A Message from Nic Luck? I don't think so... Last month I listened to a business leader talk about how she built a successful business and career.  At the end of her speech she was asked what had made her business successful.  Amazingly, she credited a lot of luck and being at the ‘right place at the right time’ for her success.  I couldn’t help be unavoidably disappointed with her answer.  It seems crazy that anyone would say luck was instrumental in building a successful business or a career.  Luck?  I don’t think so... Given time to think the question through, I have hoped she would’ve answered the question differently.  I was appalled that the young audience filled with people in their 20’s and 30’s, walked away thinking business success is based on luck.  What a shame!  What a lost opportunity!  Business and career success is based on anything but luck. I wanted to jump up, grab the microphone and explain what she really meant.  That she meant to say there were some core business elements that contributed to her success such as the importance of planning, knowing your operating environment, point of difference, revenue stream, pricing policy, business model, service philosophy and vision.  I wanted to talk about having an unrelenting passion for what you do and making a valued contribution, where failure is not an option or considered. I wanted to mention how having confidence and being self motivated enables you to strive and overcome the next challenge or hurdle.  I wanted to talk about integrity and how important it was to keep to your own personal code of doing business.  I wanted to talk about how this was all important whether you were a business owner or employee. While it may not be a sexy, pithy message, I view these basic elements as critical for success, personally and professionally. Having celebrated The Hub’s fifth birthday in February this year, I can confidently say our sustainability and success is through planning and having a strong, unrelenting business vision.  While I have made mistakes along the way, I have also learnt so much – and none of the lessons learnt were based on luck. We create our own luck by being prepared and planning, whether formally or informally... As famous investor Warren Buffet says, “Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing.” I hope you enjoy our Winter Edition of The Spoke! Cheers                                           Nicolle Jenkins Managing Director _______________________________________________________________
The Hub Welcomes New Marketing Communications Coordinator Heather McNeill brings a range of skills and experience to The Hub as marketing communications coordinator, specialising in re-branding strategies, communication plans, public relations strategies, publication and website development and management. Previously, Heather was the public relations assistant with Therapy Focus focusing on communication strategies and implementing an annual major community awareness campaign.  Her experience in the not-for-profit industry provides Heather a unique perspective in creating cost effective marketing strategies engaging both the community and corporate sectors. Heather will manage one of The Hub’s longest serving clients, Aspen Resorts, among other Hub client work.  Managing Director, Nicolle Jenkins said Heather has a fantastic approach to integrating marketing communications strategies. “Heather brings a range of skills and experiences to the team.  One of the clear benefits of having working in the not-for-profit world is you learn to achieve significant results as cost effectively as possible,” Nicolle said. “You learn very quickly to be highly innovative, think outside the box and get the job done, it is these skills that will be a great asset at The Hub,” Nicolle said. Heather said she is excited in joining The Hub team with new challenges and opportunities. “Working with a variety of clients on a daily basis is one of the key elements of why I accepted this position.  The Hub have some great long-term clients and I am particularly looking forward to further extending our clients’ business successes,” Heather said. Heather has a strong background in creative writing and journalism, with articles being published in The West Australian and Emu News. Heather holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications, majoring in Public Relations and Journalism from Murdoch University.    _______________________________________________________________
Kununurra Country Club refreshes Ord Valley Muster sponsorship The Kununurra Country Club Resort has celebrated its third year of sponsorship of the Ord Valley Muster, Kimberley Moon event with a new set of marketing materials and brand elements. To view the new Ord Valley Muster materials The Hub created click here. The Resort is a major event partner providing significant support including hosting the Muster Bar and VIP accommodation. The Resort, as part of the group Aspen Resorts, has undergone a major $1 million dollar refurbishment and was a recent finalist in the Australia’s North West Tourism Awards.  The Hub has also just completed compiling a submission for the 2010 WA Tourism Awards for Kununurra Country Club Resort. To view other materials The Hub has created for Aspen Resorts click here. _______________________________________________________________
