CHARLOTTE LERPINIERE

LET’S KICK OFF WITH GETTING TO KNOW YOU A LITTLE BETTER, HOW WOULD you describe yourself? 
I would describe myself as a very driven and determined person, with a LOT of goals. I always said I want to work hard in my 20’s and kick my feet up in my 30’s (which I doubt will ever happen). I literally love working… I have always been a really hard worker but now creating my own work environment, I just know this is what I am meant to do with my life. I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to tech stuff and in terms of lifestyle, i love cooking, eating, the beach, my friends and being outdoors. 

YOU OWN BRANDID MEDIA AND ‘GET SAVVY’ - TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT THESE BUSINESSES.
Brandid Media is a Digital Marketing business (not agency) that I founded just over 12 months ago after quitting my full-time job as an Event Manager. I had an intense passion and skill with business marketing. I always took it on as one of my responsibilities wherever I worked and loved evolving with the changing digital landscape. This started with website design for my friends’ local businesses, which grew and grew all by word of mouth. I was very lucky to have learnt so much whilst I was still quite young, being mentored by some amazing women in all my jobs, which allowed me to have the confidence to start my own thing.

Get Savvy is all about providing like-minded women with the opportunity to gain inspiration, motivation, savvy tips and form connections in a fun and inviting environment. As the event formed, I realised how needed this was, and how much value I can provide for an affordable price. I chose to partner with the Women’s Resilience Centre because of how incredibly aligned our values and goals are, as well as wanting to support the women that they support. They provide free programs and support to women who have experienced trauma, like domestic violence, loss and divorce, who are looking to upskill, gain independence and re-enter the workforce. $10 from every ticket will be donated to them as well as all money raised by raffle tickets. Over 50 local businesses have put their hand up to donate prizes for this raffle, which shows how amazing the Northern Beaches is in supporting great initiatives like this.

WHY DID YOU START ‘GET SAVVY?
Seeing how many local businesses and entrepreneurs needed tips, support and advice when it comes to marketing and setting up a new business, I realised there was an opportunity to bring this together and create an in-person event, where the inspirational people we follow online can be accessible in one room at one time whilst putting the local businesses of the Northern Beaches on centre stage through event partnerships, raffle prizes, goodie bags, etc!

YOU HAVE AN EVENT COMING UP IN OCTOBER - TELL US ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE CAN EXPECT FROM THIS?
Get Savvy’s first ever event is being held on Thursday 10 October at Mona Vale SLSC, on the Northern Beaches of Sydney with tickets on sale now. Ticket holders can expect a night full of value. On arrival, you will be greeted with a complimentary cocktail, opportunity for a complimentary professional Linked In photo, able to check out our business showcase section, enjoy delicious food, a goodie bag valued at OVER $400, access to 6 highly valuable and inspirational speakers and an opportunity to chat with them during the breaks, new business connections and networking opportunities and options to purchase raffle tickets where you could win amazing prizes! This event is going to be the first of its kind held on the Northern Beaches, which is extremely special. If you are a business owner or not, you will find it insanely valuable with tickets priced at $120, where conferences with this level of value would see prices at over $500!

WHAT DOES A DAY IN THE LIFE LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? 
A day in the life for me is CRAZY but I love it! I wake up pretty early – I am a bit of a sunrise girly – always with a huge coffee and a walk or swim. I usually start my work day early, going through a heap of emails and checking in with my team. I used to do all the web design for our business but am now taking more of a strategy and management step, so would be a bit of project planning, client updates, logistics, approvals and feedback. As we are getting closer to Get Savvy, I make sure I am on top of all the comms and marketing with that, scheduling reels and writing captions, as well as for my Brandid Media account. Managing multiple social media accounts, and then on top, clients accounts, can be very difficult haha!

WHAT DO YOU FIND CHALLENGING ABOUT RUNNING A BUSINESS AND HOW DO YOU GET OVER THESE CHALLENGES?
I am a very efficient and organised person so when my day-to-day is not organised or there are some road blocks, it really affects me. I would say this is my biggest challenge, but I usually go have a breather, then come back and re-organise everything so it works. This means re-writing out my to do list, making sure our project management software is up to date and accurate, planning out my week in my google calendar which is all colour coordinated and then actually sticking to it.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE WORK LIFE BALANCE?
Honestly, this is not my forte at this current point in time, but I am knowingly working so hard in the background to set up two businesses basically at the same time. My staff are so incredibly important to me, so I want to make sure I have the best possible business for them to turn up to each day. I do try and prioritise my fitness, the ocean and getting my vitamin D each day, which helps me reset.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING A BUSINESS OWNER?
Tough question… I would probably say doing leadership my way. I always had it in the back of my mind that I would own a business one day, and now that I am here, I really feel this is where I am meant to be. Having a team of 6 creative and incredibly talented women who are all so unique but all very similar energies, makes me so motivated to keep growing this. I have always been as transparent as possible with them from the start, learning from them, leaning on them for support and always lifting each other up. They all see my vision, and I am so excited to see where it takes us.

ONE PIECE OF ADVICE TO SOMEONE WANTING TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS?
Just start and be prepared to make mistakes. The way you handle and learn from those mistakes are going to determine the success of your business.

FAVOURITE BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY?
Milanote

IF YOU’D LIKE TO PURCHASE A ticket to the get savvY event, YOU CAN DO SO VIA this link here.