Lisa Messenger is one of our favourite inspiring women. As CEO of The Messenger Group, as well as founder and editor-in-chief of Collective Hub, she challenges individuals and corporations to change the way they think and do things differently. So to celebrate International Women’s Day, we caught up with Lisa to discuss her inspirations, career advice and more.
What was it that inspired you to launch Collective Hub?
As an entrepreneur who has traversed many industries since launching my first business in October 2001, I saw a gap in the market for something inspirational, aspirational, relatable and attainable. So with a very big vision – a positive media movement was born.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career so far?
I am not immune from daily challenges. Mostly they are to do with cash flow as we build out multiple platforms in multiple geographic locations. But as I always say, we cannot necessarily control what comes at us, but we can control how we react. For me it’s been about building an incredible support team so that I can quickly reverse engineer any problem and deal with it swiftly and effectively so nothing becomes insurmountable.
What’s one piece of advice you wish you could have given yourself when you were first starting out?
Be unafraid and fail fast.
How do you approach adversity and how can women overcome the challenges they face in their careers?
Develop an insatiable and unwavering self-belief. Believe that anything is possible. And NEVER use “being a woman” as a fear based excuse.
How do you stay organised and what is your favourite stationery item?
Well I know what I’m great at – which is being a visionary, a brand builder and a leader. And I know what I am terrible at (but which is an imperative for running a big business) – detail. So I have a great PA to take care of all the detail. She is acutely organised. My favourite stationary item is my notepad – I am constantly writing – I have one by my bed for those kick arse ideas in the middle of the night.
Feeling inspired to get planning? Discover some of our favourite Organising Tools here.
