Alison Vidotto is the CEO of Vidotto Group, a leadership & business training company working to empower business owners with skills to run their company.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
I have been in business for more than 25 years. Vidotto Group is a family run business in the mining and resources industry. In 2011, after explosive growth I took over as full time CEO of Vidotto Group.
While studying for my MBA I learned of the staggering number of small business failures and as a result I created Push! Business Training & Mentoring. I am extremely passionate about working with entrepreneurs and small business owners and equipping them with the skills they need to succeed.
I run mentoring and training programs both in the real world and online. When COVID-19 hit I was particularly concerned about how this would impact small business owners and in response I created Thrive! Business Community Membership to help entrepreneurs take their business online.
2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
I work long hours in my business and a regular day can begin before 4am (even earlier on some days as I belong to a marketing mastermind in the USA which requires I get up at 2.30am).
I have an office in the heart of Brisbane CBD but since March I have been working mostly from home, which I am really enjoying.
I live on acreage so even though I’m not far from the city, it seems very rural. There’s lots of space with only animals for company most of the time. I’m reading emails and other updates from 4-5am then I begin writing usually until 7am when I’ll break for breakfast.
I am definitely a morning person and like to do most of my writing and thinking early. It’s also the time that I make contact with friends and associates in the US so many mornings include zoom sessions and online meetups.
Work is my focus before lunch. Afternoons are usually spent creating content which I really enjoy, particularly masterclasses and webinars for the Thrive! Community.
3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
Yes. It is extremely easy for me to work remote as most of my business has moved online including training and mentoring sessions.
Even prior to COVID-19 I would travel at least three times per year and my business kept turning over very nicely. I am strong on systems and processes which really supports flexibility.
4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
Honestly, with running a family business I’ve never really bought into the work-life balance. Rather, I focus on a work-joy balance. If there is enough joy in the day then I know we’re doing okay.
We don’t have a work life and a home life, we’re just living a life. We’ll talk about work around the dinner table, and we’ll talk about babies and travel in the office. It’s all part of living a great life.

5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?
The biggest difference is the creation of the Thrive! Business Community. I launched in May 2020 and it is now growing and helping business owners to navigate the path to get their business online. The whole world has moved online and they need to be there too.
Personally, I now work more from home than heading into town each morning. There is a great deal of construction going on near our office which is very noisy. Much easier to work remotely.
6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?
So many great books. Simon Sinek’s Start With Why is an absolute favourite. So are The E Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber and Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.
7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?
There are so many great tools for entrepreneurs to run a successful business, I use many of them. I’ve just discovered Descript which is great for editing videos and getting transcripts. It’s fabulous.
8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?
I thoroughly enjoyed Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. She also had a podcast for a while too. The focus is much more on passion and joy than a certain number of hours for each section of our lives.
9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
Do what you love. If you are passionate about your work, it is easy to find balance and to avoid burnout. Take the time to enjoy the important things in your life. That’s one of the major bonuses of being a business owner. You get to design your life.
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