Introducing Inspire9’s Latest Female Founders
We’re delighted to warmly welcome Keisha Dessaix LE BUNS, Aklesia Kiflemariam Human Parity and Christina Canters from Podcast Services Australia and The C Method, to live, work and breathe the Inspire9 coworking community for the coming year!
In November 2017 the Victorian startup community came together to celebrate female founders at the last Startup Victoria pitch night of the year. In fact, it was the largest ever pitch night run by Startup Victoria and generously supported by MYOB.
On the night we teamed up with MYOB to offer several free full-year residencies at Inspire9. To make this dream a reality, for the first time ever, the pitch night stage was opened up to female founders in the audience for a 60-second impromptu pitch!
We sat down with these standout female entrepreneurs for a ‘quick 10’ to find out more about what they’re all about and how we can help them thrive in the community.
Introducing Keisha Dessaix from LE BUNS:
The brainchild behind LE BUNS is Keisha Dessaix. Keisha has created an innovative, eco-conscious apparel label, servicing the fast growing demand for sustainably made products, while on a mission to make ethical fashion mainstream. LE BUNS offers contemporary yet eco conscious & affordable solutions to intimates & swimwear.
Tell us about what you’re working on at the moment:
I’m currently working on my new eco conscious collection along with finalising 2018 LE BUNS marketing campaign which will focus on a number of really exciting things from women’s empowerment to continuing to influence positive environmental change though the label and product range.
What made you take the plunge into the startup world and entrepreneurship?
This time last year, after spending a decade working corporate for most part as an International Brand Manager for Prada & Paul Smith, I left it all behind to pursue the idea for LE BUNS. This ultimately stemmed from wanting to find a way to make beautiful products without compromising the environment or people involved in the process. Despite being in the early stages which can be tough, challenging at times, it’s been one of the most fulfilling choices I’ve made.
I know a lot about:
I studied International Business and majored in Marketing, going on to spend most of my career in the fashion industry so professionally speaking I’m most knowledgeable in these areas. In my friendship group this mostly translates to me being that friend that always gets asked advice on what to wear on a date or spesh occasion! Other than that I love travel, cooking and my pet dog Frank, I could talk about all of these things to no end.
I need help with:
Despite having my numbers game down when it comes to garment measurements for that perfect fit or analysing digital marketing metrics to optimise the when, where and how of targeting humans on their iwhatit’s (iPhones etc) — small business accounting past the basics is not my forte! Fellow Inspire9er’s if this is your area for expertise I would love to hear from you!
The best advice I’ve received…
When something is done with passion, anything is achievable.
Who do you most admire and why?
I could list a number of amazing individuals here but of most late I find Deng Adut and his journey incredibly inspiring on so many levels.
What’s your secret superpower?
My secret superpower is being relentless. When I encounter an obstacle in my path, I learn from it, try not to dwell and move on to finding to the next alternate solution to achieve my goal if the original way I envisioned didn’t work out.
What’s your backup career?
This is it!
If you had 5 minutes to teach someone something new, what would you teach?
Why and what to look for when buying ethical, sustainable and eco conscious clothing.
What are you reading/watching/listening to at the moment?
My reading, watching and listening time has taken a back seat recently to my new hobby which is photography but on a 90’s SLR film camera I found on Gumtree. In today’s digital world where so much revolves around instant gratification there’s something cool about taking a step back, really thinking about capturing the moment (because camera film isn’t cheap and unlike a digital camera you only have 24 shots rather than unlimited) and then getting to experience it all over again when you develop the film.
Introducing Aleksia Kiflemariam from Human Parity:
Aklesia Kiflemariam took to the stage to pitch Human Parity - pioneers in implementing natural language processing and artificial intelligence for customer support, conversational interfaces, and chatbots. She’s also involved with the Chatbots, Messaging and AI meetup in Melbourne that runs out of Inspire9.
Tell us about what you’re working on at the moment:
I am involved in a startup called Human Parity. We build Artificially Intelligent chat-bots for small to medium sized businesses. We automate customer service needs through text as well as voice commands. We make is cost effective, timely and efficient for business owners. I am responsible for the marketing and business development of Human Parity. We have been working on this for the past 6 months and will officially be launching in January 2018.
What made you take the plunge into the startup world and entrepreneurship?
The innovation behind startups; the ability to make something great from nothing. Also, you work and meet some of the most smartest and risk-on people in startups which is valuable and inspirational.
