Building a Values-Driven Business

Note: the following transcript was generated by AI and therefore may contain some errors and omissions.

Welcome back to the Forward Thinking Podcast, the special edition of the Coast and Commerce podcast, which was recorded live at FWD Fest 2025. I’m Ben Amos from Innovate Media. And I’m Craig Josic, co-founder and chair of FWD Fest. And he doesn’t quite know what his titles are, but that’s OK. In today’s episode, we’re actually this and this is episode four of the Forward Thinking Podcast. So today’s episode is actually all about two businesses who really started from a place of passion, which I think for so many entrepreneurs and business owners,

That’s why we do what we do is because there’s, we’re kind of scratching our own itch, you know, we’re doing something and doing it differently because we wanted to make a difference in the world, right? 100 % Ben, you know, that actually sets the foundation of any business, you know, it’s the DNA, it should be really where it comes from because, you know, people and passion, it works. It’s not just about profit, it’s about looking at maybe a legacy that you actually want to develop. So this is going to be a fascinating story. So I hope you enjoy it. Let’s hear first from Pam McLean from

out and about care and education. G’day and welcome back to the Forward Thinking podcast here at Forward Fest 2025. I’m Ben Amos from Innovate Media and this is a special edition of the Coast and Commerce podcast. So if you want more of these sorts of conversations about business on the Sunshine Coast then make sure to subscribe and follow the Coast and Commerce podcast. But today I’m excited to bring Pam McLean from Out and About Education.

Child care and education. knew I’d get it somewhat right. and about care and education. so I’m interested to kind of explore your journey. So can you tell us a little bit about out and about and what you guys do? let’s go myself or out and about. Well, let’s start with out and about and then we’ll go back. Okay. Out and about came into being three years ago in Maroochydore and we initially bought one service that was an existing service.

had a lot of work to do to bring it up to date. So that’s been a journey of its own, given that that was through the post or in part of the last bit of COVID, I guess. So that was very challenging in itself. At the same time, we were developing a second service, also going through those COVID shortages of supplies and everyone becoming sick and all of those things over and over. So it was all very challenging and costly and time was an issue as well, of course.

And then after that, we have a new build that came on board out at Mooloolah valley. So that’s a lovely new building. Had its own issues, of course, because cost of building and so on was still high, but they’ve all been a delight in their own way. They’re all very different. I equate them to three children with each of their own personalities. Because they are different styles of building and they have their own particular feel. So they’re like my three children with 115 staff that…

work in them, team members, and they’re all my children too. So yeah, it’s become a real pleasure and a delight. Yes, then we have the actual children who attend and their families who are also like extended family. So it’s a pretty large Christmas card list. Well, that’s awesome. So effectively bringing those three children into the world in only a few years. Yes, it’s been a really hard journey in that condensed amount of time to do so much. Absolutely. So yeah, now it’s a kind of

moment where we can now start saying, okay, now let’s consolidate. We’ve got our basis. We’ve got our three bases happening. Now we have to start really building our team, which in itself has been a challenge for our sector because you probably know it’s been in the media. We’ve had challenges across the country, post COVID in particular, to gain good quality staff and educators and teachers. But we’re very fortunate. We do have a wonderful team. I have beautiful people.

And we’ve been together a long time. Some have followed me from place to place. Where are you? We’re coming. You know, that’s just beautiful. So I have that wonderful core, which is a wonderful way of bringing others into the fold, teaching them and mentoring them to our way of doing things. So it’s very much a values based business for us. It’s about the people, get the people right, the rest falls into place. Yeah, amazing. There’s a lot there that.

you know, people in whatever business can take from that for sure. So take me back Pam, so, you know, a few years without and about bringing that into the world, but you’ve been in the industry for a long time. So can you take me back to, you know, a little bit about your history in the industry, but what was it about what you saw in the industry that led you to want to do your own thing? It’s actually quite interesting. It’s a very basic foundation really, having my own children. I came into the sector 1980-ish.

So, you know, really old. And having my own children, I started to think about, well, if I want to be a good parent, I should know more about this. How do children grow and develop? What should I know and understand to support them as they learn and grow and become great little humans that I would like them to be? So it really came from that. So I took myself off to a college and did some training and then started working in the sector because, of course, financially, you need to have a second income coming in and all of that, just like everyone today. So.

