Featured Friday: Alice Mabin of Al Mabin Pty Ltd

This week we talked with Alice Mabin of Al Mabin Pty Ltd. Al is a 10 times best-selling author and BEFA Asia Pacific Female Entrepreneur of the Year. Her record-breaking publications, The Drover, The Driver and The Grower Series are iconic. More than just stunning books, these masterpieces reconnect people to the outback way of life, celebrate the essence of the Aussie bush and stir solidarity. Recently, she released her memoir, detailing the winding road that brought her from traumatic brain injury survivor to award-winning author. The Winding Road: Secrets of an Outback Entrepreneur reminds us that our potential is limitless. You can visit Alice online at www.almabin.com.
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Tell me about yourself!
I like to think of myself as just a country woman, living my dream, not taking no for an answer, creating magic and making the impossible possible. I have a limitless mindset and get so much joy out of seeing other people succeed. I am just as comfortable with my own company in remote outback locations as I am wining and dining in the cities. But I would choose the country over the city any day, however love the best of both worlds. 

Tell me about your business!
I dedicate my life to sharing the heart and spirit of our rural communities with the world. I spent many years working on the land before an accident that left me physically unable to farm again. Determined to preserve my contribution to our agricultural industry, I sold my working dogs, bought a camera and turned Australia’s self-publishing industry on its head. 

Now well-known for commanding keynotes, I harnesses the power of storytelling to inspire change, challenge mindsets and create brilliance. My Outback yarns will change the way you think. 

How did you business come about?
My identity was tied to working on the land in agriculture, but due to a major head injury I had to change my path. I ended up in the corporate world, still involved in agriculture, and my corporate career blossomed. My life started to resemble a conventional existence: 9-5, secure job, heath insurance, company car, travel, tech gadgets, ladder rungs, bottom lines. But there was something missing. The supposed peace and security associated with that prototypical existence unsettled me. That inherent conflict between my heart and mind reappeared, and I began to question if what I was doing with my life was right for me. The conflict was palpable. I began to ask myself, Who creates the unwritten rules of how we should live our lives, and why do we so willingly follow them? Who defines how we should behave? What would I do if I had six months to live?

It was the six-month question that got me.  It took me a while to face up to my worry and apprehension, but I knew enough about myself to recognize that my well-being was connected to my ability to face fear. I missed having the freedom to grow and explore. I missed buzzing with anticipation and searching the undiscovered. So, I chose to leave my career—my six-figure salary security. I brought a camera, ended up on the worlds biggest cattle drive, and started my own business.

What's the hardest part about being an entrepreneur?
Being in the lime light all the time, always having to have my game face on.  Balancing the 'pusher' and 'inner critic' in me to not chew myself up and spit myself out or work 24/7. 

What's your favorite part?
My favorite part is seeing the impact my products have on people. Seeing them connect in the moment and stir emotion inside. The flow on effect from this is long lasting and exponentially shared.

What advice would you give to women either working in business or starting their own?
There is no right or wrong way to do business. The biggest barrier to success is our own minds, so the more work we can do on ourselves and understanding our own psychology, the more we can be present and create magic in our worlds.

What's your favorite quote?
I learnt early on that life is the fruit of our own doing: we have no one to blame but ourselves for the life we cultivate. Life is too short not to do what you love.