I know a lot about:
Networking with people that have much more experience than me, learning and getting advice from them.
I need help with:
I need more practice in public speaking.
The best advice I’ve received…
“You get what you work for, not what you wish for”
Who do you most admire and why?
In the business world, I admire and look up to a lot of people and Mark Cuban is one of them. Not only has he been able to achieve enormous amount of success and is incredibly intellectual but has also given me valuable advice that is practical and still helps make better decisions to this day.
What’s your secret superpower?
I view everything as an opportunity that is getting me closer to my goals.
What’s your backup career?
I don’t really have one. I want to do good work and right now I want to do it in startups where I can learn a lot, my contribution is valuable and I see the effects of my input. In the future the best way could possibly be to join an established company. I don’t know what the future holds, but I want to do good work that is innovative.
If you had 5 minutes to teach someone something new, what would you teach?
The power all of us have in manifesting who we become.
What are you reading/watching/listening to at the moment?
I am reading a lot of articles and taking courses on the constant advancements of machine learning, blockchain app developments and design thinking.
Introducing Christina Canters from The C Method and Podcast Services Australia:
Christina Canters and COO Aaron Heath want to empower organisations with the ability to give their staff a voice and Podcast Services Australia does just that. Christina also runs The C Method which provides public speaking and communication skills training for high performing professionals.
Tell us about what you’re working on at the moment:
For my speaking/training business The C Method, I’m working on a new keynote speech. It’s aimed to help high performing professionals build confidence and communicate themselves effectively in the workplace. If you know any conference organisers or event planners, I’d love it if you could connect us! For my podcast strategy/development business Podcast Services Australia, we’re developing a podcasting course we’ll be pitching to University departments in 2018.
What made you take the plunge into the startup world and entrepreneurship?
I was dissatisfied with my career in architecture. I realised that sitting behind a desk, drawing window details, dealing with stressful deadlines and being underpaid wasn’t for me. So I quit my job in 2014 and spent the year travelling, living in New York City, Berlin and Thailand. My plan was to create an ebook, sell it, make a million dollars and live the ‘digital nomad’ lifestyle a la ‘The 4 Hour Work Week’. But as I learned more about business and myself, I developed a passion for speaking and helping others to build confidence and fulfil their potential. I returned to Melbourne broke, but with a fabulous business idea. I launched The C Method in 2015, and haven’t looked back!
I know a lot about:
Public speaking, podcast strategy and development, content creation, conducting interviews, presenting to the camera, how to engage an audience, creative outreach to get people’s attention, how to make a kick-ass hummus dip.
I need help with:
Interpreting my website stats and understanding what to do with them (say the words ‘metrics’ or ‘tracking’ and my eyes glaze over). We are also looking for people who are passionate about podcasting or audio production, as we will be expanding our podcast team in 2018.
The best advice I’ve received…
To be successful in business, your target market needs to 1) Be WILLING to pay for your product/services AND 2) Be ABLE to pay for your product or services. One doesn’t work. You need both. I learned this the hard way after running my first podcast for 9 months before realising that students generally didn’t care about what I was teaching!
Who do you most admire and why?
I admire people who aren’t afraid to say they don’t know something. So many people feel like they have to know all the answers and impress others all the time (myself included!), so it’s refreshing when someone shows some vulnerability. I used to think I had to be on top of all news stories and current events, but now I just say: “I don’t watch the news. Can you tell me what’s happening?”
What’s your secret superpower?
My mornings are sacred. I don’t check email, my phone or schedule meetings (if I can help it) before midday. This allows me to start my day in a place of calmness, where I work on the important things, or the ‘deep work’, as Cal Newport would say. All the other stuff can wait.
What’s your backup career?
I guess you could say Architect, but I’d probably go back to freelancing as a voice over artist! It’s less stressful and I can do it in my pyjamas.
If you had 5 minutes to teach someone something new, what would you teach?
How to ground and centre yourself before a nerve-wracking situation, like an important meeting or presentation. It’s simple to do and has a massive impact on your confidence and effectiveness when you speak.
What are you reading/watching/listening to at the moment?
Reading ‘Tools of Titans’ by Tim Ferriss and ‘Crucial Conversations’. I don’t watch TV, but earlier this week I finally watched The Breakfast Club for the first time!
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If you’d like to visit our Inspire9 spaces in Richmond or Footscray, you’re welcome to come and visit us! We’re running a free-week of coworking for the rest of Janurary, apply here, we’d love to have you.
