This is me, I am here to make a difference... like it or lump it!

It’s been a BIG week.... it’s been a great week, it’s been an inspiring week and an accomplished week ..... I’ve had so many things going on I have been visualising myself as Keanu Reeves in ‘The Matrix’ just watching the bullets fly past me in slow motion... I’ve had multiple deadlines including getting Mum and Dads home in Thornlie ready for sale as they have made the decision to move into a Retirement Village after living there for 36 years!!!! .... thank goodness for the Dutch angels Marije and Nicole that have dropped out of the sky to help.

It’s also been a challenging week that has unsettled me to the core and made me question myself intensely. On Thursday night I had the privilege of being the MC for our Perth Rare Birds event https://www.inspiringrarebirds.com/…/western-australia-eve…/ I had been so excited about this event that had the topic of Philanthropy and Corporate Social Responsibility as I saw it as a way to showcase how many business owners make a difference and we were so lucky to have the incredible Ros Worthington speak at the event and share her journey https://www.rosworthington.com.au/

I did not however expect to have two hecklers in the audience.... two people a male and female both in their late 40’s who disrupted and aggressively interrupted the presentation with multiple snide outbursts and remarks ... to not only me but also the panel .... remarks about ‘Western Surburbs white people trying to make a difference‘ (which is hilarious I’m sure to anyone who knows me personally - I grew up in Thornlie)

Even though the group of 3 (1 was a mute sidekick) had ‘obviously been drinking’ were escorted from the venue during the event they still had the gumption to return afterwards to aggressively try and railroad their ideas down my throat!

Don’t get me wrong feedback is king ... I constantly want people to challenge my ideas and thoughts so I grow as a human being - I love nothing more than a robust conversation that changes my mind.....but the problem we had here was because these individuals had been ‘on the turps’ they had completely lost the ability to listen to the conversation.

Now you might think I am over reacting but I want to tell you why this incident on Thursday shook me to the core... its because it questioned my values and my values are an integral part of me and why I am who I am and I do what I do!

Jo Burston (founder of Rare Birds) and I are successful entrepreneurs and the fact is we have worked bloody hard over many years, not just hard but ridiculously hard... we have worked so hard to build our companies we now have businesses that give us an income so we can pay it forward...

I am currently in the position for the first time in my life to spend about 20- 80% of my day on non-paid Work and I am only able to do this because my business Aussie Orientation Services has just started to provide me with an income that I don’t have to be business developing day by day .... (because I have the amazing Renee Jefferys running it as MD).....

Now don’t get the wrong end of the stick it’s not a huge amount of money .... but it keeps the wolf from the door so I can concentrate on doing the things I LOVE .... like being the new P&C President at Bicton Primary and being a Board member of Parkerville https://parkerville.org.au/ and the WA Ambassador for Rare Birds plus a few other things.

So let’s highlight sitting on a Board .... (yes it’s highbrow isn’t it ) and as one of our lovely visitors on Thursday night said ‘people only go on NFP Boards to further their own careers ‘....

Gggrrrrr this made me angry ....yes being on a NFP Board I am executing governance over the financials/risk/strategy .... but it does not mean I want to be driven around in a car with a flag on the bonnet..... and yes there are quite a few wealthy people from the most ritzy suburbs of Perth (that are much more influential in high spending/deeper pocket circles of Perth than me) on that Board (which is so important by the way)....but for me personally what I see as my much needed input is, is my ability to be a passionate promoter of the work Parkerville does.... (for crying out loud we are delivering Best Practice in Child Abuse treatment in the middle of our State’s Child Abuse Epidemic!)

I am also actively able to promote Rare Birds and Bicton Primary too in a similar way .....in fact by putting my hand up to be a part of it I am teaching these organisations teams to be entrepreneurial so they can see how I look at things in a different way and also teach them lean and mean start-up culture, and as Jo Burston said on Thursday night ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’

So in reflection I want you to know Thursday night was all about inspiring other business owners to give back to their community.....

For me Giving back is what DRIVES me to SUCCEED in business, not the money itself ..... the change I make with with money I raise or time I donate is what makes me get out of bed in the morning .... if the two of these imbeciles that attended our event were not so drunk when they arrived and actually listened maybe they would have realised that.

The fact is the world has a lot of problems right now .... and I personally think individuals and companies can have a part in fixing it ..... sometimes it just takes someone who thinks a bit differently to not reinvent the wheel but adjust it slightly .... or change the measurements in the ingredients and the method to the make the cake rise higher...

This why we need Big thinkers/ Entrepreneurs in Social Enterprise so we can help drastic situations.... in a similar way the ‘The Gates Foundation’ does ... so decisions are made for humanity not just politics!

So for anyone who thinks it’s all just a Sue Pember show to bring in business to my 3 companies and might be annoyed with my constant preach .... that’s ok ....I give you permission to check out and unfriend or detach/unfollow me and my righteous tirades .... but please note my values are so IMPORTANT and my VISION of a better world is so CLEAR I will not compromise on my output just for the few ... because I am here to inspire MANY to do MORE.

Thanks for listening... glad I got that off my chest .... I will now revert back to the Coma /lack of a voice at all position I find myself in from such a ‘BIG WEEK’

Just a few things I’d like to add...

Entrepreneur: not just a man sitting on a Beach.

Philanthropist: not just a wealthy person looking for issues to shower money on.

Board Member: not just a someone looking to further their own career...

Change starts with us, money is just one way we can help ...... time and active promotion and education is another.

The ‘Sue Pember Centre of Common Sense & no Dickheads’ is coming!

Sue x