Determined and courageous: these are the qualities Sarah Trotman, Auckland small business sector specialist, thinks earned her the award as one of New Zealand’s six “emerging leaders”.
They were selected as “younger leaders of considerable potential” in the second, annual, Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards. These were presented at the start of the inaugural New Zealand Leadership Week last month.
Sarah (38) says her greatest strength is she never gives up; she is strong minded and determined.
“I have clarity about where I want to be; but I wouldn’t necessarily say I was confident. Perhaps courageous, but not confident. You can’t stay confident every day when you are pushing the boundaries.”
She says you have to be a leader from the inside; be yourself, not try and emulate someone you admire.
“A leader has to have a true sense of themselves, a real understanding of who they are and what drives them. Someone might achieve great things, but, in my view, to be a leader they must also be a great person.
“Treating everyone with the same level of respect and putting people at ease is also important. A leader keeps going when everyone else wants to give up, a leader’s role is to motivate their team and bring out the strengths of the individuals within it.”
Sarah Trotman and Associates set up The Small Business Expo last year and turned it into a stand-alone business, Small Business Expo Ltd.
It ran the second expo in May and a third is planned for May 30 to June 1 next year at the ASB Showgrounds. The expo is a one-stop-shop for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to find the products and services they need to grow their businesses.
She also created the Excellence in Business Support Awards (presented during the expo), and conceived and edits the annual magazine for business owners, Your Business, Your Way.
Sarah grew up in Wellington attending Catholic schools but when she was 17 her entrepreneurial father (Denis Trotman) and school teacher mother (Gillian) moved the family to Auckland – the home of his business’ head office.
Her parents and one sibling still live in Auckland and the other three live overseas. “They all have numerous university degrees, but I have none, I’m a much more practical “hands on” sort of a person.”
Sarah left school with School Certificate (after Year 11), heading straight into an office junior job in the family firm – College Credit Management (since sold). She studied a few courses including Legal Executive and General Management Certificates and when her father was seriously injured in a jet boating accident she took over the reins.
Sarah worked for the family firm for about 18 years, ultimately as general manager with 25 staff and a turnover of about $3 million.
“I don’t think I was born a leader. I have picked up the title by default because I have just put a stake in the ground and done what feels right for me. If you believe in what you are doing and are passionate about it the people will follow, people want to get involved when there is dynamism and life in a project.
“My experiences in our family business really drive me as a supporter of SMEs in New Zealand: I didn’t know what marketing or business plans were about. I was really hands on in the business, often not stopping to take that all important helicopter view of the business.
“I wasn’t hugely ambitious, but my own experience of running our small business is what drives me to create a much needed support mechanism for SMEs.
“I needed more support in the early years in the business and didn’t really know where to find it, and, being a credit management business we saw lots of small businesses struggling to survive.
“I was lucky to have had great staff who were all really committed to growing a successful business.”
From there she held the role of chief executive for Business in the Community mentoring service for three years, recording an almost 70 per cent increase in the number of businesses accessing the free service.
Sarah has also mentored on a voluntary basis, demonstrated leadership within The Territorials, is a director on a number of not-for-profit boards, and has mentored young women under the YWCA Future Leaders Programme.
The Sir Peter Blake award selectors, chaired by Sir Ron Carter, said “Sarah has demonstrated an ability to lead people from different backgrounds and with different objectives towards one shared goal.”
She left Business In The Community to work for herself because she realised she was an entrepreneur at heart.
Along the way Sarah married and had two children – Matilda aged nine and Elliot aged seven.
“I kept my own name after six months trying to get used to a change [when I married], but Sarah Trotman is who I am. I think it’s a rather odd idea to change your name.”
Sarah won’t be drawn to discuss her private life but she says her former husband has provided her with enormous support.
“We have a fluid, cooperative relationship which I believe honours each other’s contribution to the other’s life and our two children.”
