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Mentoring Magic: Insights from Launch Pad’s Women & Multicultural Speed Mentorship Session 

The themes of creativity, storytelling, perseverance, resilience, and funding were explored by the mentors of Launch Pad’s second Women & Multicultural Speed Mentoring Session, held at the brand-new Fairfield Connect Hub. The two-hour session enlightened the attendees, creating an incredible space for them to both learn and network. 

(Left to Right) Lucy Lin: Entrepreneur in Residence for the Women & Multicultural Program at WSU, Fazila Farhad: Director of FazFar and Z Hotels (Resilience), Davy Nguyen: Executive Producer and Director of HeyYa TV (Storytelling), Carla Dias Wadewitz: Senior Manager for Innovation Strategy & Services at WSU (Funding), Maria Tran: Award-winning actor, filmmaker, and founder of Phoenix Eye Films (Creativity), Diem Fuggersberger: Founder of Coco & Lucas' Kitchen (Perseverance)

Launch Pad’s speed mentoring sessions are a quick way for newcomers to the world of entrepreneurism to learn the trade secrets from those who have been at it longer. The event kicked off with a panel session featuring esteemed mentors, each from diverse walks of life and industries. Launch Pad’s Entrepreneur in Residence, Lucy Lin, began the session by asking carefully curated questions to each mentor, delving into their most transformative experiences while sticking to their specialties. 

Insights From the Panel Session

Fazila, Director of FazFar and Z Hotels, reiterated that the best example to relay the importance of resilience is how everyone pushed through the Covid-19 pandemic. “For tourism especially, it was the hardest challenge. Profits went from 80% to 0% within a short time frame, and we just had to deal with it,” Fazila stated. She advised everyone to find balance and to look for opportunities even in downtimes. Fazila was able to get through the pandemic by converting her hotels into temporary quarantine facilities and used the extra time to upskill her staff into all-rounded employees.  

Davy, Executive Producer and Director of HeyYa TV, was prompted to share his most effective storytelling tip and advised that it is imperative for everyone to bring their most authentic selves out. “Most businesses go bankrupt in 2 years, and that’s because they aren’t being authentic enough. People can read through bullshit and can tell when you aren’t being genuine about your product and service” he relayed. 

"Most businesses go bankrupt in 2 years, and that’s because they aren’t being authentic enough"

“Remember, you have to analyze each mistake that you make and ensure that you learn from it – just because you made it once doesn’t mean you’ll never make it again”

Sneak Peeks From The Q&A Session

"(The session) Was amazing as there was a good mix of people, which is important for community. A lot of good ideas were floating around along with questions about the businesses that people want to form"

Fazila noted that the attendees were very passionate about their ideas, but they weren’t sure about how to go about realizing them, and that they needed guidance. Which is something Launch Pad is in the perfect position to provide. Given its many entrepreneurial programs, with some being exclusive for Women & Multicultural, Launch Pad hopes to not only create more networking and upskilling sessions like this but also to truly help Western Sydney businesses take off. 

About The Women & Multicultural Program

The Women & Multicultural Program is an entrepreneurial skills training program that provides training and development skills and opportunities to attract more diverse founders and business owners into the entrepreneurship ecosystem.