That’s what got me started and I just loved it. I absolutely loved it and just found working with little people was just so exciting every day and it became, it’s not work if you love it for me. So then it became working my way up the ladder, doing some, a degree and all of that stuff along the way, becoming a director run, then a worker in the room or an educator, learning all the different levels, doing all the age groups along the way, doing some guest lecturing at uni for education people.

teaching at some high school classes for the early childhood classes they brought into high schools because they didn’t have teachers who were qualified in early childhood but I already had a teaching degree so that was handy. So that kind of was a great way. It also gave my business the benefit of spying really good staff as they were coming through high school to do some prac with us and learn if that’s what that was right for them but also right for us so it was a good fetish way. So there were lots of things. I always look for opportunities and benefits to be found and there are always those even in the worst of times.

Challenges are challenges, yes, but they’re also opportunities to me. So we did that for a while. I also undertook a bit more training and became an assessor for the federal government for 14 years. So I was assessing education settings across Australia, which was a wonderful learning curve for me, but also a great way to mentor lots of others as I went around, which is what I often did, or found myself doing, really. Loved it. And then completed a master’s degree in education because, why not?

There’s always things you can learn. And then became an operator of my own first two centres that we built from the ground up. in the meantime, started doing another business I still have, which is a consultancy designing centres and playgrounds for others across the country. So, okay. So very deep in this world. I have five buildings going up at the moment around the country for other people. Yeah. So you’re still active in that other business as well. Yes. Okay. So you’ve got a lot of irons in the fire. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I’m, I’m still five days a week and out. have three centres, of course, as you know. So,

I’m still five days a week there, but I’m also doing the consultancy work in Sydney and other places around for different architect firms, making sure that I kind of try to bring two hats to every building that I do. It’s about, is this going to be compliant for the regulations? Because we have a lot of them. I think it’s 9,542 rules that we have every day. Yeah, just a few. Yeah, we’re in the top four regulated industries in the country.

I think the highest is nuclear, which is probably a comfort to know. I can’t remember the other two, I’m sorry. But I think medical is one of the other two. can’t think what the other one was. But anyway, it’s a highly regulated area. Yeah, so it’s just something that I started to do and got into it through my own family needs to understand, but have found that it’s a home and I love it. And I keep still saying today, it’s not work if you love it.

So it’s just how it worked out. So with Out and About, obviously long history in the industry, consulting in the industry as well, particularly in the built spaces and so on, but what were you hoping when you started Out and About from scratch, guess, starting that brand, what were you hoping to bring to the industry? Because I assume you weren’t just like, I’ll just do what everyone else is doing and make some money. not at all. We try to operate a little bit differently to every other service, actually.

We have a lot of people visit our service to have a look at it. Again, I mentioned earlier, we talk about the values. A lot of businesses of any kind, but certainly in our sector, it becomes an investment opportunity for people. And yes, it always is, because it has to, like any business, has to cover its costs. However, for us, it’s a values base, not an accountancy base. So whilst others might have investors and they need to think about returns on investment as a priority,

My priority has always been the people. So for me, it’s you get the team right, you get the families and children on board with the vision and where you’re going together. And then that all starts to follow. The reputation builds and then the money comes. and that never fails. I’ve done that as a director for other owners. It’s not just I’ve made that up for me. It’s something I’ve always done as I’ve operated. If you’re going to do it, do it properly. If you’re going to do it well, do it to make sure that you’re making a positive

improvement in somebody’s life. you know, don’t try to, I sort of feel like we take all these little people, they’re not to be moulded, they’re little people to be unfolded. And they will become the best that they will be if we give them a wonderful foundation to start with. That foundation includes lots of little elements, whether it’s loving and nurturing, but also good nutrition, so optimised brain development.

give them time to develop at their rate that they need to, support when they need it, step back and let them grow when they can do. Really skillful educators know when to step in and when to step back. And we try to instil all that into all of our team members so that these children become the best they can be, they become resilient, they become able rather than disabled. And we really want to launch them off into formal schooling with the confidence

the language, the emotional stability, the resilience to be able to feel they can cope and they can navigate through their day. So these things are really, really important to us. So that’s the values we build ourselves on in our business. And even though, yes, it’s a business at the end of the day, profit isn’t the only thing we go for. We set goals about what are the best outcomes we can achieve.

for our children, for our team. We always do this symbol where we look through the circle, we look through the filter and say what’s right for the child, what’s right for our team, what’s right for our families. Those are the three stakeholders we focus on. Yes, we need to be compliant, that’s a given. We all do, in every service. So there are lots of others that, yeah, they’re things we just have to do. That doesn’t mean we have to dwell on them and be feeling, God, we’ve got to do that. Let’s focus on the opportunities, the positives.