In fact he would be one of the four people Sarah would most thank for helping her get where she is today, along with her entrepreneurial father, for his example; her previous business partner Debbie Turner for her inspiration when they were in business together; and a colleague from the days when Sarah was New Zealand Trade and Enterprise’s “business ambassador” for the America’s Cup challenge in Auckland, Claire Fouhy, who nominated her for the leadership award.
“Claire is one of those dynamos who just make things happen, frankly it is Claire that should be receiving a prestigious award such as this,” she says.
Sarah exudes grace and calmness, but denies that’s what she is really like.
“I’m exhilarated by edginess; without that, I’m bored. Sometimes I have to force myself to take time off because I know it’s unhealthy not to.”
And she says she is disorganised around the house; not a hobby type; never has time to watch TV and doesn’t need or particularly like holidays.
But she takes a regular massage and schedules “navel gazing” time to ensure she stays focussed on priorities.
“I ponder life a lot, probably too much. I have a real fascination with human behaviour, what drives us, what we think drives us, how we react to different circumstances.”
And while she admits to not taking to society’s view of ideal motherhood, she tries hard to make sure her children get what they need from her.
“My children will get some amazing experiences and most importantly know they are well loved - unconditionally - but they won’t necessarily get a meal of meat and three veg every night. But their father is an amazing and dedicated father.”
Although her office is at the AUT technology Park in Penrose, Sarah does much of her work on a laptop and cellphone, in a café or in her silver Saab convertible.
While this indicates she likes the finer things in life (and “it has a hint of personality”) – and she has what she wants - Sarah doesn’t think entrepreneurs are ever particularly wealthy until they sell their businesses, because of their constant re-investing.
“They stop and start things depending on the opportunity at hand but I’ve always had a savings discipline thanks to my mother, who even made me save my paper round money.
“Money is not overly important to me. I’m happy to stand on my own two feet. You work harder in a family business: I did because I wanted to do the right thing by dad, because he gave me a chance when I left school and had no idea what to do.
“Dad would always say three things to me every day: ‘Try your best; I’m proud of you; and be nice to someone who doesn’t have any friends’ ”.
She is independent financially, having bought her first property aged 19 – thanks then to credit cards.
“I’m prepared to risk a lot financially but not the roof over my head because home is very important.
“Those four walls contain me and hold a lot of memories.”
Highly socially skilled with an elephant’s memory for people’s names and their businesses, Sarah clearly likes people yet says she is not a particularly social animal any more.
“I’m reasonably reclusive. I have good long-term friends but I’m highly stimulated by my work so I don’t need or like a lot of frivolous social interaction. And I can’t multi task when I’m with my children.”
She steers clear of the classic business executive model.
“I’m very much a free spirit in business and luckily people seem to tolerate that. I operate with a small team and outsource a lot as needed. I like that. I can be a law unto myself. It keeps the creativity flowing. Basically I work when I feel inclined.”
Airy fairy, you’re thinking? Well listen to this.
“I have global plans, a clear vision for this business and my role as a small business sector specialist. I now have a profitable business expo model that works because it has a quality offering to draw attendees and we were prepared to take a calculated risk in making a $50,000 loss on the first Small Business Expo.
“My exit strategy is to sell the expo to DMG Worldwide or Brookers/Thomsons when I’m ready. I have told them both that.”
The other five Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leaders were:
• Emeline Afeaki-Mafile’o (30), the founder of Affirming Works Ltd, a social service organisation developed in Manukau City.
It delivers mentoring programmes across all school levels, based on the model of Pacific Collective Mentoring.
This has led to forming a second company, Fofola Consultancy Ltd, which contributes to policy development such as the Pacific Youth Development Strategy.
• David McConnell (39), joint managing director of McConnell Ltd which includes subsidiaries Hawkins Construction and Steel Pipe NZ.
He is also a leader of a number of pro bono and other corporate activities, and spearheaded the development of the Pacific Events Centre in Manukau City.
• Andrew Berry (33), Senior Sergeant and Area Youth and Communities Manager for Manukau East police.
