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year olds that has produced over 150 titles. It was a busy time for both women, holding down demanding, full time positions while raising three children each, but it provided invaluable experience for the many hats they would come to wear in their own publishing business. Increasingly, the appeal of working for themselves and juggling work and family in a new way tugged, and in 2005 Frances and Sandy set up Clean Slate Press, with Frances handling product development and the sales and marketing side of the business, and Sandy the financial and production side, while both acting as publishers. The global financial crisis was yet to hit and while setting up their own business was a risky venture, they managed to secure the support of their bank. They had done their homework – written business and cash flow plans – which inspired confidence with their future projections. Sandy muses that getting a business loan probably wouldn't have happened in today's climate, so they were lucky to have started out when they did. Frances and Sandy's first year in business was challenging – the company had no income for 10 months – but it was high-octane fun. They researched international curricula, developed three different product concepts, made prototypes, and put together presentations. Then they organised a whirlwind trip to the United States and Canada, seeing five different educational publishers in three different cities in the space of a week. Three of the publishers liked what they saw and signed with Clean Slate Press, paving the way for a lucrative global publishing business. Setting their sights on the high earning international publishing market made sense to Frances and Sandy; it was what they knew, having worked with overseas publishers for many years. Frances and Sandy devoted their energies 24/7 to making the most of every opportunity for their fledgling publishing business. They developed a strategic plan and took it upon themselves to attend as many international book fairs and conferences as possible, as well as tapping more traditional channels that included the Publisher's Association of New Zealand and talking to overseas publishers direct about what they wanted. They avoided publishing trends and found the business before publishing into that niche. Their planning, diligence and hard work eventually paid off, and they established a name for themselves in the global educational market. Their product range can now be found in many countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and the united Kingdom, and it's worth 75% of their operating turnover. "Growing a successful small business has involved us wearing a lot of different hats", they say. "We've folded many flyers and written many books. From lugging boxes of stock around the warehouse to presenting at international conferences – we've done it all." Sarah Thornton Thornton Communications Ltd Frances and Sandy's keys to building a successful business: 1. Make decisions and run with them. We have made many that have worked, and some that haven't. This is all part of the learning process. 2. Keep pushing boundaries. We have moved into the international market with no external assistance and succeeded. 3. Keep learning. Reading books and magazines, listening to the radio and watching TV all help us keep up-to-date with trends around the world. 4. Be creative. Look for what a potential client doesn't have and provide it for them. In our case, many of our clients are looking for creative, new ways in which to provide curriculum content. It also helps to keep ahead of the competition by delivering on time, every time. It's amazing who doesn't! 5. Work hard and be passionate about the business. HER MAGAZINE | February/March 2012 | 51 Paul Shih Paul Shih