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I am a FIFO wife. Right now I’m living in Brisbane, QLD with my 4-year-old, while my husband lives in Mount Isa for work.

After almost a year of unemployment courtesy of a struggling mining industry, my husband took a residential job in Mount Isa. I made the tough decision to stay in Brisbane.

Our lifestyle is definitely unconventional and not for everyone. But this is our normal and we make it work.

How do we do it? Routine and structure! Google Calendar and Asana are my go to organisation tools. We don’t sweat the small stuff and focus on what’s important. Something in your life ain’t working? Find another way. I hate cooking and it just seems pointless cooking for myself. Riley’s food preferences are also pretty limited to complicate things. So HelloFresh is my new best friend (use this link and get $35 of your first box!).

And there are perks to the lifestyle! Riley and I love having breakfast with Daddy in the Qantas Club Lounge before we see him off.

So what’s your normal and how do you make it work?

It’s crazy looking back at when I first started out in business and how much I’ve grown – both personally and professionally. There’s been a lot of trial and error and many lessons learned. But also just as many wins!

I can even pin point key moments in the journey that were pivotal in my growth.

Those “aha” moments that change everything.

Some of these moments were advice from trusted mentors. Others were simply the result of stumbling across information that challenged my way of thinking.

So here are the top 5 blog posts that have had a HUGE influence on how I approach business.

So I am an emotional wreck this morning. What’s happened you ask? Mad Men. That’s what’s happened.

I am notoriously critical of season finales. They never fail to disappoint. So I was little cautious heading into last night’s Mad Men.

But, I am happy to say it was EPIC in every way. Perfect end to one of the great television shows … EVER. Pretty sure I’ll be having Mad Men withdrawals for years to come.

How fabulous is Joan Holloway?!?

My favourite character by far. She stole the finale as far as I’m concerned. Maybe it’s the fabulous shade of red hair we share or her amazing sense of style.

That aside, her fierce determination was simply inspirational. Here are 7 Mad Men Quotes to Live by in Business as said by Joan Holloway and Don Draper.

Brand. Branding. Brand strategy. Oh, my!

When you think of famous “brands” what companies come to mind? Coke? Nike? Lorna Jane? For me, these are the brands that have screamed the loudest and caught my attention. These are the brands I am most likely to buy.

So what is branding? Is it just another word for “marketing”? Is it advertising? It’s actually pretty simple, but it pains me to see so many businesses get it wrong or completely disregard the value of a good brand. The hard truth is a bad brand will cost you businesses. Your “brand” is who you are. Your brand is your identity, your image and how you want the world to see you. It’s your face in the mirror, without the smoke. It’s your passion for your business, on fire!

OK, it’s true, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. But if its name was, say, “spiderwort”, who would ever know? Who …

Back in my university days I worked in small bakery owned by a husband and wife team who had recently become new parents and needed …