He is responsible for more than 30 staff, maintaining and improving community relationships, and the administrative management of Otara Police Station. He also had a diverse history of leadership before the police, completing a zoology degree and Masters degree at the University of Auckland.
• Michael Redman (40), Hamilton’s youngest ever mayor elected in October 2004, and previously having 18 years business and community experience.
In 1986 he started Redman Advertising, which he ran for 14 years before selling the business in 2000 to a multinational agency.
In 2003 he set up the NZ Breakers basketball team, but sold his interest in the club after election to mayor. He is co-owner and director of a clothing manufacturing business.
• Dr Gary Wilson (39), research dean for the Division of Sciences at Otago University in Dunedin, what has developed an international reputation for his research. He was a New Zealand Foundation for Research Fellow, before taking up a lectureship at the University of Oxford in the UK. Wilson is also chair of the multi-national Antarctic Drilling project of 100 scientists from four countries, and has developed leadership as an international negotiator.
The awards also recognised The Warehouse founder, Stephen Tindall with the Blake Medal for leadership.
The week (July 15-21) included a series of speeches held in Auckland and Wellington, around the issue of leadership. The events were organised by the Sir Peter Blake Trust, Leadership New Zealand, Excelerator: The New Zealand Leadership Institute, and the New Zealand Institute of Management.
The aims were to raise awareness of the importance and impact of great leadership, and to showcase the work being done to develop leadership capability in New Zealand.
Leaders were nominated for the awards and selected by a panel comprising Sir Ron Carter (engineer and former managing director of Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd and chairman of Beca Group Ltd, now chairman of the Committee for Auckland), Ann Sherry (chief executive of Westpac New Zealand), Sir Wilson Whineray (former All Black captain and chair of Carter Holt Harvey), Sir Hugh Kawharu (chair of Ngati Whatua), Dr Lester Levy (chief executive of Excelerator), John Graham (former headmaster of Auckland Grammar School), Eion Edgar (former chancellor of Otago University) and the inaugural Blake Medal winner, Sir John Anderson.
They were selected as “younger leaders of considerable potential” in the second, annual, Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards. These were presented at the start of the inaugural New Zealand Leadership Week last month.Sarah (38) says her greatest strength is she never gives up; she is strong minded and determined.
“I have clarity about where I want to be; but I wouldn’t necessarily say I was confident. Perhaps courageous, but not confident. You can’t stay confident every day when you are pushing the boundaries.”
She says you have to be a leader from the inside; be yourself, not try and emulate someone you admire.
“A leader has to have a true sense of themselves, a real understanding of who they are and what drives them. Someone might achieve great things, but, in my view, to be a leader they must also be a great person.
“Treating everyone with the same level of respect and putting people at ease is also important. A leader keeps going when everyone else wants to give up, a leader’s role is to motivate their team and bring out the strengths of the individuals within it.”Sarah Trotman and Associates set up The Small Business Expo last year and turned it into a stand-alone business, Small Business Expo Ltd.
It ran the second expo in May and a third is planned for May 30 to June 1 next year at the ASB Showgrounds. The expo is a one-stop-shop for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to find the products and services they need to grow their businesses.
She also created the Excellence in Business Support Awards (presented during the expo), and conceived and edits the annual magazine for business owners, Your Business, Your Way.
Sarah grew up in Wellington attending Catholic schools but when she was 17 her entrepreneurial father (Denis Trotman) and school teacher mother (Gillian) moved the family to Auckland – the home of his business’ head office.
Her parents and one sibling still live in Auckland and the other three live overseas. “They all have numerous university degrees, but I have none, I’m a much more practical “hands on” sort of a person.”
Sarah left school with School Certificate (after Year 11), heading straight into an office junior job in the family firm – College Credit Management (since sold). She studied a few courses including Legal Executive and General Management Certificates and when her father was seriously injured in a jet boating accident she took over the reins.
