Women of Make Your Mark – Pia Jackson of Our Council App

pia-jackson-mymLeaders in Heels is launching a new interview series with inspiring women who are using the Make Your Mark stationery to help them make their mark at their work, in their community, or even in the wider world! Our first interview is with Pia Jackson, the Founder and Director of Our Council App. She is an entrepreneur from a small rural town on the Monaro in NSW with a big dream, learning as much as she can from every situation!

Our Council App allows users to keep up to date with all local council developments, see events happening in the local area and access useful information from the council’s website.

A quick note from LH Agenda…
We are a brand created by women, for women, to support you to follow your passion and boost your confidence.
LH agenda brand

What is your role in your company/business, and what do you do?

There is only me at the moment so I am taking on every aspect of the business, which comes with many daily challenges!

What excites you about your role, and why?

I think that being able to take on and juggle every aspect enables you to win and learn on a daily basis. Every day is different which keeps the days flexible and interesting. I learn about myself–I thought that I would be better at most aspects of business, from all the life skills I have learnt from many varying roles in previous employment, but I could not be so wrong! I have learnt that when you’re in business and there is only yourself to fall back on, it is both terrifying and amazing.

How do you define success, personally?

Success to me is how well you have achieved the task that you set out to complete. I work full time, help care for my 96 year old Grandmother, help out when I can on our family farm and try and keep my start up achieving goals. So personally, there are many days where I do not hit my goals that I had set out for that week. However, I might get through my all my emails or ring 3 potential Councils–and to me that is success!

What do you look for in a good leader, whether in the corporate or personal sphere?

To me, a good leader is someone that has initiative, is calm under pressure, is able talk to all styles of people confidently and has the best time in all situations. She uses all these elements when she believes she needs to, but without fuss. A leader knuckles down to work on the task at hand. When the task is successful or in some cases just completed, they celebrate with their team, then move on to the next task.

I know with in myself there are some days where my inner leader just needs a rest and feels satisfied to be lead by someone else. Especially in my full time role, there are some days where you just need to follow the instructions from your boss to complete the task and that is that. There aren’t many of these days in a month, which is also exciting.

pia-jackson-mym2What are you passionate about, and what legacy do you want to leave behind?

I hope that I can make a difference in our small community, so we can encourage and build our younger generations better foundations for them to grow upon. I grew up in a small family, went to a small primary school and attended a local high school for some of my high school education. We were encouraged by family and teachers to take every opportunity that came our way, mainly so that we could ‘get out of this small town and see the world’.

A quick note from LH Agenda…
Get more out of every day, at work and at play, with our range of Day Organisers that will up your game. Its unique layout will clarify your priorities, stimulate productivity and give you a daily dose of motivation.

Day Organisers LH Agenda

My generation have been successful in doing just that! However, there was something else they were teaching us, and that was to go out, grow and learn, then come back and to share with the rest of the community what they had learned. This also provided the next step in the building blocks for the next generation of our community.

However, there was something else they were teaching us, and that was to go out, grow and learn, then come back and to share with the rest of the community what they had learned.

I moved away, went to university, worked in the township, absorbed and learned all that I could from the people that I met and then I moved home. I have noticed over a few years that my generation have started to move home to either start a family, or to be closer to ageing family. I hope that through my life experiences and my business, I can also add a foundation block for future entrepreneurs so that I can help them grow into the best versions of themselves!

I also hope that others will be much more kind to one another all while helping each other achieve their dreams–whether this is in business or personal endeavours–because we all need a support network to give us advice.

Why did you purchase the Make Your Mark stationery?

pia-jackson-mym3Helping others achieve their dreams is something I really like doing. When I heard about the KickStarter campaign that Kasia started, I wanted to be part of the journey with her and help her dream come true. Leaders in Heels have some fantastic resources that I love using, and their values resonate with to me.

I have been using my notepad and notebook a lot! The quotes really get me thinking about the situation I am in and how I could make it better to have a more positive outcome. I have never really been a person that journals so I am yet to start using the journal on a daily basis, though.

 

Thanks to Pia Jackson for her time answering the questions from Leaders in Heels – we hope she’s inspired you as much as she’s inspired us!