The positives are our team, our families, our children, what are we going to do for them? What’s the best thing we could be doing today? So that’s how we look at it. I love that idea of focusing on the values in an organisation and even just that idea of rather than return on investment, return on the people, right? Really understanding that. It comes back in tenfold at the end of the day. It’s just being a little patient.

I’m sure that I often say my husband has the beating heart of an accountant, even though he’s not. He was a high school principal, but he’s a very smart person. But it’s more like he tries to look at, make sure things are right. And we need people who do that, and that’s their skill set. And those have their value and certainly have their place. And that keeps a bit of a mindset going on, OK, how’s it travelling? Are we doing OK? But I can then, that frees me up, which I’m very lucky that he can do that, because that frees me up to be able to focus on those other really important values.

that we value in our centres. That puts us a little bit apart from many of the others because so many are big business investments. We’re not. We only have three and I’m with it every day and so are my three really good directors. They are there every day. They’ve got 35 years in. So they’re very experienced and knowledgeable and we all work very well together and they’ve followed me from one place to another. So I’m very blessed. Look at the people I have around me. What’s not to love? You know, why wouldn’t I love what I do?

It’s amazing. You know, it’s exciting. You get up in the morning and think, wonder what’s going happen today. You know, like it’s fun. You know, it’s a fun day. Amazing. Parents often come in and say, you guys are always laughing when we walk in the door. Why wouldn’t we? Look what we do. Yeah. You know, it’s just lovely. Yeah. So good. So you’re here at Forward Fest 2025 and you’re not here alone. You brought, think, some of your Senate directors as well. what brought you here to Forward Fest? This is an innovation and entrepreneurial.

festival here. you know, not not your typical childcare. No, no, think we’re the only ones here. Tell me what I love that about it. Well, two or three reasons really. One is I’m a sponsor for the Chamber of Commerce and absolutely love their networking opportunities. I love their breakfast, their events like this. It means I get to chat to other people in other industries and sectors. I’m learning all the time, which keeps me interested in everything. So I have

two of my directors with me who are amazing and work at such a high level, I have to look for great, interesting, innovative opportunities for them to keep interested in learning as well, because typical childcare ones are probably set at a level for those who are still learning their trade. These two are just so You guys want to be leading. Yeah, well, they’re leaders. That’s right, they are. And we’re always looking for opportunities to do something different. And we often find that, you years ago, we were the first one to have chefs in our centres with food that’s amazing and have

Nutrition Australia come in and check our menus and things like that. I’ve had many owners over the years ring me and say, can I come and look at your kitchen? I heard it’s really good. And we’re happy to mentor and support others. So that was another reason, having those people here with me today. And two, is for myself and them to be able to brainstorm some ideas as we drive away this afternoon. I know we’re all three of us jotting down different points that resonate with us.

And as we get in our vehicle to go back this afternoon, we’ll be saying, okay, what are our takeaways? What things can we do in our service to make us that little bit better or different or improve something or some aspect of our day and what we offer? So again, it’s looking for those little excitement moments or innovations that we can add in. We already do quite a few things that are different to a lot of other services. And I often have people, either staff or parents, ask me about that. Why did you do that?

well, because X, Y, and Z, and this is about value for families. We do a lot of those sorts of things. So we’re always on the lookout for something new. Well, it’s great to see you here. And it’s often those changemaker ideas that come from a spark of a conversation or something that comes from stepping outside of the usual environments that you’re in. And that’s, you know, I think what Forward Fest allows for. This is my first time here, but I know we’ll be back.

