Petra Morse
Our Finance and Operations Manager, relied on to drive the day to day operations of our rapidly growing business, Petra brings a calm and sensible approach to running process efficiencies across finance, HR and business development.
She is a highly organised multi-skilled manager with a history of account management & system implementation roles in the digital marketing arena and many years experience offering marketing & finance services to small business. She has worked with clients and partners across various industries from large corporate airlines in the Middle East to locally a run wellness & health centre in Sydney. Scroll down to read the full interview.
When I look back, I feel privileged to have started my career educating people about the magic world of the internet. AOL (America Online) was set up to get households online and I was blessed to be part of the launch team in the UK. The world wide web and email was still a confusing world to most people older than 25 or outside of the business world. Now there are few people in the world who don’t have it as part of their daily life.
Being excited by life in general and wanting the best of both worlds, after I moved to Australia 5 years into my career, I was graced with the ability to follow a great passion for natural therapy and try out a new industry (some call it mid-life crisis, perhaps more like mid-career crisis for me). The dream was to spend half the week offering body therapies destressing busy people in the workplace whilst using my technical background to keep the brain cogs ticking.
I got rather drawn into the business side of being a sole trader and another world later, through learnings I made along the way, find myself drawn into every aspect that keeps a small business ticking.
What excites you most about your job?
Helping others find their way and watching small business blossom into bigger enterprises.
What’s your favourite city and why?
I always thought it was San Francisco, such a fun place to be with an eclectic mix of people from all backgrounds and surrounded by beauty. No-one I ever met in San Francisco was born there, it’s a place where people come together to enjoy life. After nearly 20 years in and out of Sydney, though, San Francisco sits slightly in the background and has fallen to 2nd place. I love Sydney!!
What book are you currently reading?
The Rosie Project. A very entertaining read about a clever scientist, on the Asperger’s spectrum whose neurons are wired differently, trying to find a wife. A lovely escape and reality check, reminding me to be forever grateful for what I have.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Don’t burn your bridges.
If you could tell your 18-year-old self one thing, what would it be?
Get out there, have fun, be diligent, be careful, be nice to others, give back, do something you love as long as you’re financially able.