So who are you anyway, and what do you do?
Steph Hinds. I’m commonly referred to as Numbers Nerd or Queen of the Cloud. But I like to think of myself as the middle ninja at growthwise. I hate the formal title thing.
What do I do? Maybe we need some more room!!!!! In a nutshell help businesses think, learn, grow and kick-arse.
What was your last job before getting into this?
Working in a traditional accounting business.
And why did you decide to do what you do now?
I love helping people. I love solving problems. I love seeing people/businesses succeed. I love new things. I love pushing the boundaries. I can combine all of those into one at growthwise which = winning!
What is it about the 60/70/80/90s that you miss most? (Choose one)
I spent the majority of the 90’s in a pool swimming laps….and surprisingly I do miss it
What is the biggest challenge facing SMEs today?
Change, help and talent. Things are changing rapidly. If you don’t adapt as a business your business will die. Help is necessary for all SME’s but most don’t know where to go and get it. Where do you go and learn about all this new stuff? Who is out there to help implement? Talent is also huge problem.
Can cloud software solve that challenge? And if so, how? And if not, what can?
The cloud systems I see coming out are sensational for the SME market. They are certainly helping with the change issues. Next step is to keep the advisors up to speed with just what’s possible.
If you could retire now, what would you do? Or not do?
Retirement. I hate the word. When my brain retires I will retire. Until that time I’ll keep having a bucket load of fun just like i am now 🙂
If you could give your younger self some advice, what would it be?
Dream Believe Create Succeed – That’s the advice I took – & I’d do it all again.
If you could buy anyone a drink in a bar and chat to them about anything, who would it be, what drink, and what would you talk about?
Aaron Levie. I imagine if this did happen I would be squealing like a 15 year old girl does over Beiber…so the talking part may be hard! But i’d try and talk to him about life, ambitions, his thoughts on the possibilities in the future, and hopefully after many martini espresso’s the #1– new business ideas we would come up with!
If you could walk up to anyone, kick them in the shins and shout something at them, who would it be, and what would you shout? Go on….get it off your chest!
Anyone in Government – the people who decide on policy. I get very frustrated at how slow things move.
If you could walk up to anyone and hug them, who would it be, and why?
Elon Musk – for not caring about what people think & pushing the boundaries whenever possible. For having a vision and going after it.
What’s your favourite meat and gravy meal?
Lamb and Gravy roll from the Embassy Cafe in Newcastle!
What is your greatest achievement?
I don’t think I have one. Maybe my ability to set goals and smash them? Not caring what people think and not accepting failure as an option. Always pushing boundaries and also thinking outside the square to solve problems. I guess I’m aiming for my life to be my achievement.
Or….maybe it’s my shoe collection!
What do you want to achieve that you haven’t as yet?
Robots. I want to ultimately work with people on developing robots that push info to me. I’m lazy. I don’t want to have to look things up or remember to check anything. But I want all the info so I can make decisions.
What’s next for you?
DiG Festival – Adapt or Die! I’m madly passionate about connecting people, learning and pushing boundaries.
Steph is numbers-nerd at growthwise in Newcastle, Australia
Meet the gravy 