Business

She Shopped Founder Gets Real With Glam Adelaide Ahead Of ‘Mobile-Ising Women In Business’ Conference

Lucy Cornes was at the forefront of the online media revolution, and now she’s teaching other women what she’s learnt.

As a female owned and operated company with a predominantly female audience, the team here at Glam Adelaide think it’s crucial to support and empower like-minded women in business, particularly as technology continues to change and evolve the way we live and work. So when Glam Adelaide’s founder Kelly Noble, was asked to speak on a panel at tomorrow’s Mobile-ising Women In Business conference with fellow Adelaide entrepreneur Lucy Cornes, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to spend some time with the inspirational woman behind the ‘She Shopped’ brand and website.

Speaking to Lucy ahead of the upcoming conference allowed us to pick her brain on the importance of flexible working environments, how she ultilises the current digital landscape to keep her team connected and motivated, how she runs a remote business, and how she harnesses the power of technology to run a thriving business.

She Shopped, is a lifestyle media brand, founded in June 2012, that helps Australian women discover products from bespoke Australian designers, retail industry leaders and international brands. She Shopped connects with her readers through web, social, email and video and helps them to make good purchasing decisions in the categories of fashion, homewares, health, travel, auto, food and lifestyle. So how exactly did Lucy become a digital entrepreneur, online guru, and content creation extraordinaire, while still being an attentive mum to her three kids?

What to do when the 9-5 doesn’t cut it… 

When Lucy’s eldest son, Ed, was born with critical health issues, it became apparent to her that a regular 9-5 job was just not an option. She needed to create a job for herself that worked around her life. So after speaking to her husband, who always joked about how great she is at buying things online, she realised that people lacked the confidence to shop online. People were nervous about this “new” (2012) world – what if their item didn’t arrive, what if it wasn’t like it was described, what if they got ripped off? It was a scary, new world for many consumers, but a world that Lucy understood all too well.

She Shopped became a trusted voice between brands and shoppers – shoppers knew that the products they found out about from She Shopped would be in good condition and would actually arrive. When Lucy began She Shopped, the internet wasn’t as flooded with as many bloggers and vloggers as it is now and video wasn’t as important or relevant as it is today. Now, video is one of the biggest ways people consume content; Lucy understood this and has evolved her platform to one that has the ability to produce videos for brands. She believes this is what sets her apart from her competitors, and now having produced video content for two years, there’s no sign of her slowing down.

The benefits and challenges of running and online business…

An online business comes with many challenges, but it also has the chance to grow far quicker than a traditional business.

You can work from virtually anywhere in the world with a WIFI connection and power point, though the difficulty is that it can become hard to switch off. Being reachable no matter where you are, as well as being able to check your email on your phone, means clients expect the turnaround time to be as quick as possible. Despite this, Lucy loves the extra challenge this brings to her business. Having to keep ahead of the industry pace – or at least keep up with it – as well as thinking outside the box, means every day is new and exciting.

Through She Shopped, Lucy has had the opportunity to work with clients from all over the world for example UK retailer Marks & Spencer; from her home office in Seacliff, South Australia. Without technology and the fast-paced environment, Lucy believes her business wouldn’t be what it is today, and feels honoured to be able to parent and run such a successful business.

Her upcoming role at Mobile-ising Women in Business

We got some insight as to what kinds of things Lucy will be sharing at the Mobile-ising Women in Business conference on Tuesday, June 27. Lucy believes it’s extremely important for women to understand that it is possible for them to have that work-life balance they’ve always dreamed of – and she’s living proof. Her passion for flexible working conditions for all people, especially for women, ignites her drive to encourage women to learn more about how technology can improve their lives, which could be asking your boss if you can work out of the office a couple of days a week or running an online business yourself.

With chronic illness on the rise amongst women, she believes women being in control of their work-life balance is imperative, and technology is our best opportunity to do this. With the rise of video link-ups like Skype and Google Hangout, and collaborative platforms like Google Docs, Microsoft Office Online and Dropbox, there’s more opportunity than ever to work remotely and still keep ahead in the workplace. Take Lucy’s staff for example, her videographer is a father, photographer a mother and her copywriter lives with a chronic illness – these are the kinds of people who need flexible working conditions including times and workplaces, she says.

Lucy will also talk about the evolution of She Shopped from a blog to a content creation agency, primarily focused on video content for brands. She’ll talk about the various elements of technology, how her and her team stay connected and motivated through technology, how to run a remote business, and how she harnesses the power of technology for her business. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask her all the questions you’ve ever wanted answers to. Lucy prides herself on her upfront and honest approach; she’ll answer any question with transparency, from what programs she uses to how much it cost her to start out. She aims to give women the confidence to use and embrace technology and to not fear it.

What’s in store for She Shopped

The future of She Shopped is a bright one, they’ve recently brought on a Business Development Manager to help them expand their brand reach, they’ve started working with drones and drone operators to film more brilliant content, and continue to grow crews in every state in Australia. For She Shopped, Lucy believes publishing isn’t as important as being able to create video content at this stage, though admits she doesn’t know where the future will take her. The online world seems to have an uncanny way of throwing plenty of unexpected twists and turns at businesses, but Lucy believes She Shopped will remain steadfast and adapt to whatever new landscape comes next.

Grown from an idea and need to work from home, and now expected to become a million-dollar business in the next financial year, Lucy is living proof that women can achieve anything if they put their minds to it.

To hear her inspiring story in her own words, as well as have the opportunity to ask her questions on how to grow your business, grab your tickets to the Mobile-ising Women in Business conference by Business SA today.

Mobile-ising Women In Business
Where: Panorama Room, Adelaide Convention Centre
When: 27 Jun 2017, 8:15am
Cost: $470.00
Buy tickets here **UPDATE: this event is now SOLD OUT**

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