Directors' Circle: Jenelle Schembri, Brandfactor

Local Mackay business owner Jenelle Schembri from Brandfactor has started up some pretty interesting businesses – from events management (remember On Q Events? That was her!) to homewares to merchandise that you can trust isn’t going to be dodgy. Always easy to deal with and with massive amounts of integrity, we wanted to find out what makes this lady tick!

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be a Police Officer but that never eventuated. My involvement now with Mackay Neighbourhood Watch is as close as I think I will get to that.

What’s your favourite part about being a business owner?

There is no question that owning your own business is hard work. We have two successful businesses that we have built from the ground up. I love the idea that the sky is the limit and all of the responsibility lies with my husband Michael and myself. We are in charge of our own destiny.

How do you stay motivated when challenges arise?

Every challenge is not a problem, it's just a situation that you need to deal with one step at a time. Stay calm, work through it and eventually you will come out the other side. Make the best decision you can based on the information you have available to you at the time. Sometimes, you will learn something from it, and other times, you will wonder why on earth you made that decision.

How do you generate new ideas for the business?

Stop, think, stop, think.  Have a break and do something completely away from the business. That's when the best and clearest ideas come to you.

What are your non-work habits that help with your life-work balance?

I like to run - that's my 'me time'. I like to wake at 4am to work as the sun rises and the birds start tweeting - during this time I get most of my work done.  That way, I am ready to tackle the day!

Give a shout out to three local businesses.

Nannu Johnny's Farm - locally grown produce at our fingertips!

Defined Business Matters - Collett makes numbers easy and her bookkeeping skills make business easy.

Homeworks - this is our other business at Mt Pleasant Shopping Centre.  It's life's little department store and stocks lots of 'As Seen on TV' items, gadgets and nifty products to make life easier.