I just have so many great speakers today and I’ve been listening to them all and we’ve both, three of us sorry, have been jotting down notes and taking great note of some of the journeys they’ve been on. We’ve been through many of the same journeys and we can equate a lot of what they’ve experienced to what we’ve done. Maybe they’re on an international scale, we’re just little us, but you can still, it resonates. You know, can sit there and you can think, you know what, yeah, that’s when we did that step. That was a big step for us.

but they’ve done it internationally. We’ve done it within our little environment, but it’s made a game changer for us too. So it’s great to then say, they did this next, that’s a thought. How would that look for us? So it’s given us lots of food for thought. Excellent. And we’re loving it. Fantastic. Really grateful to the people who’ve actually put this on. It’s a wonderful thing. Awesome to hear. So Pam McLean from Out and About.

care and education. for joining me on the Forward Thinking podcast. has been a really interesting conversation and hopefully a bit inspiring for others as well watching and listening. To step outside some of the usual places you might hang out in business, find that catalyst or that seed of an idea that potentially catapults your business. happy to talk to other people if they want to have a look. People come and visit us all the time.

Well, where can people connect with you, Pam, or learn more about At and About? Well, our main, we call it the mothership, the big centre. It’s 134 children a day, so it’s a big one. And that director is here with me today. They can come to see us anytime or give us a call at number two newspaper place in Maroochydore. Okay, do have a website, social media? Yep, outandabout.net.au. Beautiful. So thanks for watching this episode of the Forward Thinking Podcast and thanks for Pam for joining me on this one.

Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss another episode of this forward thinking special season of the Coast and Commerce podcast. And of course, we’ve got a whole bunch of episodes of the Coast and Commerce podcast back in the catalogs as well that you can have a listen to right now as well. We’ll see you in the next episode. Bye for now. All right. Thanks to Pam for sharing her story. Definitely what stood out for me was that Pam took basically her experiences in childcare and made that the difference.

in what she does both in coaching and consulting the childcare businesses and what she does in her own childcare practice as well. And it’s that place of passion that we talked about in the opening. So the next business we’re going to hear is taking a slightly different path into their business, but still all about passion. Very much so, Ben. You know, like it’s really looking at that corporate career and how you can evolve and develop a business from your knowledge and passion. You know, let’s get into this. All right. Let’s hear from Chandra from InnerCall in Coaching.

Welcome back to the Forward Thinking Podcast, a special edition of the Coast and Commerce podcast recorded live here at FWD Fest 2025. I’m Ben Amos from Innovate Media and I’m joined today by Chandni Arora from Inner Calling Coaching. Chandni, we’ve just met and I’m really interested to find out more about your story and particularly how you got into the work that you do, particularly working with women here on the Sunshine Coast. So take me back, tell me like what got you into what you do today?

sure. long story short, I worked in the corporate space for about 19 years and in that time I worked across multiple industries, led large-scale projects, you know, I loved all of the work that I did and then I had kids and I still love the work I did and I also wanted to spend more time with them and there was

I needed more flexibility. I wanted more flexibility. When I went back to the workplace after having my two kids, I felt a little bit disconnected from my work and what I was doing. And I also felt like I lost my identity to a certain extent. And the work that I once enjoyed doing just wasn’t fulfilling enough anymore. And I went through lots of sleepless nights around, you know.

There must be more. There should be more help for women basically getting back into the workplace. We’ve been through this big transition in their lives and there was a lot of corporate coaching and support. However, there was not any sort of whole of person coaching when you went back. So I kind of started looking around because I knew how lost I felt and I started digging around into what else is out there.

And I found a coach and I decided I was going to then study to become a coach. So I became a certified life coach and long story short, after dabbling in it and having it as a side hustle while working full time and having my two kids, I was just like, this is what I want to do. This is where I want to be. This is how I want to help women because there are so many of us out there and they need the support.

and there wasn’t enough of that available in the corporate space. So that’s where I decided to start my own coaching business to help these women. Excellent. Like so many startup businesses or new business ideas, it’s often about scratching your own itch, isn’t it? It’s about serving you, and then showing up to serve others, right? Absolutely, yes. So how long ago was this? So how long has the business been established for?

So I’ve had the business a little over two years, maybe three, close to three years. However, I quit corporate about 12, 15 months ago. And I’ve been focusing on the coaching full time since then. And yeah, I service not just the Sunshine Coast because a lot of my coaching is online. So I’ve made this accessible to women worldwide to get the support and help that they need. Excellent.

