As well as always being on the hunt for new work, Edwards has also kept a close eye on the financials of the business, which has helped the company stay on track.
“I have a wonderful financial controller who works closely with my accounting firm, so even though we deal with communications I think great scrutiny of the books is very important.
“You have to make sure costs aren’t blowing out and I think one of the biggest problems for firms has been getting people to pay their bills, which makes it hard to pay staff and rent costs, so meticulous attention to cash flow of the business is needed.”
In 25 years of business Edwards has never retrenched a single staff member and has survived the financial downturns by asking people to work part-time until business picked up.
The company has also adapted to a changing marketplace.
“I look at which industries are doing well and which industries are falling by the wayside. For example, if I see there is movement in master plan communities for retirement living, I’ll see if I have contacts in that area and package up some information demonstrating our skills.”
For Edwards, a happy workforce is a productive workforce, so she always strives to make the working environment enjoyable.
“If I’m working with people who are miserable or unmotivated that would make me miserable and unmotivated. I invest a lot of energy into making it a casual, larrikin, irreverent, playful atmosphere,” she says.
“There is a lot of offbeat humour and it’s just crazy fun. I encourage this because we have a strong corporate governance underpinning the company, but people in this line of work tend to be creative and I want to bring out their flair and individuality and encourage them to think in a creative and broad way.”
As well as striving to create an enjoyable environment, Edwards also recognises the importance of a flexible workforce.
“As the workforce gets older… a lot of staff are dealing with an elderly parent or someone who is not well and that flexibility is important. This is why I always put the clients with teams of at least two people.
“This way, the client gets great service. In the long run it’s cost effective and it means the people at BBS can have a life. There are staff members training for triathlons and others doing post-graduate studies. I encourage them to take on something which broadens their horizons, so I let them come in early to go home early and have a life.”
Leisure time
Outside of the business, Edwards is also a member on a number of boards and committees and involves herself in projects which help her to keep up with what’s happening in the city.
She also works as an adjunct professor at Queensland University and sits on the City Future Fund and is honorary consul to France.
“Three or four nights a week I’m out at an event or meeting talking to people. I have a big network of corporate social activity, which goes on in most capital cities,” she says.
Edwards has also been happily married for more than 25 years.
“For me, my husband, my marriage and my household comes first,” she says.
“After that, it’s work. If you’re committed to owning a business you have to be in it 100%. I don’t think there’s any such thing as work-life balance.”
Future
Edward wants to grow BBS Communications in profit, but not necessarily size.
“BBS is the perfect size for the market we operate in. My sense of growth is to grow profit and to grow the expertise of the staff and to grow the quality of work we take on so we get better and better,” she says.
“I’d like to bring some of my senior people through and work in a different way. Not necessarily stepping back from the business, but there will be an evolution in my career.”
But while Edwards is thinking of mixing up her workload, she thinks she’ll still be working when she’s 70.
“It’s natural, I enjoy it and it enlivens me.”
