Member snapshot – Samantha Brunskill from Brunslea Park
As business owners and operators, we all know there are many paths to success.
In a continuation of our Member Snapshot series, we speak with Samantha Brunskill – a young woman pursuing what many might call an unorthodox path in business to achieve outstanding results.
Phil May
CEO
Committee 4 Wagga
Member snapshot
Last time we caught up with Samantha Brunskill, she was focused on building a neighbourhood at Brunslea Park where people feel connected.
While Sam remains strong in this vision, she is also now working with individuals to help foster their own individual sense of belonging in her new business venture – Willow Metta.
To create the space to do this, Sam first needed to adjust operations at Brunslea Park.
“Late last year, we reviewed the entire operational plan for 2018-20 and created a new team structure, which included a new Sales Manager position and some operations support.
“This has really allowed me to move into a more strategic role to support the team and ensure we stay true to our vision. And now I’m not in operations, I’m going to be working remotely.”
So far, the plan seems to be working well with the team having already sold 85% of lots for its next land release.
“To give a bit of a comparison, in our previous stage we presold 50% of lots and now we’re looking like this stage, The Boulevard, will be 100% sold before it’s even ready to build on.
“A key part of this land release is liveability. We’ve incorporated key design principles to reduce the speed of traffic, encourage a walkable suburb and make it a safer neighbourhood. It’s designed to encourage that sense of belonging and connection.
“In my own personal journey, I’ve seen the importance of a sense of belonging and how that applies in building communities. So the natural progression for me is to help individuals with this sense of belonging. That’s what I’m now doing within my own business.
“Ultimately, I’ve created space in Brunslea Park to allow me to spend time doing this other type of work.”
Sam credits her business success to her own personal growth and sees a shift coming in the way we approach business.
“I think that 80% of our success as a business owner comes from our mindset. A business only grows in the same proportion as we as businesspeople are willing to grow.
“In business, we often stagnate and we’re not able to go to the next cycle. Over the past 12 months, Brunslea Park has challenged me more than ever but the more I work on my own mindset, the more I stretch myself, the more my team succeeds. They see me being able to hold a bigger space for them. I’m more present. I’m more empathetic towards them and their needs, and I think that’s what we need in business.
“We need to be able to balance the masculine and feminine energies in business. What I think business needs now more than ever is more feminine energy – a sense of collaboration, cooperation, being in tune with our own emotional intelligence as a business leader. When we’re more emotionally intelligent as business owners, we’re more present to the needs of our people, our clients and our strategic partnerships.
“I think we’ll see more of this approach in Wagga, and millennials are going to be the ones to drive that. They don’t want to work for a company unless they have a purpose, so if you want to keep staff in your company then you have to become more in tune with that dance between the feminine and masculine energy.
“With everything becoming globalised, if you want to remain relevant, then I think you’re going to have to become more emotionally intelligent. You’re going to have to provide more value.”