Building the right conditions
When I first spoke with Matthew Haynes about the possibility of speaking at The Design Conference, I kept coming back to one question.
What could I share that might genuinely help someone else?
I didn't want to stand on stage pretending I'd figured it all out. I wanted to talk about what it actually feels like to build a creative business over 18 years. The pressure that comes with leading people. The moments where you wonder whether you're making the right decisions. Trying to grow a business while protecting the life you've built around it.
That became Quietly Profitable: How Studios Are Built to Last. The idea behind it was simple. Creativity gets you noticed. What keeps clients, grows teams and builds a business over time is something else.
What stayed with me
I've been to The Design Conference before, but this year felt different. Maybe it was because I experienced it as a speaker. Maybe it was where I am in my own journey. Whatever the reason, I came home thinking less about the talks and more about the people.
Every speaker brought a different perspective. Peter Gould reminded us that great design starts with empathy and heart. Shruthi Manjula Balakrishna shared a line that has stayed with me ever since: "Being alive is not an extracurricular activity." It was a timely reminder that the businesses we build should support our lives, not replace them.
Pumla Maswanganyi challenged us to think more deeply about whose voices shape our work and whose stories are missing. Brian Collins closed the conference with a reminder that design still has the power to shape culture, communities and what comes next.
None of them were trying to hand out a formula for success. They simply shared what they'd learned. That generosity carried through the entire conference.
The workshop
As much as I enjoyed speaking, the workshop was the highlight for me. For two hours, studio founders and creative leaders sat together and talked honestly about what it takes to build a creative business. People shared mistakes they'd made. Conversations they'd avoided. Challenges they were still trying to solve. Nobody was trying to sound clever. They were trying to help the person sitting next to them.
That's rare. And it's probably what I'll remember most.
The messages afterwards
A few weeks have passed now, and I'm still reading messages from people who were there. Some said the talk gave them confidence to keep building the kind of business they wanted, even if it looked different from everyone else's. Others said it was the first time they'd heard someone talk openly about leading a business while raising a family.
Matthew Haynes wrote:
"You repped Australian independent design like never before. There were hundreds of next generation business leaders hanging on your every word for the purpose of finding the courage to go to the next level and I will forever be grateful for what you brought."
Then there were messages that quietly stopped me in my tracks. Chontelle Cripps shared that the Golden Triangle became "a very powerful illustration of structuring your life and business around your values and priorities."
Heather Venz wrote:
"Where are the mums on stage showing us how to make career and family work? And then you came on stage."
Fiona Clark thanked me for creating a space where people felt safe enough to be honest and reminded me that sometimes the most valuable thing we can do is help people realise they're not alone.
Frankie Young shared that both the talk and the workshop had already changed the conversations she and her co-founder were having about the business they're building together.
There were messages from founders about finding the courage to start an agency. Messages from students who said they felt seen. Messages from designers who said they wanted to build workplaces where people could thrive, not just produce great work.
One message simply said:
"Wish I worked at a place like the one you have created."
I don't read those messages thinking I've got it all figured out. I read them because they remind me how important it is to talk about the parts of business we usually keep to ourselves.
Thank you
Thank you to Matthew Haynes and the entire The Design Conference team for creating something that brings our industry together with so much generosity, curiosity and care.
Thank you to every speaker who shared their experiences so openly.
Thank you to everyone who came over after the talk, asked a question, joined the workshop or took the time to send a message afterwards. Every conversation meant something.
And finally, thank you to the team at Creatik. While I was in Brisbane, some of the team were in the audience. Others were back in Sydney looking after our clients and keeping the studio moving.
People have been kind enough to congratulate me on speaking at The Design Conference. The truth is, I only got to stand on that stage because of the people standing beside me every day.