MEDIA: Women in Focus

As part of the Inspire Me series, we are grateful to be among the first to be profiled by Women in Focus, a new initiative of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Our interview follows...

Paula Ward lives and breathes sport. She currently has a fractured nose - a netball injury - and is just back from a flying visit to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup. But this passion is well placed in her business, Know The Game. Paula speaks with Leah Thomson from Women in Focus.

Why did you start your business?
Australia is dominated by a sporting culture. If you haven't grown up watching or playing the local sports and now find yourself in a work or social situation where sport is frequently discussed, it can be difficult to be included. My focus is to get people engaged in these discussions with colleagues, clients, suppliers and new acquaintances.

If a senior executive walks up to you and starts talking about the Wallabies game on the weekend, and you have a basic understanding of what is going on, you have more of an opportunity to build a relationship and open discussion channels.

Through workshops, I teach people about Australian sports - AFL, cricket, rugby, golf, tennis, netball and more. I also deliver tailored education for senior executives and CEOs, as well as key note presentations.

What did you do to turn your idea into a reality?
It was quite a process from thinking is this just a quirky idea or could it really be a sustainable business. I did a great deal of research, spoke to a lot of people and finally decided there was enough interest and potential for momentum. I put a cautious toe in the water and started establishing the business while still working full time. Over the past year, I've gradually built the business and it is now my main focus.

What is unique about the service you provide?
Know The Game is a new concept for the market. It is unique and focused on driving innovative, value-adding services for our clients to help them better leverage their sporting sponsorships by getting a broader group of clients and colleagues into the corporate sporting box and building the confidence of all team members by providing another avenue by which rapport can be built with colleagues, clients and suppliers.

It's not about developing a singular focus on sport; it's about having an appreciation for it and taking advantage of the relationship building opportunites that come with client entertainment in the corporate sporting box and at other networking functions. This ultimately aims to build business for our clients and maximse their investment in sports sponsorship.

How do you stay informed?
A lot of the past year has been spent on building relationships. An important aspect of my business model is to align with national sporting associations and local clubs. I have formal links with the AFL through their multicultural office, with Cricket Australia and the Rugby Union Players' Association. I'm looking to do the same with other sports - tennis, golf, netball and Spring Carnival racing.

I keep up-to-date by staying across breaking news and reading sporting commentary like The Roar. I have a vast collection of sporting texts but I don't know everything about every sport so it's great to work with these professional sporting associations. Conversly, I use Facebook and Twitter to inform people of major Australian sporting events so they have a basic knowledge of who is playing what and when.

Do you enjoy having your own business?
It's exciting and daunting at the same time! As a small business owner I don't know the difference between a weekday and a weekend anymore. The flip side to this is that I have a more flexible schedule - I hold a lot of sessions in the early evening which means I can go for a mid-morning run or play a round of golf on a Friday afternoon. There can be good days and not-so-good days but I love this, it doesn't feel like work.

What ambitions do you have for your business?
My client base currently draws on my background in investment banking and professional services so my next steps are moving beyond my usual network reach. For example, I am looking at corporate sponsors of sporting events such as the Australian Open tennis and the Super Rugby Series. By giving the people in these organisations a solid understanding of the sport - whose playing, how it works, who are the ones to watch - they can start and maintain conversations with clients when they attend the event.

I'm also looking at getting into the schools market to educate parents about the sports their kids playing. They're likely to be standing on the sidelines for five or six years so the more they know wbout the game, the more they'll enjoy it and be able to engage with teachers, other parents and their own children about it.

And what about personal goals?
My focus in very much on growing Know The Game, although I do take time to learn a new sport every year. Beyond traditional team sports, I've ice-climbed, competed in triathlons and learnt to sail. With the London Olympics on the horizon, I've been looking at some of the less traditional sports so this year I'm learning archery!

What is the best advice you've ever received?
To be the lighthouse and not the search light. To be authentic, persistent and reliable rather than running up and down the beach. To me, this means having a clear understanding of my purpose and being focused on providing a quality service for those who need it rather than chasing every potential customer that passes by and losing purpose and function in that very process.

Note: Women in Focus is an online community to inspire, inform and connect women in business.