So what brings you to FWD Fest 2025? Like what is it about an event like this that you’re and what are you hoping for your for your business today? So with my business, I know there’s so many advances in AI. Being a small business, I know there’s so much more automation I can do. There’s so much more I can basically exploit the powers of AI. For me over here, it’s about how do I scale my business to get it to a level where I can make more of an impact and reach more women?

and also learn how AI can help me with that to speed up the process and not have it so manual. Excellent. Being a business based on the Sunshine Coast, even though as you mentioned, serving clients all around further afield than the Sunshine Coast, what are some of the benefits to you of being in business here on the coast that you’ve experienced so far?

Well, I love it because the community is just absolutely brilliant and so supportive and you know, we have things like Forward Fest here and I’ve met so many people here that I’ve met at other business networking events as well, which has been so great and I just love that you can make more of a mark here. People get to know, like and trust you a lot quicker in such a tight-knit community than they would in a bigger, you know.

Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney, where there’s like so many more people there and you’re just one of the face in the crowd here. You’re more, it’s more personal and there’s more connection and definitely more collaboration. Excellent. And what’s the vision for the business? You’ve mentioned that you’re looking to scale and adopt more AI technologies and think about how technology can grow your business as well. So where are you taking in a call in coaching?

At the moment, I’m doing a lot of one-on-one coaching and my plan is to expand and have more workshops, be on more podcasts. So thank you for having me on this one as well. I also want to do more speaking and keynote events so that people are more across what I do so I can make more of an impact and get more people involved in my world.

that are not so exposed to what I do at the moment. Yeah, exactly. And you know, you mentioned starting the business really to scratch your own itch or to help someone like you. But now that you’ve started that and you’ve got that off the ground, you know, and you are helping women in business through the work that you do, like what’s been the biggest or most rewarding aspect to what you do? Every coaching session is rewarding for me because

I know it’s just a couple of hours that these women spend with me through the coaching sessions. But what they walk away with, the tools, the tips, the mindset change. And I work as little as just six weeks for our coaching sessions. And after six weeks, I have seen people basically set up their own art events.

start writing books they’ve been putting off for 15 years. recently had a client who had wanted to do a creative art gallery event and she hadn’t done it for think she said 21 years. After six weeks of working with me, she basically had a date. She still had four canvases ready and she just had her event in January. So to me that after 21 years of sitting there being stuck not doing

what you wanted to do, what your passion is, what you really want out of life. And then six weeks and then her dreams just come to life. And that’s her passion. It’s the power of the right coach, right? Yes. But also the power of that external accountability, right? Absolutely. And I can’t take full credit for that because you also have to do the work to get it done. So if it was just an idea and she kept stewing in it saying,

I’ll do it one day. There’s no way she could have done it. So change also requires effort and accountability from the person that I’m coaching as well. I can provide all the tools and the tips and the guidance. However, at the end of the day, it’s them that needs to do the work and make the change happen. absolutely. And I think that’s a theme for an event like FWD Fest as well as businesses come here and they’re seeking that kind of external information or that motivation.

But really it is about doing the work, right? The businesses that are here that are successful, that are doing great things like, like you guys are, you know, they’re putting in the work as well. Absolutely. And yes, I think I’m a great coach. However, I also need a great client to make things happen. So yes, incredible. So, for people who are interested in maybe working with you as a client or connecting with you in some ways, where’s the best place for people to go and, and connect with you further? Well,

Instagram is where I share a lot. I’ve got a LinkedIn account so they can look up Chandni Arora Inner Calling Coaching and I also have a website which is www.innercallingcoaching.com if people want to just dig in deep or just yeah reach out through Instagram or LinkedIn would probably be the best way. Incredible. Chandni thanks for joining me on the Forward Thinking podcast here today and for you guys watching go and check out what Chandni’s got to offer at Inner Calling Coaching if that’s a good fit for you.

And thanks for joining me for this episode of the Forward Thinking Podcast. Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next one and we’ll see you in the next episode real soon. Bye. Two incredible women that are making an impact in their space and I hope that’s inspired you. You know, to look from an education, maybe an area that you want to develop and a business out of or a corporate career that you’ve been working with and how you can inspire women to make a global impact.

And in the next episode, we’re gonna hear from two more incredible founders of businesses making an impact here on the Sunshine Coast and around the world. So make sure you hit subscribe so that you don’t miss the next episode of the Forward Thinking Podcast and we’ll see you in that episode next week. Bye. Keep moving forward.