Mumpreneur | Kylie Eyles

My husband and I own Sam Eyles Air Conditioning that offer both commercial and residential air conditioning and refrigeration services to the NT.

I juggle work and family by leaving the guilt behind. Things won’t always be perfect, and that’s ok. Having a supportive partner is vital as you lean on each other so much in order to get the balance of work and family just right. Keeping your sense of humour is a must! And my phone is critical to planning and scheduling my time. When things get hectic, I ask if the task is important? Will it benefit my business and family? You also have to learn the art of delegation…like I almost have 🙂

Working with a positive team and regularly reinforcing our goals helps me maintain my motivation. Long term goals are broken down into smaller milestones and we are able to track our progress. My motivation is highest in the mornings so I attack the harder to achieve work, leaving more routine tasks for the afternoon. Minimise distractions that can cause loss of focus. And try to make work fun!

My advice for those starting a new business is to do market research. Is your product or service in demand? Who would be your customers? What competition is there in your area? Write a business/financial plan or seek advice on how to do so. Know your product or service, be passionate about it and give nothing less than excellent customer service. Determine what your skills gaps are and fill them.

Since starting in 2002 watching our family business grow from two employees to where it is today, employing approx 20 staff has been extremely rewarding. During that time, we have trained numerous apprentices who have gone on to become very competent tradespeople and successful members of the Darwin community.