Balance and betterment – these are the two ingredients Patricia De’Ath, co-founder and Director of Operations at The Regions, believes are essential for growth and development in business. She shares her insight into what being a business leader means to her from her recent attendance at the ANZ Biz Growth Series in Hamilton.
Here at The Regions we are incredibly fortunate to have a loyal client base we can provide our services and expertise too. As a company, we are passionate about creating a better New Zealand, but we are aware that pursuit of betterment needs to start from within.
As the Operations Director and co-founder of The Regions, the daily pursuit of betterment in life, as a mother, a wife, a business partner and a leader in our organisation, is what drives me. And, I believe, it is a key contributor to Ben and I being able to grow The Regions into the business it is today.
Last month, Ben and I had the opportunity to attend the ANZ Biz Growth Series Hamilton, an expo for small to medium sized businesses which focused on the challenges accompanying any organisation of that size. We were honoured to participate in a panel discussion which gave us the opportunity to share The Regions’ story, provide insight into our company, as well as share some details about our own personal journey to where we are today as business owners.
I wanted to share that same information with you, our extended business family, to hopefully give you greater insight into who we are – as The Regions co-founders, business owners, people and family.
Three key pieces of advice
I was asked the three key pieces of advice I would give anyone wanting to grow their business. My answers centred on culture and people. For me, these are paramount. Get them right and everything will become much easier (I’m not saying easy; I’m just saying easier). We embarked on a process to uncover the drivers of our business, our ‘why’. That why, which formed our purpose and values, is the soul of our business and we are fortunate to have a team supporting us, all of whom share that ‘why’ – for betterment.
I also recommend identifying the business process from an early stage. Getting those foundational processes and practices right ensure a formula which allows you to grow confidently and with minimal disruption along the way.
My third piece of advice was to ensure that every new person joining your business is recruited properly and can add value to your company culture. In return, as a business we must also live and breath our values so the company culture starts from the top.
Business growth and personal wellbeing
Hindsight is a beautiful thing, so if I had the chance to redesign my growth journey, what would I have done differently? This was a really thought-provoking question on the panel but my answer was clear. Fast business growth, hardwork and dedication must go hand-in-hand with personal growth and wellbeing. Both have to grow together in order to have a balanced business owner lifestyle.
I learned that you need to put structure into your life and set priorities so you can have a balance, but everyone’s idea of balance is different, so part of the journey is defining what balance looks like to you. Ben and I share family responsibilities, one of us is always there to drop off and pick up our two sons from school and pre-school, we don’t work more than one hour at night and two hours on the weekend and we ensure we have at least one family holiday a year (I can highly recommend The Philippines as a destination!)
We are a very fast-paced and busy company and we have a team of staff around New Zealand who work incredibly hard. They are motivated, loyal and share in our drive for betterment – we are very fortunate to have them as part of our business family. Staff and client feedback are also wonderful to receive and is perhaps the most satisfying part of being a business owner.
We have worked hard to develop a strong culture here at The Regions, to attract engaged employees who can deliver our services to clients at a high level and I think we have achieved this. That’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement – there always is, but I believe the foundations are there, so we have a strong building block from which to grow and succeed.
As we approach two years in business here at The Regions, the ANZ Biz Growth Series offered us an opportunity to reflect on where we have come and I hope this has provided you with greater insight into our philosophy and mission here at The Regions.