Sarah worked for the family firm for about 18 years, ultimately as general manager with 25 staff and a turnover of about $3 million.
“I don’t think I was born a leader. I have picked up the title by default because I have just put a stake in the ground and done what feels right for me. If you believe in what you are doing and are passionate about it the people will follow, people want to get involved when there is dynamism and life in a project.
“My experiences in our family business really drive me as a supporter of SMEs in New Zealand: I didn’t know what marketing or business plans were about. I was really hands on in the business, often not stopping to take that all important helicopter view of the business.
“I wasn’t hugely ambitious, but my own experience of running our small business is what drives me to create a much needed support mechanism for SMEs.
“I needed more support in the early years in the business and didn’t really know where to find it, and, being a credit management business we saw lots of small businesses struggling to survive.
“I was lucky to have had great staff who were all really committed to growing a successful business.”
From there she held the role of chief executive for Business in the Community mentoring service for three years, recording an almost 70 per cent increase in the number of businesses accessing the free service.
Sarah has also mentored on a voluntary basis, demonstrated leadership within The Territorials, is a director on a number of not-for-profit boards, and has mentored young women under the YWCA Future Leaders Programme.
The Sir Peter Blake award selectors, chaired by Sir Ron Carter, said “Sarah has demonstrated an ability to lead people from different backgrounds and with different objectives towards one shared goal.”
She left Business In The Community to work for herself because she realised she was an entrepreneur at heart.
Along the way Sarah married and had two children – Matilda aged nine and Elliot aged seven.
“I kept my own name after six months trying to get used to a change [when I married], but Sarah Trotman is who I am. I think it’s a rather odd idea to change your name.”
Sarah won’t be drawn to discuss her private life but she says her former husband has provided her with enormous support.
“We have a fluid, cooperative relationship which I believe honours each other’s contribution to the other’s life and our two children.”
In fact he would be one of the four people Sarah would most thank for helping her get where she is today, along with her entrepreneurial father, for his example; her previous business partner Debbie Turner for her inspiration when they were in business together; and a colleague from the days when Sarah was New Zealand Trade and Enterprise’s “business ambassador” for the America’s Cup challenge in Auckland, Claire Fouhy, who nominated her for the leadership award.
“Claire is one of those dynamos who just make things happen, frankly it is Claire that should be receiving a prestigious award such as this,” she says.
Sarah exudes grace and calmness, but denies that’s what she is really like.
“I’m exhilarated by edginess; without that, I’m bored. Sometimes I have to force myself to take time off because I know it’s unhealthy not to.”
And she says she is disorganised around the house; not a hobby type; never has time to watch TV and doesn’t need or particularly like holidays.
But she takes a regular massage and schedules “navel gazing” time to ensure she stays focussed on priorities.
“I ponder life a lot, probably too much. I have a real fascination with human behaviour, what drives us, what we think drives us, how we react to different circumstances.”
And while she admits to not taking to society’s view of ideal motherhood, she tries hard to make sure her children get what they need from her.
“My children will get some amazing experiences and most importantly know they are well loved - unconditionally - but they won’t necessarily get a meal of meat and three veg every night. But their father is an amazing and dedicated father.”
Although her office is at the AUT technology Park in Penrose, Sarah does much of her work on a laptop and cellphone, in a café or in her silver Saab convertible.
While this indicates she likes the finer things in life (and “it has a hint of personality”) – and she has what she wants - Sarah doesn’t think entrepreneurs are ever particularly wealthy until they sell their businesses, because of their constant re-investing.
“They stop and start things depending on the opportunity at hand but I’ve always had a savings discipline thanks to my mother, who even made me save my paper round money.
“Money is not overly important to me. I’m happy to stand on my own two feet. You work harder in a family business: I did because I wanted to do the right thing by dad, because he gave me a chance when I left school and had no idea what to do.
“Dad would always say three things to me every day: ‘Try your best; I’m proud of you; and be nice to someone who doesn’t have any friends’ ”.
