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Oh, you wanted answers?!

If you came here looking for answers I’m sorry.

But I don’t feel too bad about it!

You could sign up to Tony Robbins, for example — spend thousands on him — and he wouldn’t give you answers either.

What he would do is entertain you, energise you, inspire you, drop a lot of insights on you — then get you to work out your own answers and write them down in a book!

So, yeah — I’m sorry if I haven’t given you answers.

What I do hope I’ve done is suggest where you might look for them.

But whether this has been helpful or not I’d love to hear from you.

Writing the original blog posts was like shouting into a void. I loved getting feedback instead of an echo!

If this resonated with you…

The folk at Queensberry aren’t very good at tooting their own horn, but if what I’ve had to say does resonate with you I hope you’ll check them out.

The values I’ve expressed are what drives them:

— standing out from the crowd

— getting to know the people in your viewfinder

— understanding the love and pride that motivates them

— offering them the very best products and services you can.

Thank you

If I was to thank everyone who’s contributed an idea to this book, or prompted one, I’d be here forever, but for various reasons several people have got a mention by name. I’ve stuck to first names, and changed some of them, partly out of respect to everyone else, but also because there are no rock star photographers here — just working professionals, well known in their local area, who’ve learned how to run a thriving business and are doing what they love in a challenging industry.

Looking back, a lot of the people I’ve mentioned are Australians and New Zealanders. Maybe that’s because with our small populations, we need to we try harder, or maybe because, for our first thirty years — until digital technology, credit cards and international free phone and courier services set us free — that’s where Queensberry did business.

I must also thank three crusty lab owners and one amusing accountant for lessons learned, and of course my family.

Back in the late nineties we were getting up the nerve to sell outside Australia and New Zealand “as if we were local”. No distributors. Selling in the local currency. Delivering door to door.

Our business model was quite unique, and still seems to be. We were anxious to reassure ourselves, and our stakeholders, that we knew what we were doing.

I asked our accountant what he thought of our business plan. How would an outside investor, or lender, feel about us?

“Ian,” he said, “do you know what ‘nepotism’ is?”

Yes I do. 

Heather started what became Queensberry in 1969. We’d been married a year or two by then. She said Yes three weeks after I met her, and I’m still glad she did.

Four of our family currently work in the business.

Our son Stephen is now CEO and the creative mind behind all our technology. Our daughter Adrienne makes the wheels go round in production. Stephen's wife Sonya worked alongside him for years as well. Our grand-daughters Alexandria and Charlotte are inspirations in design, marketing and customer support.

We're very proud of them all. ~ Ian