Ladies in Business Day 3

Name:

Bridget Evans

Company name/Organization name

Paronella Park & The Mamu Tropical Skywalk

Tell us about your business (what product or service you provide )

Paronella Park and The Mamu Tropical Skywalk are two beautiful tourist attractions in Tropical North Queensland. Paronella Park is a Spanish-inspired pleasure garden built in the 1930’s and features bridges, tunnels, castles, waterfalls – and an amazing story. Mamu Tropical Skywalk is an architectural marvel with a super-high observation tower, a cantilever stretching out over the rainforest, and an elevated walkway through the Wooroonooran National Park with strong Indigenous history and views for days!

What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to others?

The best advice I’ve ever received in business was that you can’t do everything yourself. Find team members or suppliers who are good at what you aren’t. It shows strength to admit you have weaknesses! The best advice I’ve ever received in life was from my Mum. It was never pass up the opportunity to use a clean bathroom when you’re out and about, because you don’t know when you’ll be able to find another one. Both tips have served me well many times!

What one thing have you learned as a small business owner that has served you well over the years?

Running a small business is so much work! All successful business owners I know have a complete passion for their business. I think if you don’t have that, it would be hard to persevere through the tough times.

Are there any resources or tools you’d like to share with other small business owners that have helped you run your business?

A lot of industries have representative bodies which are endless sources of information and resources. In the Tourism industry, for example, we have our industry bodies like TTNQ, TEQ, TA, QTIC, etc. In most industries you will find these acronym-laden organisations that you’ll speak about so often they become part of your vernacular and you’ll forget that oftentimes people outside the industry don’t know what the acronyms mean…. Like I did in my second sentence here. Anyway, find them and reach out! They may be a great resource for you! Also, grab a membership to Canva to create your own social media graphics and posts. It’s cheap, often free, and it makes your social content look *chefs kiss*!

What do you do for fun/relaxation?

On Monday nights I host trivia for The Bungalow Hotel which is so much fun! I love trivia but I have a terrible memory, so the best thing about hosting is I get to ask the questions, but I don’t have to know any of the answers. Woo! My other hobby is dressing up in costumes for no good reason. I wanted to be born a Disney Princess, and when that didn’t work out, I decided to try to take matters into my own hands. I’m sure all my friends are sick of seeing my costumes on Instagram… and to those that are, I say… yep, fair enough.

And something on the fun side of things, what’s your party trick?

Disappearing without even a puff of smoke when I’ve had too much to drink.

#tourismqld  #ttnq  #paronellapark #supportlocal  #localbusinesses