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Most of my background has been in hospitality. I spent the first 15 years of my working life in restaurants (the front of the house). When I married my husband Shawn and moved to Australia, I wanted to take a break from hospitality. He really inspired me to go out and try to work for myself. My first business was a small vintage retail shop in Melbourne, Australia. I loved it, however, after a couple years I missed the connection I had to people in hospitality, so with Shawn on board we decided to shift gears, move back to the States, and fulfill a long-time dream I had of opening up a proper bed and breakfast. In the intermediate, I took up a position at Soho House Chicago in the hotel which gave me invaluable experience understanding guests' needs and expectations in the travel industry. It’s been a constant learning curve for us, but the Publishing House B&B is close to celebrating its first year on June 1st.
What do you love about your work?
Hospitality often has instant results from the first point of contact. If you're successful, it's positive, however if it isn’t, usually you have the opportunity to turn it around to make it right again. I love getting immediate results from my job; it is gratifying to see people enjoying my home and feeling connected to the experience.
Tell us about an experience when you learned the importance of women supporting other women
Part of the reason I came back to Chicago after living overseas was the great and supportive circle of women I met when I lived here previously. It was the first place in my adult life where I had the chance to establish true, genuine female relationships. Since the beginning of our project, we’ve been surrounded by women in business. Our architects were a female duo, Kara Boyd and Krista Petkovsek, and our interior design firm Siren Betty was an all-woman design team run by one of my good friends, Nicole Alexander. This whole experience has been defined by many of our partnerships with women. It’s been really rewarding as a woman in business.
What does balance mean to you?
I haven’t had a chance to figure out what that is exactly. However, I know it is something I have to define. When your home is your business it is so hard to take time for yourself. Even when you are “off” you are still on. It's a lifestyle choice – one that Shawn and I are working toward being able to turn off when we have free time. It’s our goal for this year to finally find a better work/life balance.
What drives you to success?
Happiness. Everyday, along with my husband and everyone else involved, I wake up doing something I created. I am grateful I can be passionate about what I do, and I am fortunate to be fulfilling a dream of mine. My success is in other people’s happiness when they stay at the B&B we've created.
What is your favorite thing about Chicago?
I love that Chicago is such an approachable city. Everything from the people, to the quality of life, to the accessibility of the arts and entertainment. It's also centrally located and easy to get from coast to coast. The Midwest vibe is in a big city, but it's evolving and growing still. I think Chicago often gets overlooked after New York, California and Miami by my overseas friends; when they arrive they are always blown away. I have never felt lonely in this city, and that says a lot to me.
Name three women you are inspired by
I'm inspired by my mother who has always been in hospitality. She is the perfect entertainer. I'm also inspired by every mother in the world. Shawn and I don’t have children, however, the sheer exhaustion from opening the B&B for the first six months everyday, all day, gave me a deeper respect for all that mothers do. Nicole Alexander, founder of Siren Betty Design, is another inspiration of mine. She is a wife, a mother of two, and has her own creative career. She’s definitely not the first person do it, but she seemingly handles it with ease. Her ability to delegate responsibility and to have built up trust in a small team of reliable women has let her be the best she can be in all her roles.
What is the best advice you've ever been given?
It was a part of Shawn’s proposal to me – granted it was only after we had known each other for five weeks! He said, “What’s the worst that could happen? It doesn’t work out and you go home (back to the USA) or you give it chance and live happily ever after." This year will be our 10 year anniversary.