When it comes to branding and marketing, Sarah Harris discovers Sharon Williams to be an inspiring Game Changer in every sense of the term.
From humble beginnings in her Sydney living room 21 years ago, London-born Sharon has grown Taurus Marketing into a pioneering powerhouse revered for its practical ‘No Bull’ approach.
The mother-of-three’s many notable firsts at Taurus include:
- First PR agency to trademark products TaurusEngage™ and TaurusProfile™
- First agency to coin the phrase personal branding and create a trademarked process around it TaurusProfile™
- First agency to really drive the integrated marketing offering with a methodology including measurable KPI’s – called TaurusBullseye™
- Championed mums in the workforce before it became ‘fashionable’ and more mainstream
- Championed flexible work practices before it was ‘fashionable’ and more mainstream
- Was a start up business that had a formal graduate program from the beginning called TaurusFastTrack©
- Fast-tracked graduates into their own entrepreneurial businesses and found them funding
- Worked with tech start-ups and coined terms way before the current tech start-up trend
- First agency owner to build her own personal brand to grow her business
Sharon believes even parents of children as young as 13 – the legal minimum age for Facebook users – should be thinking about how their online posts impact their personal brand.
“Facebook is like a tattoo, so parents should paint pictures for them – what would your headmaster, Nana, or future boyfriend think?”, believes Sharon, who is also an in-demand speaker, blogger and broadcast thought leader. She is also on the board of The White Knight Foundation, which is a Foundation that educates against youth alcohol fuelled violence.
When explaining to Sarah how she manages to juggle so much, Sharon says the key is to do something you love, and just get on with it.
The tragic death of her brother at age 16, and her sister at just 30, and her niece aged one, taught her that life is short and Sharon doesn’t plan to waste a moment.
“I think it’s about having fun, focusing on your responsibilities, earning a good living, giving back, investing in people, contributing to society and doing each of those roles as well as you can,” explains Sharon, who is also a passionate volunteer surf lifesaver at Freshwater on the Northern Beaches.
“We have a very short time here, and you’ve got to make the most of it.
“If an entrepreneur has an idea then they should get on and do it. They don’t need to go to university to find that opportunity.
“If you’ve got a good idea then why wait – go for it.”
Sharon takes the same pragmatic approach to dealing with her on-going treatment for breast cancer.
“I’m going to define cancer and not let it define me,” Sharon confides to Sarah.
“Being a parent and a business owner you deal with problems all day; cancer is just another one to deal with.
“It’s a real intrusion in my day and on my body. One in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer, so it is very common. I’m not going to hide under a rock and go ‘woe is me’.
“Let’s just get on with it and deal with it the best we can – and may I say, deal with it my way, the Taurus way – direct, authentic and no bull!”
You can check out more of our Game Changers series hosted by TV presenter Sarah Harris here:
Sarah Harris interviews Jewellery Queen Karin Adcock, here.
Sarah Harris interviews Eco Mum Kendall Seddon, here.
Sarah Harris interviews Media Icon Ita Buttrose, here.
Game Changers: Sarah Harris interviews DIY mogul Scott Pendlebury, here.
