A Little Recognition, a Lot of Reflection

A few years ago, we had the good fortune to participate in a marketing mentoring series with local entrepreneurial legend Amy Springhall of The Visibility Project.

Of all the advice Amy shared, one thing really stuck with me. As women in business, we need to get better at putting ourselves out there, sharing our stories and celebrating our successes, rather than quietly shrinking into the background.

I’ll admit, this was (and still is!) a slightly foreign concept to me.

I’ve always been much more comfortable celebrating the achievements of others. Nath’s design and cabinet making awards, the incredible work of our designers and makers, and the collective achievements of our SpaceCraft team. That’s easy. I’m genuinely proud of what we create together.

But talking about my own contribution? That’s a little more uncomfortable.

I’m not a designer. I’m not a maker. I don’t have beautiful kitchens to point to and say, “I did that.”

My job is making the wheels turn. Building the business, developing our people, improving systems, navigating challenges and figuring out what comes next. Important work, certainly, but not particularly visible or tangible.

So when Amy encouraged me to build a personal brand alongside our business brand, I remember wondering what on earth I’d have to say that anyone would be interested in.  Nevertheless, I took her advice and started sharing more of the honest highs, lows and occasional absurdities of running a regional family business in the manufacturing and construction industries.

And, somewhat to my surprise, I’ve discovered that people are actually interested!

An opportunity to take stock

Earlier this year, an opportunity arose to enter SpaceCraft in the Family Business Association’s Founder’s Family Business Awards.

Preparing the submission involved a fair bit of introspection, reflection AND analysis. Where are we today? How did we get here? What have we achieved? What tripped us up along the way? What did we learn, and what might we do differently next time?

It was an enormously valuable exercise in its own right, and one I’d encourage other business owners to undertake. When you’re caught up in the day-to-day demands of running a business, it’s surprisingly easy to lose sight of just how far you’ve come.

And then, at the end of October, we won the 2026 South Australian Founder’s Family Business Award. What a bonus!  For Nath and me, the recognition means a great deal.

There were years when we worked incredibly hard and made very little profit. Years when we just had to plough on, because our house was quite literally riding on the success of the business.  We made mistakes, learnt some lessons the hard way, and gradually got better at understanding what it actually takes to run a successful and sustainable business.

These days, thankfully, we’re profitable. We sleep better at night. We have direction, purpose and a vision for the future. And we’ve built a wonderful team of around 30 people who bring an incredible range of skills, ideas and energy to SpaceCraft.

That doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing. The occasional client who’s exceptionally difficult to please (thankfully, most value our expertise and creativity, and trust us to deliver a beautiful result, even when things go a little pear-shaped along the way — which, in the building and renovating game, is pretty much par for the course!), material shortages, supplier headaches and the ongoing challenge of finding talented people to support sustainable growth still keep us on our toes.

But we’ve become better at recognising what isn’t working, seeking advice, making changes and building a stronger business as a result.   And that’s something worth celebrating.

Better together

One of the things I’m particularly proud of is the business Nath and I have built together.

Nath’s creativity, technical nous and considered approach are a pretty perfect complement to my somewhat faster-paced, change-seeking and occasionally rather direct approach to business.

We don’t always see things the same way, and I’m sure there are times when he wishes I’d slow down long enough for him to finish thinking something through! But our different strengths have helped shape SpaceCraft into what it is today.

Of course, it’s no longer just the two of us. Far from it.  Our designers, cabinet makers, installers, production and support crew have brought their own talents, ideas and perspectives to the business, helping us achieve things we could never have imagined back when we started in 2008.

And while we might have founded SpaceCraft, it’s the collective efforts of our team that make it successful today. Teamwork really does make the dream work.

We’ve also been incredibly fortunate to have good people around us outside the business.

For almost a decade, my Family Business Association Forum Group has provided a confidential sounding board, a place to share frustrations, test ideas, gain perspective and occasionally enjoy what feels suspiciously like a group therapy session!

Our long-time accountant and adviser, Sam Handley, has helped us understand the numbers, challenge our thinking and make better business decisions. And my dad, Ted Byrt, our very unofficial Advisory Board Chairman, is still my first call when things go spectacularly wrong and it’s time to bring in the big guns.

Running a business can be a lonely exercise at times, and having people you trust to challenge, encourage and support you makes an enormous difference.

Learning to celebrate the wins

Which brings me back to Amy and that gentle shove all those years ago.

I’m still much more comfortable shining a light on the achievements of others, but I’ve come to appreciate that sharing my own experiences has value too. Not because I have all the answers (far from it!), but because there are plenty of other people out there navigating similar challenges, making similar decisions and wondering whether they’re on the right track.

And perhaps that’s the greatest value in being a little more visible. It’s not simply about promoting yourself. It’s about sharing experiences, making connections and learning from one another.

Winning the FBA award has given Nath and me a wonderful reason to stop, take stock and feel proud of what we’ve achieved over the past 18 years.

We’re also excited to represent South Australia at the National Family Business Excellence Awards in Darwin next June, and to spend some time with other family businesses, sharing stories and pondering the bigger picture.

There’s still plenty we want to do, improve and achieve at SpaceCraft. But for now, we’re enjoying this moment and acknowledging the enormous contribution of everyone who’s helped us get here.

So thank you, Amy, for encouraging me to step out from behind the scenes. And thank you to the FBA, our advisers, supporters, our families and, most importantly, our wonderful SpaceCraft crew.

It turns out there really is something to be said for celebrating your successes.  Even if it takes a little practice!