Lisa Lent is a portrait photographer in the Central Coast region of NSW, capturing all from newborn babes to wedding parties.
Lisa shares the emotional spark that first began her journey at Lisa Lent Photography.

Lisa, what was the idea that first got the ball rolling?
I am one of these people that have always had a liking for photography but never in my wildest dreams thought I would make a career out of it. I left my full time reception job in 1998– and my husband bought me a gift. It was a little point and shoot camera. I started taking photos of literally everything and anything (ask my family). I entered a local competition and to my surprise came 2nd. I was so incredibly excited and started wondering what else I could learn and do.

I joined quite a few photography-related websites and practised and practised for years. I finally upgraded my camera and knew I wanted to work as a photographer.

At first, I photographed landscapes and sport, but they weren’t quite right for me. One day I was asked to photograph a wedding for someone. I captured this particular couple’s day and walked away from their reception crying like a baby. When I got home I said to my husband “That is it!” I knew without a shadow of a doubt that was my “calling” so to speak.

What got you excited enough about the idea to put it into motion?
Putting my idea into motion came from an unlikely source actually. I was contacted by a man called David Holmes (Dictate Australia) He asked if he could use a photo I had taken of Umina Beach, NSW. I noticed he also had a business selling domain names, and I asked if I could get a website address in exchange for the use of the photo. The rest is history!

Where did the name for your business spring from? 
I toyed with the idea of using cute fun names but decided to stick with my real name as I think its more personal.

How is Lisa Lent Photography original?
I really like to get to know my clients on a personal level, whether it is becoming friends with them on Facebook or other means. I am 100% devoted to them, their upcoming special day or their family portrait. I base my business on not only the great photography but customer service is paramount.

What was the most difficult part in getting your business off the ground?
I would say learning about business in general and having marketing ideas that work.

Has any part of your business gone down a different path than you first anticipated?
Not really, my business is completely me. Quirky, fun and energetic!

What do you enjoy most about running your business?
Of course doing the actual photography part is most enjoyable but also I love the looks on my client’s faces when they see their images for the first time. If they cry that’s a great thing believe it or not.

There’s also been a lot of variety in my work, which I enjoy. Photographing a beautiful newborn baby one day and a large wedding the next! An interesting aspect has been photographing some well-known faces, such as Kasey Chambers, The Central Coast Mariners, Shannon Noll, Rick Price, Daryl Braithwaite, Marty Worrell, Marty Simpson, Paulini, Kate Derouge, Nathan Foley, and even Bob the Builder!

Do you belong to any networks that have helped you grow your business?
Networking has been fantastic for me, not only for business but for my confidence as a business woman. I have met so many wonderful people.  Twitter, CCBiz (central coast business) and Facebook have also been great for various reasons.

What are your future goals for Lisa Lent Photography?
To be a known name on the Central Coast, and also be to recognised as a photographer that is  passionate about what she does and what she captures.

I also at some point would love to get a proper office set up and have a team of workers from bookkeepers to graphic artists.

What advice would you give another woman wanting to start a business of her own?
Find something in your heart that you are truly in love with. You will know it when it happens, be prepared to be so excited that you cannot sleep. Go with your gut and follow your dreams

Belinda Lindhardt is a coloured pencil artist, illustrator and designer.

Belinda shares the business behind her original, beautiful artworks and design services at belindalindhardt.com.au

Belinda, what was the idea that first got the ball rolling?
I have always enjoyed painting, drawing and being creative. Many times I would see art and illustration about and I would think, I could do that or I wish I could do that, so one day I decided WHY can’t you? I put away the excuses and decided that I was going to give it a go.

What got you excited enough about the idea to put it into motion?
I like being creative and I like creating solutions for clients;  I truly think that a picture tells a thousand words. I once had a lady tell me that one of my paintings resembled something her grandmother had and she had wonderful memories everytime she looked at my artwork. This was such an inspiration– the enjoyment a painting or illustration can bring into people’s lives. I love the fact that I am giving that gift whenever someone owns one of my artworks.

How is belindalindhardt.com.au original?
My style and ideas are obviously different to everyone else’s;  it’s a subjective, personal preference.
I have two areas of my business– the artwork side which is artwork for walls/prints, then I also have artwork and illustration side which provides illustrations and artworks for use in the products and marketing materials of other businesses. I have over 13 years in the graphic/web design industry, so I have a very good understanding about the production process, software and collaborating graphics with other elements. So this distinguishes me from others who just focus on the art side. 

What was the most difficult part in getting your business off the ground?
Most difficult part for me is making sure I dedicate the time I need on business development to the artworks, in addition to other personal things like kids, family life and so on. It’s a constant juggling act.

