Louise McGregor

Age: 37
Business Est: 2003
Number of staff: 5
Growth: 35%
Turnover: $500,000

WHILE on a conference phone call in a garage with her first big client Sir Richard Branson, the last thing Louise McGregor wanted to hear was a lawn mower starting up outside.

McGregor laughs off the ‘incredible’ event while spinning the entrepreneurial story of how she got there in the first place.

After leaving her job at Warner Bros as marketing manager to become a mother, McGregor was inspired to start her own creative brand development and marketing firm while reading Branson’s autobiography, Losing My Virginity.

McGregor had a strong focus on which clients she initially wanted to target, but had to ‘pinch’ herself after securing the branding launch of Branson’s Virgin credit card in Australia as her first major contract.

“People often say to me ‘how did you get your clients?’ When I first started I made a wish list of 40 clients I’d love to work with and when it’s down on paper you do what you need to make it happen,” she says.

“Virgin kept me on as a single consultant at $75,000 a year for three and a half years. I only had to work three days a week then and I only work three days a week now.”

Since its establishment in 2003, P’s In a Pod has worked with many high profile local clients including the Gold Coast Titans, the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show and Pacific Fair shopping centre.

“I saw a gap in the marketplace between large scale advertising agencies who charged high retainer fees and individual designers and marketing consultants who could provide companies with a complete portfolio of creative services,” she says.

“When my husband Ian came aboard in my second year we really had the synergy to try to raise the quality of creative work and advertising being seen on the Gold Coast.”

P’s In a Pod is rapidly growing, however it doesn’t consume McGregor’s life and she’s happy to develop the company part-time while juggling motherhood.

“I’m often asked to imagine what the company could achieve if I worked five days a week but we’re taking things one step at a time. Quite often businesses take on too much and the quality of the service diminishes,” she says.

Her advice for other stay at home mums who can’t contain their entrepreneurial spirit is to stay focused, as with every benefit comes a challenge.

“I believe everyone is different but you’ve got to have a passion for something and know what you want,” she says.