A new e-newsletter for Prosperity Partners launched  The Hub continued its lengthy five year partnership with financial planning firm Prosperity Partners, with the creation of a new monthly e-newsletter. To view the new e-newsletter click here. The Hub was responsible for the new look design, reviewing the copy and managing the distribution via technology provider, Webhouse’s electronic newsletter portal. The first edition, distributed in June, included topical articles ranging from the ‘Greek debt debacle’ to ‘How to boost your super’. Managing Director, Mike Jones said the e-newsletter serves as an excellent tool to build ongoing relationships with their stakeholders and clients, while providing relevant insights and practical advice to progress their clients’ financial goals. “The Hub has been providing marketing, design, strategic advice and support to Prosperity Partners since 2005, with our e-newsletter being the latest edition to our marketing collateral,” Mike said.  “The e-newsletter is a great tool to keep in touch with our clients and further enhance our ability to talk practically one-on-one with clients.  It allows the team to provide a timely, additional service and information to ensure we continue to build strong relationships,” Mike added. About Prosperity Partners Prosperity Partners is a financial planning and wealth management practice who are committed to providing long term solutions to help you achieve your financial goals. _______________________________________________________________
Rangelands brochures designed to educate on natural resource management The Hub designed a set of brochures for Rangelands NRM WA, to educate their stakeholders about the natural resource management projects being carried out in the rangelands coast and southern rangelands areas in Western Australia. To view the new brochures click here. The brief provided was to create a suite of brochures in line with the style and branding already designed by The Hub.  “Designing marketing collateral for the Rangelands NRM team is always a thought provoking project, particularly when the collateral is required to educate and communicate a range of environmentally meaningful projects occurring in the state,” Nicolle said.  “The brochures needed to stand alone in its presentation but also feature in a suite when necessary,” Nicolle added. The brief included the design and printing of two brochures highlighting Rangelands coastal and pastoral NRM projects.  The brochures have been received so well, a third brochure is now in production. The coastal brochure details numerous projects covering more than 75 percent of the Western Australian coastline.  The design needed to complement the importance of working with the community to ensure lasting change. The pastoral brochure features projects delivered in the Gascoyne, Murchison and Goldfields-Nullarbor regions and aims to promote sustainable land management practices among the area’s pastoralists, as pastoralism is the most common land use, occupying over 100 million hectares. Rangelands NRM WA General Manager, Brian Warren said the brochures have already made a significant impact and are an effective tool in connecting with the community. “Our two new brochures have been instrumental in educating the community and our stakeholders about the importance of natural resource management in the vast area that encompasses the rangelands,” Brian said. “They are professionally designed, with a unique look and feel that succeeds in attracting attention to the important message of sustainable use of the land and water.” Rangelands appointed The Hub in January 2008 to provide expertise in the delivery of strategic marketing communications organisation wide.  About Rangelands NRM WA Rangelands NRM WA is a non-government organisation which supports and encourages the sustainable use of our natural resources - land, flora & fauna, fresh water and coastal marine environment. _______________________________________________________________
New dynamic look for the Aboriginal Health Conference With a strong track record in Indigenous marketing, The Hub created a new brand and conference brochure for the Rural Health West 2010 Aboriginal Health Conference. To view the new brand and conference brochure click here. Inspired by vast Western Australian landscapes and imagery, and Indigenous photography sourced from Tourism Australia, our brief was to create a dynamic logo and brand for the Aboriginal Health Conference. Focusing on earthy colours, the logo, brand and conference brochures have been warmly received by participants and stakeholders. Rural Health West CEO, Belinda Bailey, said the branding and brochure received exceptional feedback among regular conference participants, who praised the design for its originality and emotive qualities. “When we launched the logo and conference brochure we were amazed with the overwhelmingly positive response we received.  One stakeholder said it was the best conference brochure he had ever seen.  I encourage The Hub team to find a design award to submit this piece of material – it is excellent,” she said. “The brochure has certainly helped spark attention to the need to promote not only the conference but the importance on improving medical services to rural and remote communities statewide,” Belinda said. “The Aboriginal Health Conference is an important and unique event in Western Australia.  We are very proud to host this annual event, so it is fantastic to have accompanying marketing collateral that reflects this sentiment.” About the Aboriginal Health Conference Held over two days in July, the Aboriginal Health Conference brought together professionals with a passion for Aboriginal health from across the state.  The event featured successful programs and patient journeys and provided attendees an opportunity to network and share ideas with other medical professionals. _______________________________________________________________
