Tony skinner 00:02
Hi, and welcome to the podcast channel for podcastmybusiness.com.au And now a video for contentmadeeasy.com. AU. And today we’re joined by Joanne navig8biz Love the name Joanne. It’s very clever.
Joanne 00:22
It is very clever. And I just do a little corrections in navig8biz.com But that’s cool. That enables me to say it again. Right. So happy days. And thank you for allowing me to turn up. Thank you.
Tony skinner 00:37
We all working from home a lot more these days. And so you were saying that your husband is doing some mowing and blowing outside? If we get some mowing and blowing, we know that he’s not getting dinner tonight?
Joanne 00:53
No, you’re right. Actually, that’s a really good idea. 
Tony skinner 00:55
Yeah, exactly. Look, we’ve got you on for a couple of reasons. You’ve got your own business, and you also do some stuff through a unique University proposition as well. So how about we start off with a university proposition?
Joanne 01:13
Yeah, of course. So I formed a relationship with an organization called the Ducere Global Business School. It’s spelt interestingly. But it’s said very easily Ducere. And it’s bringing to Australia the opportunity for Australian residents to undertake higher education.
Joanne 01:31
That actually, I feel will actually shake up the university space here in Australia. That’s a big, that’s a big statement. I know. But what I know about universities here in Australia is that it takes a lot of time.
Joanne 01:44
It costs a lot of money. And yes, we can get funding and all those sorts of things. And generally, they’re created by our amazing universities here in Australia, which there’s nearly 40 Odd Australian universities here. And then they create and written and curated by amazing academics within that university space. So what’s different about it?
Joanne 02:04
What’s different about it is that this content comprises of over two and a half 1000 video interviews with world leaders now you know who you’re talking about Joe and its presidents, its current 
Joanne 02:39
it just went into my head oh Goldie Hawn, like we all think of her as that quirky actress, but she’s actually a very amazing business owner, and has some amazing business. So you know, the caliber of the people that you know, the the anybody considering to doing further education.
Joanne 02:59
What I know and navigate is that you should surround yourself with the right people. And those people are people who have got credibility tenure, know what they’re talking about, and can actually share their skills and what they’ve learned their journey and how they did it wrong and how they did it well.
Joanne 03:13
And so that’s all woven through this content, and I went, you know what, that is really compelling. That’s really different. Then the next piece is we don’t have any exams. Well, I don’t know anybody who likes an exam, you know, who wants to write a paper that you’ve had to memorize a whole bunch of stuff. There’s a lot of people actually don’t perform well, an exam, besides the fact that they’re exceptional at their role. But they just don’t do well in exams?
Joanne 03:37
Why do you want to have to just regurgitate a bunch of stuff you’ve learned by rote? So what we do instead is we connect our students with global companies small and large, and be involved in live projects that they have a problem in their business they want solve, so to serve a continually talking to business businesses globally to say, what is the problem in your business?
Joanne 03:59
And a good example is LinkedIn are one of the most recent global projects we had not long ago that they were absolutely delighted with the outcome that they implemented that suggested our project implementation, and our our Global MBA cohort were approved to implement. So they actually implemented within a global company go wow, you know what, it’s great to hear theory but to have the practical experience of being dipping your toes in and organization, do you think Jim really didn’t think I would have had the opportunity to do that before and now you can.
Joanne 04:59
and pricing efficiencies. But for me, it’s more about this global leaders, faculty that’s sitting in here, the academics are entrepreneurs. And, you know, you get involved in live projects. Who wouldn’t want a piece of that?
Tony skinner 05:14
Yeah, absolutely. And that’s what I’ve what attracted me as well, when I first came across it. And I thought, wow, that’s like, you know, let’s face it, the university sector has had a massive shake up in the last couple of years. They’ve had a massive kick up the ass. And I think most of them deserved a massive kick up the ass
Joanne 05:34
They needed a shake up, like, we need to pick up our game. And we’re not, it’s like in anything in business. If you if you have the monopoly of what you do in your business in the sector, you can become complacent and not do this continuous improvement piece. Yeah, and it’s amazing that our government supports that. So what is good, we do have two universities here in Australia.
Joanne 05:54
So if you particularly want a university here from Australia, you will pay around 35,000 American to do this progress, still cheaper than our standard piece. But you can get a hex through the Dysart Global Business School, if that is the particular pathway that you want. But the you know, these overseas universities are from Wales, London, Paris, Rome, and all recognized here in Australia.
Joanne 06:17
So what it gives our audience is the choice, and they get a well informed choice, right. And that’s what’s important in the decision making process.
Tony skinner 06:17
Yeah, it’s actually so true. And the thing about MBAs, of course, is that, you know, it’s later in life, not just university student age, and we should all continually be learning, studying now, I actually have access to a shared office space in North Sydney through Australian Catholic University, from an entrepreneur space called co lab.
Tony skinner 06:51
And then through that I’m mentoring and helping other people in whatever. But I’ve walked another day, and I saw a book on the desk from Tony Robbins, awaken within the original copy. Yeah. Wow. Wow. It looks so good, if not even Tony Robbins. Anthony Robbins.
Tony skinner 07:32
I got a goal Yeah, exactly. Now, talking about little nuggets of gold. We’ve all been lots of people have been doing. I’m not going to call it a side hustle, because that’s wrong, but have been flexing that entrepreneur muscle even more. And you’ve been doing the same with your own business as well.
Joanne 07:50
Yes. So and that’s got a particular focus. So tell us about what that’s focused on. So navig8biz has had a complete rebrand and changes its narrative completely as of June this year, and it’s about supporting women in business. And I guess the thing for me is, I’m a woman, I can relate to it. 