Has any part of your business gone down a different path than you first anticipated?
This part of my business is relatively new–  previously I have concentrated on the graphic design side of my business, so the illustration and artwork side is still something I am moving towards.

What do you enjoy most about running your business?
I love creating, I love being able to work from home and I love being able to be flexible in my day and my work. I cant  be creative 100% of the time, so I enjoy having my hands on the other aspects going along with running a business.

Do you belong to any networks that have helped you grow your business?
I have been a member of the Business Mums Network for a number of years, attending their conferences for the past two years. They have been a tremendous support and inspiration of fabulous women. Also been a member of local art societies (Central Coast Art Society) which has been wonderful for networking with local artists as well as attending local sketch groups as well as international art organisations and online communities.

What are your future goals for your illustration & design venture?
Short-term, future goals are to increase my portfolio and catalogue and grow business in this area. Also hope that with that will come some art licensing and illustration opportunities as well as increasing my exposure as an artist for my artworks. I also have a few ideas for books and wish to expand into more prints/ greeting cards. One of my long term goals is to increase the awareness of coloured pencil artworks and artists in Australia and connect them together.

What advice would you give another woman wanting to start a business of her own?
Listen to yourself, listen to others, and be willing to learn, but remember what works for someone else might not work for you and your business, so be prepared to review yourself and your business regularly. Keep in mind though, that you can’t do it all you want a business not a job! (Something i am still learning myself)

Marnie Bergan designs beautiful websites, promotional material and logos.

Marnie’s passion for design gives an upmarket edge to Bergan Blue.

Marnie, what was the idea that first got the ball rolling?
I’ve been using computers and the Internet since I was 11. My older brother had a PC and I was fascinated by it. Over time I became attracted to the beautiful side of it all– beautiful websites, online galleries, graphic design, online art communities – and I began to experiment with programs like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
I fell in love with graphic design and went on to study Management and Design. It was a natural step to start making money from what I love.

What got you excited enough about the idea to put it into motion?
The idea of not having to work to build someone else’s business, but my own. I was in a job I hated and desperately just wanted to love what I did each day. I also saw that there is a gaping hole in decent website design in the region and this was inspiration enough to establish a business that would give businesses on the Coast a chance to build their image online by us pumping out some amazingly great looking websites. It was a scary thing to do, but I quit my full time job and started working from the home office with my husband, Jon. It’s given me such a fantastic creative outlet.

Where did the name for your business spring from?
It’s embarrassingly simple – my surname is Bergan and I like the colour blue!

How is Bergan Blue original?
I think there is a bit of a stereotype about web designers and other related professionals. Some people tend to see them as reclusives with little or no social skills who talk in languages indecipherable to the common man or woman. We try to break this stereotype. We are active in the business community by attending many social and networking events each month, forming alliances and referral programs with other businesses. We have a real client focus which some developers and designers lack– we have not had a single unhappy client to date. We also have our own in-house developed e-commerce software which is feature rich and meets the technical and business requirements for all of our customers, and we are capable of developing custom web applications and custom website modifications to complement our sites. This is something not a lot of web designers are able to do.

What was the most difficult part in getting your business off the ground?
Staying motivated. It was hard to get used to not having a growling boss over my shoulder and set my own schedule each day. I think a lot of people probably struggle with this when starting out and never really get out of the habit of aimlessly going from one task to another. You really have to make it work properly for yourself, and that means knowing that a lack of efficiency in your day to day work means a lack of funds.

Has any part of your business gone down a different path than you first anticipated?
Yes. When I first started out it was with no intention of doing client work. As much as I love graphic design, I decided to let Jon take care of the web design and I would take care of the business side of things – marketing, accounts, business development. These days though, I’m proud to say that I’m quite involved with each project we get and have a client base of my own.

What do you enjoy most about running your business?
The freedom to be myself, to not have to be scripted or say what someone else thinks I should say. The satisfaction of working hard and moulding this business, its brand, its work into something I love. The lifestyle and time freedom is a big bonus.

Do you belong to any networks that have helped you grow your business?
Bergan Blue belongs to several local Business Chambers and, just this morning, I attended my first Business Swap meeting which I really enjoyed.

What are your future goals for Bergan Blue?
The next step is growing our team further, and we’re looking at doing this within the next 12 months. It’s a really exciting step.

What advice would you give another woman wanting to start a business of her own?
Make sure it’s something you really love. It doesn’t matter if it’s gardening or accounting – at the end of the day the buck stops with you, and if it’s not something that you wake up wanting to do each day it can be hard to keep it going. Start small, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Everyone, no matter how successful, has been in your shoes at some point.