Member Profile | Hayley Griffiths

Hayley is one of our infamous 10 Pack Members! When in need of a few hours at WorkLife you’ll find her in Coledale, but every now and then she enjoys a change in scenery and heads down to Berry to mingle with our other members and get to know the Berry staff. A warm, friendly, and creative member, whenever we see Hayley sitting at a desk we know we’re in for a lovely day.

With two kids under five, and a successful copywriting business, Hayley has her work cut out for her. This chat with WorkLife Founder Kate Dezarnaulds is one of light-hearted, candid honesty, that many mums staring down the barrel of going back to work will find inspiring and relatable.

Hi Hayley, thank you so much for being out this month’s member profile. Can you tell me a little bit about your local life story? How did you end up here on the south coast?

Thank you for having me. Originally, I’m actually from South Africa, which is a little bit far away. So I was born in Durban, lived there for nine years and then we moved to New Zealand and I lived in New Zealand for five years. Then with my family, we moved to Australia, Sydney, I lived there for a year. Then my mom got a job down in Wollongong. We really just loved the lifestyle and the people, everyone was so lovely. So my parents made the decision to move down to Wollongong and I’ve been here ever since and don’t plan on leaving.

What, why, when, and how did you take the plunge to work for yourself?

So my background is retail marketing for large shopping centers. But I had my first child Sophie, and after maternity leave with her, basically, I wasn’t able to get flexibility in the role. It was five days or nothing. So that’s when I decided I didn’t want that, I really wanted to have the flexibility to spend time with her but also fill my creative cup. So I started my own business. Hayley G Creative was born from from that and i’ve been working on it ever since. Sophie now has a brother, she’s four and Max is two. So in between running that business I did have Max and there was COVID, so it’s been quite a journey, but I wouldn’t change anything, I’ve loved having the flexibility and the freedom to run my own business.

Now you’re in a bit of a moment, to send the brand out into the world in a bigger way again, so what triggered this kind of refreshed reboot, what was the thought process?

Because I’ve been in business for a couple years now. It was really, I guess the right time to reinvest in my business and reassess what my message is, what my overall aesthetic and branding is, and just elevate my brand to the next level. So I’ve just launched a brand new website. Thanks to Seed Creative for designing that, and obviously I wrote the copy because I’m a copywriter. But it really is a visual representation of what I want to be, and the type of clients that I want to work with. Alongside that was the refresh branding. I have a brand new lead magnet, and then an email database and newsletter coming out now monthly, so it’s all happening.

It looks so beautiful. It’s gorgeous and focuses on female founded businesses.

I think I just relate to their journey myself being a female founded business, and a lot of my clients are also moms. So I think it’s been quite nice to have that connection. They understand the job of  running a business alongside being a mom, I just feel really connected to female founded businesses, so that’s just kind of what it’s morphed into.

Now, tell me a little bit about what balance for you looks like.

Balance for me is definitely having time for a little bit of myself and self care.  I’ve recently started reformer Pilates and I’m loving that. I just recently found out I have scoliosis, so it’s really to strengthen my back but it’s also for mental health and to have that time for me. I also love every month or so getting a facial or getting a pedicure. I love walking in nature with the dogs, and just getting a coffee before I start work. That’s all kind of me time in amongst work. I’d say that balance is having a life and business that’s really in a flow and sustainable, and not feeling overstressed and under the pump, which obviously does sometimes happen in different seasons. I am always trying to aim for that work life balance.

What’s been one of the biggest challenges to your industry?

I think just with the general economy, people are spending a little bit less but not only that, the arrival of Chat GPT. I think definitely for some small businesses that’s obviously been a really affordable option for them, but I think people still understand the value of having a human touch to their content. It can be a really good starting point for some people, but I think  people do still really place value of having that human connection and having those words that really resonate with their customers. I did definitely notice that I think some small businesses have started using that a lot more. I’m still you know, fortunate enough to be getting lots of work, especially in website copywriting, and those real nitty gritty pieces of content.

It’s so important to be able to translate the brand attributes that you have as a business into well crafted words that really reflect each other, back to each other. I think this sort of skill of being able to find the right word, to impart the right feeling is going to become really precious.

To tell their story, a lot of business owners don’t like to talk about themselves or don’t know how to. They can say it really eloquently, but when it comes to words, they can’t quite put it into words. So that’s when I’m there to find their unique voice and then tell their unique story, but still in a way that really connects with their ideal client.

Outside of work, what are your hobbies and passions?

I love spending time with my kids and family. So the ocean is definitely my happy place, I love swimming in Summer and being by the beach, or even walking by the beach, that’s a big thing for me. I also love reading magazines, still hardcopy magazines and books. Catching up with friends for coffee is another big love of mine. Coffee and food, exploring different cafes around the local area as well.

Speaking of books, think about your bookshelf at home, what is on there that you love or that you would recommend to the WorkLife Community?

That’s a really good question, but I really love Samantha Wills book ‘of gold & dust’ , she founded her namesake jewellery brand and she went through a whole heap of challenges and transformations. It was just a really authentic, vulnerable book. Loved it. It’s as a female entrepreneur tale. It’s really well written, so I highly recommend that book.

What about a piece of furniture in your house? Is there something that you really love or you’re really attached to that’s got a great story?

I’d say a piece of artwork of mine. I think when I had been a year in business, I bought it and it’s in my my office and that just kind of reminded me of what I have achieved so far and a bit of a celebration. So every time I look at that artwork, i’m reminded of why i’m here.

If you have friends come down to visit you, what’s the one thing that you recommend that they eat locally? Where do you send them?

I have just had the most amazing food from Earth Walker in Coledale. I do also love Jasmine Rice. The Thai there, I can never go wrong eating it. Another favourite is Opus for their bagels and coffee.

Now your best productivity hack. How do you make sure you get the most out of every day?

Well, besides getting a coffee, that’s my number one hack to wake me up. I also write a list of my top three things I want to get done for the day. It sits next to me and I tick it off as I go along. That really keeps me focused on what I need to do for the day.

Now it’s a snapshot of you living your best life. What does a dream day look like for you?

Sleeping in, having a coffee with the family, and brunch or breakfast somewhere really lovely. Then going for a swim at the beach as well. Then maybe finishing that off with a walk with the dogs, and then a night in watching movies with homemade pizza.

What’s been the best thing about your WorkLife membership as you are at this stage of your business?

I really enjoy the connections that I’ve made from my WorkLife membership, and just having a change of scenery, and a space that’s I guess a beautiful space to be in for starters. I can really focus and not be distracted by the piles of washing or the dishes. It’s quite an inspiring space to be in and I meet a lot of like minded people as well, I love it.