all goes downhill from there, ha! I can’t start my day without a tea and do try to write in my journal every morning but often fail. It’s survival of the fittest in the mornings at my house!
How do you feel about the UNE PIECE brand and its vision to empower women and help build their confidence?
I love the philosophy of UNE PIECE. It’s so refreshing to see a brand tell women that it’s okay to cover up and still be powerful. More of that please!
What makes you feel empowered?
I’m empowered by helping women remove the roadblocks that stand in the way of them getting anything they want from their lives and by encouraging them to see that they can get what they want so that might be starting a company, growing their career, having a family, and so the list goes on.
What is the best piece of life advice you’ve ever received?
Choose your friends and business colleagues carefully as you become who you hang around. That, and always hire people who are smarter than you.
What is the toughest lesson you’ve had to learn and how do you deal with overcoming adversity in life and in business?
We all need to work to our strengths and stop beating ourselves up about the areas we’re not strong in. I learned that lesson very early on in my entrepreneurial journey and now I don’t attempt many things that I know I won’t excel at. I simply hire people who are great in those areas, and I stick to doing what I do best. I’ve also learned that there’s no greater trait than kindness – my parents instilled that in me from a young age and I try to practice it every day.
What is the one piece of advice that you would give others looking to succeed in their chosen field?
If you’ve got a dream or a goal, just take one small step at a time. What’s that quote about not needing to see the whole staircase? It’s true – it’s all about taking one step at a time. It’s also about getting your mindset right first though. This saying is also true: “If you believe you can, or can’t, you’re right.” I see a lot of women drown in self-doubt and a lack of self-confidence. I believe in faking it til you make it and just having a go. Being successful is just about mindset and the quicker we can understand that, and work on improving our mindset and changing the negative self-talk that grips so many of us, the more fulfilled life becomes.
Emma wears the Twist Halter in white.
Describe your beach or poolside style.
My past few holidays have been in UNE PIECES, that much I know!
Name the must-have products that we would find in your beach bag.
My phone, a notebook or journal, some swimmer nappies, some sunscreen.
What books are you reading at the moment?
I love that this is plural…
What are the five things that you can’t live without?
Coffee. Cuddles. Crying. Creativity. Campari.
What makes life beautiful, to you?
Noticing the little moments. It’s never things or stuff, but it’s catching my team do something lovely for each other, or my baby start doing something she hasn’t done before or it’s when I’m reading stories to my big kids and notice their little hand on my knee – that’s the stuff that makes life beautiful to me.
Winging It by Emma Isaacs is available at all good booksellers, and online.