She is independent financially, having bought her first property aged 19 – thanks then to credit cards.
“I’m prepared to risk a lot financially but not the roof over my head because home is very important.
“Those four walls contain me and hold a lot of memories.”
Highly socially skilled with an elephant’s memory for people’s names and their businesses, Sarah clearly likes people yet says she is not a particularly social animal any more.
“I’m reasonably reclusive. I have good long-term friends but I’m highly stimulated by my work so I don’t need or like a lot of frivolous social interaction. And I can’t multi task when I’m with my children.”
She steers clear of the classic business executive model.
“I’m very much a free spirit in business and luckily people seem to tolerate that. I operate with a small team and outsource a lot as needed. I like that. I can be a law unto myself. It keeps the creativity flowing. Basically I work when I feel inclined.”
Airy fairy, you’re thinking? Well listen to this.
“I have global plans, a clear vision for this business and my role as a small business sector specialist. I now have a profitable business expo model that works because it has a quality offering to draw attendees and we were prepared to take a calculated risk in making a $50,000 loss on the first Small Business Expo.
“My exit strategy is to sell the expo to DMG Worldwide or Brookers/Thomsons when I’m ready. I have told them both that.”
The other five Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leaders were:
• Emeline Afeaki-Mafile’o (30), the founder of Affirming Works Ltd, a social service organisation developed in Manukau City.
It delivers mentoring programmes across all school levels, based on the model of Pacific Collective Mentoring.
This has led to forming a second company, Fofola Consultancy Ltd, which contributes to policy development such as the Pacific Youth Development Strategy.
• David McConnell (39), joint managing director of McConnell Ltd which includes subsidiaries Hawkins Construction and Steel Pipe NZ.
He is also a leader of a number of pro bono and other corporate activities, and spearheaded the development of the Pacific Events Centre in Manukau City.
• Andrew Berry (33), Senior Sergeant and Area Youth and Communities Manager for Manukau East police.
He is responsible for more than 30 staff, maintaining and improving community relationships, and the administrative management of Otara Police Station. He also had a diverse history of leadership before the police, completing a zoology degree and Masters degree at the University of Auckland.
• Michael Redman (40), Hamilton’s youngest ever mayor elected in October 2004, and previously having 18 years business and community experience.
In 1986 he started Redman Advertising, which he ran for 14 years before selling the business in 2000 to a multinational agency.
In 2003 he set up the NZ Breakers basketball team, but sold his interest in the club after election to mayor. He is co-owner and director of a clothing manufacturing business.
• Dr Gary Wilson (39), research dean for the Division of Sciences at Otago University in Dunedin, what has developed an international reputation for his research. He was a New Zealand Foundation for Research Fellow, before taking up a lectureship at the University of Oxford in the UK. Wilson is also chair of the multi-national Antarctic Drilling project of 100 scientists from four countries, and has developed leadership as an international negotiator.
The awards also recognised The Warehouse founder, Stephen Tindall with the Blake Medal for leadership.
The week (July 15-21) included a series of speeches held in Auckland and Wellington, around the issue of leadership. The events were organised by the Sir Peter Blake Trust, Leadership New Zealand, Excelerator: The New Zealand Leadership Institute, and the New Zealand Institute of Management.
The aims were to raise awareness of the importance and impact of great leadership, and to showcase the work being done to develop leadership capability in New Zealand.
Leaders were nominated for the awards and selected by a panel comprising Sir Ron Carter (engineer and former managing director of Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd and chairman of Beca Group Ltd, now chairman of the Committee for Auckland), Ann Sherry (chief executive of Westpac New Zealand), Sir Wilson Whineray (former All Black captain and chair of Carter Holt Harvey), Sir Hugh Kawharu (chair of Ngati Whatua), Dr Lester Levy (chief executive of Excelerator), John Graham (former headmaster of Auckland Grammar School), Eion Edgar (former chancellor of Otago University) and the inaugural Blake Medal winner, Sir John Anderson.
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