Balancing the Grind with Becc Green, Serial Entrepreneur & Business Strategist

Becc Green is a Serial Entrepreneur and Business Strategist; her latest venture Sip n’ Paint studio Colour & Cork which she launched in her home town of Hobart, Tasmania.

1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?

I have had many roles in my career and to be honest none of my jobs/roles were ever really planned. I didn’t study to be anything in particular and wasn’t sure what career path I wanted to follow. However, one thing led to another and then somehow I ended up here in my current situation and I am so happy how everything just fell into place.

The basis of my career, and what I excel in, is connecting with people from all walks of life, ages groups and backgrounds. I’m a social butterfly and love being around people, creating an experience for them and making an impact in their life.

My first “real” job was in real estate in the sales department. I commenced this role at the age of 21. I was very confident with a good attitude and work ethic which goes a long way in this industry.

A few years later I moved overseas to the Cayman Islands in the tropical Caribbean with my partner (now husband). Upon arrival, I jumped at the opportunity to work as a destination Wedding Planner for those traveling to the Caribbean for their dream wedding.

This was an amazing experience, I really loved so many aspects of this role, especially the design element. It wasn’t long before we opened our own Wedding Planning company and we dedicated the next 7 years to this business.

Many late nights, early mornings, bridezillas, tears, tropical storms, laughter and love made our little company one of the top wedding planning providers on the island. Wedding planning sounds so elegant, although behind the scenes there is a lot of stressful times that comes with the territory. It is a high pressure environment creating the dream result for clients. I cope well under pressure so that put me in good stead in this position.

Our next adventure saw us relocate back to Australia after 7 years abroad. We took on a passion project in the fitness industry and it was heads down and bums up for the next 5 years. We thrived in this industry due to our love for socialising, fitness and community.

We never settle for second best and this was recognised with one of our studios being awarded #1 studio in Australia. We launched 4 studios in the space of 2 years in Australia and the Caribbean all this while raising out two young boys. There is no doubt that this was the most rewarding achievement to date for us in the business sense.

After achieving all we set out to achieve in this industry, we sold our studios and looked for our next adventure and this, believe it or not, was in the arts sector. We launched our Sip n’ Paint studio Colour & Cork in our home town of Hobart, Tasmania.

We have no experience in painting although plenty in sipping. We knew that this industry was hot and so much fun, so we jumped at the opportunity. My best friend, Naomi (she is the artistic one) and I worked so hard to ensure this was a booming business from the start and it opened with a bang, the community loved the new concept, the space and the creative outlet we created.

Everything was going amazing post launch and we were excited about what the future had in store for us. Little did we, or anyone in the world know everything would change as we knew it. Thanks to Covid-19, our studio went from a bustling business to a cold and lonely studio overnight.

When most would sit back and wait to see what was to come, we knew we had to pivot our business and move fast in order to stay connected with our followers and also ensure we still had an income stream. It was here that the Sip n Paint at home app was born.

Over the course of only 4 weeks, we went from a great idea to launching the world’s first Sip n’ Paint app on both iOS and Android platforms. Since launching 2 weeks ago we have had thousands of downloads from Australia and now we are launching globally this week.

2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?

My husband and I are so lucky with our current work situation. We both work for ourselves from our home office so we really get to dictate how our day or week looks on a rolling basis factoring the needs of our family. The key for this to be successful is to be highly motivated individuals which we definitely are.

To give you an example of my day today. I woke up at 6am and completed a 45 min workout in our home gym with my husband and friend who joined us. After this the next 2 hours was dedicated to the boys, getting them ready for school, breakfast, preparing lunches etc etc.

After school drop off, we hit the home office at around 9am. We always start our work day with a quick 15 minute meeting to update each other on what we have going on, construct our action lists and review the results from our businesses.

From there, we basically go at it non stop until school pick up at 3pm. With no distractions, other than each other, we can smash out a lot in a 6 hour block. I mostly work on marketing for our businesses which includes anything from social media posts, designs, mail outs, marketing campaign planning and much more.

I also work on business strategies for some of our businesses to ensure we keep our finger on the pulse with everything and keep driving forward.

The afternoon is filled with cleaning, homework for the kids, dog walks and usual home life shenanigans. To be honest, we eat dinner super early (5pm), in PJ’S by 5:30pm and all usually in bed by 8pm. I honestly could not imagine working a 9-5 job in an office anymore.

3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?

Since I have been working for myself over the last 10 years, I have always worked from home. I have tried renting office spaces outside of the home but didn’t really enjoy it.

Sometimes we will go to a cafe and work for a change of scenery or to meet a client, although nothing beats being in your own space in your comfy clothes with unlimited coffee on demand.

4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?

When I started working for myself, my hours were all over the place. There would be mornings I would wake up a 3am and start working, work in front of the TV on a Sunday afternoon, constantly looking at my phone for calls and trying to squeeze that last email in before one of the kids woke up.

But now, having worked out that the world won’t end if you are not on call 24/7, emails and phone calls can wait. I have found a really nice balance of work, family and me time. Work-life balance to me means that the two are completely separated.

You can’t be giving 100% to your children while trying to tap away at your keyboard. I honestly work less hours now than ever before but I am so much more efficient, working smarter not harder.

9am to 3pm are my usual working hours from Mon-Fri, before and after these times are either with the children, husband or spending time for myself working out, hair appointments etc.

Yes there is the odd occasion we will need to hit the office to send an urgent email or if a problem in one of our businesses arise that needs our attention then we are all over it.

Honestly, I could work all day and night, being an entrepreneur means you are wearing so many different hats and even when you think you have got on top of things you will think of something else that could be done. You just need to draw the line and keep the balance for everyone’s sake.

5) What do you think are some of the best habits or routines that you’ve developed over the years to help you achieve success in your life?

Waking up early every day, working out, yoga and having some alone time to prepare yourself mentally for the day. This really sets me up for a productive day ahead with no distractions, no 2 hour lunch breaks or needing to leave the house/office for anything.

6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?

My favourite audiobook at the moment is The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Such a great insight into how couples behave in relationships, how to interact with your partner and provide them with what they need. You also learn so much about yourself.

Following this, The 5 Love Languages of Children. This has completely changed the way I observe and treat my children based on their needs (their individual love languages), its such an easy concept to understand but the results are phenomenal.

7) What is the number one thing you do to make sure you get the most out of your day?

Coffee, coffee, coffee.

My husband and I have a daily and weekly action list on a big white board in our office in plain sight. Everything must be completed in order for us to reach our larger goals/visions. Communication between the two of us is also key and understanding each other’s strengths so we can delegate the appropriate tasks to either of us.

Also putting a value on my time. For example, if a client wants to meet at a cafe for a small matter, can this be done over the phone or on a Zoom call instead? What is the time it will take to get to the cafe, small talk, etc.

If I was valuing myself at $100 an hour, would that be an hour well spent? Yes, potentially if it is a new client although based on the circumstances, how can I spend my time wisely throughout the day.

8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?

Richard Branson.

9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?

Take time to stop and enjoy the process. Don’t take yourself too seriously or be too hard on yourself. It’s all about the journey, so learn to work hard when needed and let go and enjoy life whenever you can.

Holiday as much as you can, even if it is a family camping trip or only for a few nights in a hotel close to home. This will make you appreciate how cool it is to be your own boss and the freedom that comes with it.

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