Joanne 08:08
But I’ve also worked in very male dominated industries. I’ve worked in corporate, I’ve owned my own business. So I’ve started about 15 businesses over the last 20 years. So I actually have a great perspective. I’ve been a franchisor. I’ve been a franchisee I know, both sides of the coin, if you will. So I thought you know what, I know in marketing, if I want to find my audience, I’ve got to narrow my field. And so you know what? I thought, well, let’s do that. Why wouldn’t water you know, we navigate his has served proudly, many visit 1000s of business owners over the last five years. But now that navigate is owned solely by me, Joe and Brooks. I thought you know what, let’s narrow the field and really make an impact that that fits well with my purpose and my values and gives me a fire in the belly.
Tony skinner 08:55
Yeah, exactly. So what I’m curious about, though, is that, why do women need specific coaches for them, when you rarely come across a men’s coach and a men’s coach is regarded as something completely different?
Joanne 09:07
Yeah, it’s interesting, isn’t it? And you know what, I had this exact same conversation with a network, a women’s networking group that I’m forming in the finance industry. And we have formed this this networking group because I’ve been a commercial broker, I’ve worked finance broker, I’ve worked amongst men often, but you know it, it’s not even about women’s business. But I guess what I what we want to do is that women need a safe place, you know, women are people who are often considered to be vulnerable, that that what we’ve experienced, I’m just, I’m just trying to put my words together for you so that it makes it really clear. What I’ve experienced in male dominated industries, banking, finance, those sorts of places construction.
Joanne 09:52
We often as women, females, have it have difficulty and standing our ground with confidence and being recognized as somebody who knows excuse my french their shit. And I can’t tell you how often I’ve been told to my face. What do you know, girly? And literally what do you know?
Joanne 11:00
And so he stayed? Yeah. So it’s having the confidence to stand your ground. And sadly, a lot of women don’t feel empowered to do that. They’re not unable to do that.
Joanne 11:11
And, you know, we’ve often heard this scenario where there’s an ad on LinkedIn or seek, and you know, there’s 10 criteria, men will get maybe three and they go, Yeah, I can do that. Women, we need the 10, or at least nine, and we will no way, go for it. As a general rule, that’s very true. But I want to give these women the belief out, and I say this deliberately, the belief in self, that they’re worthy, that they deserve it, that they have the capability.
Joanne 11:42
And just to build, I want to create where it’s norm where people are considered for the position for the tender for the contract? Doesn’t matter what they are? Do they have the skills or capability, the knowledge, the systems, whatever, to meet that? Oh, without without knowing whether they’re male or female?
Joanne 12:04
Just judge them equally.They’ve got those things, right.
Tony skinner 12:08
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Right. And I know that’s becoming a big thing at the moment. And bizarrely started happening a few years ago. And I’ve worked in corporate world, I don’t do it anymore, and what have you. And I was always curious as to why men are paid different to women for the identical job.
Tony skinner 12:29
It’s
12:30
understood that years, yep.
Joanne 12:33
It makes no sense. And it goes back a long way. And like, I’m going to, I’m going to take the conversation slightly differently. But it didn’t give you an analogy. I was reading a post the other day as to why highways built a particular width. And there was a whole analogy that took it all the way back to Roman days when their carriages created a rut.
Joanne 12:57
Why change it? We don’t it’s fix this fix. And you know, what the really interesting thing is it that that reliance on that gauge factor, Roman days has actually impacted NASA, and how they, how they do some of the development in the in the space shuttle.
Joanne 13:13
So it’s because it’s always been done that way. And women back then in the days go by, even 100 years ago, worth the stay at home parents. My mom was she didn’t get a chance she made a choice. The minute she married, she resigned. There was no discussion. It just was done. Alright, so I’m going to return serve. Yes, please. So there’s that not necessarily mean that the Romans had it right.
13:43
Just because we’ve always done it that way, doesn’t mean we should keep doing it that way. Because you look at the rail gauge between here in Queensland and New South Wales, it’s different.
Joanne 13:55
Why? So So you know, one of the things that I always talk about in the Navigate businesses, you know, what if What are the consequences? What if what if we did a different? Why should we keep doing it the same way? Like this analogy, the other statement back it that goes, well, it’s not broken? Why do we need to fix it show in what we can do better, which is now one of the things that I had always done for my team. When I had a team of people. I would always ask the people at the front line. How can we do it better? There’s no point me telling you from up here at the CEO position or manager position. Why aren’t we asking the people at reception at the checkout counter?
Joanne 14:34
How can we do it better? Just because we’ve always done it that way. Doesn’t mean it’s the right way.
Tony skinner 14:39
Yeah, like I explained it to people. I’m no smarter than anybody else. I just ask more questions. Exactly. Surround yourself with, like, surround myself with white people. Wait, way smarter than me. I’m more than comfortable with that. Yeah, exactly. And there’s no such thing as stupid questions, only stupid answers.
15:01
We’ll just wait for that reset set. Can you say that again?
Tony skinner 15:05
But there’s no such thing as stupid questions. Only stupid. answers
Joanne 15:09
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Well, the dumb question is the one you don’t ask in my minds. Yeah, we’ve got it. We’ve got to create a culture in our businesses, that enables this staff to feel confident that they can ask.
15:26
Please,
Tony skinner 15:26
How can people get in touch with you.
Joanne 15:28
Well, super easy. Like if you go to my website, https://www.navig8biz.com/ There is a button there that you can call me, it’ll instantly call me on my mobile. But there’s also the Contact page, you can go and send a message through the contact form. And I’ll get that. But you know, if you just want to catch up and have a chat, you can just pick up their phone and give me a call. Super easy. All right.
Tony skinner 15:50
Well, I might avail myself of that.
Joanne 15:52
Please do.
Tony skinner 15:54
All right. Thank you very much, Joanne.
Joanne 15:56
Thank you, Tony.