The Hub creates modern, interactive website for Caroline's Angels   Perth sleep specialists for babies and children, Caroline’s Angels, approached The Hub to create a refreshed brand and new look website. Co-owners Caroline Radford and Caroline McMahon required a dynamic and interactive website to provide additional services to their ever-growing client base.  “We found we can’t be everywhere all the time so we needed a 24/7 service that informs our clients with credible solution based services.  Many clients just needed solid, reliable information they can trust and an interactive website is an ideal platform,” Caroline Radford said. The Hub created a new customer based site structure featuring an online payment mechanism for the three membership levels, an online library catalogue, online shop and links to social media networking sites.  Once the structure was determined a new design was created in keeping with the new contemporary refreshed logo and brand elements. Caroline McMahon said the website will provide Caroline’s Angels an unprecedented platform to reach a new audience of mothers and families that may not have otherwise had access to their services. “What we are most thrilled about is that we have finally been able to achieve our goal of providing a wider variety of options for mothers and families to access our support,” Caroline McMahon said. “This particularly rings true for families in more remote areas who don’t have access to in home services.  Now it is only a click away for our comprehensive Angel library which is a catalogue of step-by-step guides,” Caroline McMahon added. “We can also now provide an online shop of baby products that we have tested and recommend," Caroline Radford said. “The website also has a really modern, fresh look while remaining family friendly and easy to navigate, which is exactly what we set out to achieve.” The Hub also created a refreshed brand and strapline for Caroline’s Angels, featuring a more contemporary look to reflect the new business direction. To view the refreshed brand, fact sheets and website The Hub created click here. About Caroline’s Angels Caroline’s Angels provide sleep solutions for babies and children through in-home visits as well as ongoing support through their interactive phone, email and online services.  Caroline’s Angels was formed by Caroline Radford and Caroline McMahon, who decided to combine their Nursing, Midwifery and Child Health expertise to provide what has become a highly respected sleep service for WA families. ____________________________________________________________
The Hub on panel with the Department of Indigenous Affairs  The Hub has more fantastic Indigenous projects to add to our growing portfolio thanks to successfully being placed on a panel of four providers with the Department of Indigenous Affairs. Subsequently, the Department of Indigenous Affairs enlisted The Hub to coordinate the design and copywriting for their new Closing the Gap newsletter and the design of the Closing the Gap in Indigenous Life Outcomes 2010 report.  To view the latest newsletter click here. To view the 2010 report via the DIA website click here. The Hub designed and wrote the copy for the COAG e-newsletter which included interviewing people from urban, regional and rural Western Australia.  Marketing Communications Coordinator, Ros Brennan, said it was amazing to interview the people on-the-ground implementing the Closing the Gap initiatives in communities throughout WA. “As part of the process we wrote some really interesting and highly emotive stories that truly captured the positive impact created by the various Closing the Gap initiatives across the State,” Ros said. “We also created a suite of design elements for the seven COAG Building Blocks chart, which DIA can now be applied across all Closing the Gap media.” Ros said a particularly touching story came from Indigenous Engagement Officer Mary O’Reeri from Beagle Bay, whose role is to meet with a cross section of the community to determine the priority areas for action. “Although she was dealing with some tough issues head on, she had an unbreakable sense of optimism and hope for the future, which was inspiring to listen to.” About the Closing the Gap initiative The Closing the Gap newsletter and 2010 report document progress made in Western Australia on the Council of Australian Government (COAG) Closing the Gap targets.  These targets aim to decrease the gap in Indigenous disadvantage across the seven key Building Blocks of Early Childhood, Schooling, Health, Economic Participation, Healthy Homes, Safe Communities and Governance and Leadership.   _______________________________________________________________
New clients  Since the release of the autumn edition of The Spoke in April, The Hub team has welcomed the following new clients: Caroline’s Angels – brand refresh and website design. Department of Indigenous Affairs – COAG’s Closing the Gap Reforms e-newsletter (WA), COAG’s Closing the Gap report (WA). Australian School of Tourism and Hotel Management – business strategy facilitation and development, marketing strategy, stakeholder research and rebranding. JH Accounting Services – brand creation, marketing collateral and stationery development. Wastestream – brand creation, stationery creation, marketing collateral, website and key messages. Trident Insurance – advertising.
New projects  Since the release of the autumn edition of The Spoke in April, The Hub team has taken on the following new projects with existing clients: Mindarie Regional Council – multilingual waste education strategy, including design and copy review. Pindan College – new brand, rebranding of all marketing materials, business strategy development and facilitation, communication training and support, marketing strategy development, enrolment advertising, key message creation, website review. Aspen Resorts – Ord Valley Muster sponsorship design, branding and collateral development, 2010 Tourism Award submission. Parmelia Hilton – The Globe Restaurant website design. Gifted Allsorts – promotional flyers, refreshed brand, copywriting, direct mail strategy.