A LOCAL businesswoman is proving that a successful career doesn’t require a city postcode, after being named a finalist in two national award categories.
Brooke Watts, who is based in Molong, is the founder of Business with Brooke – a regional consultancy working with government, industry, schools, businesses and community organisations across Australia.
She has been nominated for both Young Trailblazer and Regional Service Superstar categories as part of the Australian Ladies in Business Institute, or ALIBI, Awards.
Her nominations recognise both her individual leadership and the impact of the business she has built.
“It’s really special,” Ms Watts said.
“I grew up in Molong and I’m still based here, so to be building a business from a small regional town and then have that work recognised through a national awards program is pretty exciting.”
The recognition also challenges the idea that ambitious careers and businesses need to be built in major cities Ms Watts said.
“I think there can sometimes be this idea that you need to move to Sydney or another major city to build a successful career or business, and I really like being able to challenge that,” she said.
“I can live and work in Molong, travel all over New South Wales and Australia for projects, and still come home and be part of the community I grew up in.”
Business with Brooke began as a personal brand where Ms Watts could share her work, the people she met and opportunities available across agriculture and regional Australia.
“People started approaching me to help with projects, events, communications and program delivery, and it grew quite organically from there,” she said.
Ms Watts said there was no single moment when she decided her personal project could become a business, she gradually noticed the opportunities coming her way.
“When organisations were coming to me because they’d seen something I’d delivered, heard me speak or been referred by someone I’d previously worked with, I realised there was something there worth building,” she said.
Today, the consultancy operates across a range of areas including program design and delivery, facilitation, workshops, stakeholder engagement, communications, mentoring and speaking.
Ms Watts said her work often sits at the intersection of agriculture, workforce development, leadership and regional communities.
However, her main goal is to connect people with opportunities.
“Access to opportunity is probably the biggest thing,” Ms Watts said.
“There are incredible people living and working across regional Australia, but geography can still determine what training, professional development, networking or career opportunities are available to them.”
One project which is particularly close to Ms Watt’s heart is her Workplace Ready program, which she developed from scratch after she identified the need for practical career preparation for young people in regional communities.
The program covers everything from resumes and interviews to communication, workplace expectations, safety, and employment options.
“What I love most is seeing the change in confidence throughout the day,” Ms Watts said.
“Sometimes it’s helping a student realise they already have skills they can put on a resume or introducing them to a career pathway they’d never considered before.”
For Ms Watts, seeing an idea that began in her own head being used across the state to make a difference to the lives of young people living in the regional areas is one of her proudest achievements.
She said regional communities could not simply be treated as smaller versions of metropolitan areas.
“Something that works in Sydney won’t necessarily work in Molong, Broken Hill or Hay,” she said.
“Regional communities aren’t all the same either, so you have to listen before assuming you know what people need.”
It hasn’t always been easy though, and Ms Watts points to the importance of relationships and collaboration in communities where resources and service providers can be spread across large distances.
Clients, professional networks and opportunities can be hundreds of kilometres away and networking opportunities can be difficult to access.
Ms Watts said networks such as the ALIBI were valuable because they help connect women who might otherwise never meet.
“They remind you that you don’t have to build a business in isolation,” she said.
Ms Watts said the two award nominations that she has received represent different parts of her journey.
The Young Trailblazer nomination, she said, feels particularly personal, recognising her leadership journey and the risks she has taken in building a different kind of career.
The Regional Service Superstar nomination, meanwhile, recognises Business with Brooke and the service it provides to regional communities.
“To be in both categories feels like recognition of both the person behind the business and the business that’s grown from it,” Ms Watts said
Beyond the awards themselves, Ms Watts said she is most proud of continually being seen as a trustworthy businesswoman.
“When a client comes back with another project, recommends me to someone else or says, ‘I think you’d be perfect for this,’ that means a lot,” she said.
“Business with Brooke really has been built on relationships and word of mouth.”
The awards ceremony will be held in Orange on Saturday 24 October and winning can provide exposure for the business and potentially open doors to new partnerships and opportunities.
But Ms Watts said if her story inspires another young woman from a regional town to take a chance on themself, that would mean just as much as winning the award itself.
Her hope is that young people in regional areas feel free to leave home, travel and pursue opportunities elsewhere, but also know that building a career from their hometown is still a good choice.
“Growing up regionally shouldn’t make a young person feel like success automatically means leaving home,” she said.
PHOTO: Supplied