Insta-famous fitness model Steph Claire Smith has just hit the AFR’s 2021 Young Rich List alongside the likes of Melanie Perkins (Canva) and Scott Farquhar (Atlassian).
Because Steph is also a businesswoman. Now going by Stephanie Miller, at 27 her fortune is estimated to be worth $36 million thanks to the success of Keep It Cleaner, the health and fitness app she co-founded with her best friend Laura Henshaw.
So what advice does Steph have for those beginning their business journey? At our Year13 Expo this year, she shared three things.
1. Ask lots of questions
While Steph said she doesn’t have one particular mentor, she does take inspiration from different people, from her mother to long-time business leaders like Boost Juice’s Janine Allis.
To get some of their knowledge and build a network, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there!
“I’m all for reaching out to people and asking questions,” Steph said.
“The worst thing that’s going to happen is they’re going to turn around and say they don’t have time or they can’t help you.”
“If they do decide that they want to give you some tips or even sit down with you or call you, it can be really invaluable.”
Wisdom can come from all people too, not just those supposedly above you.
“I find so much inspiration in my own team. We’ve hired them for a reason and we trust them for a reason and I love going to them for advice as well,” Steph said.
“There’s always something to learn and something you can take from someone else.”
This openness brings us to the next point.
2. Drop your ego
People warned Steph and Laura that doing business with friends can only go downhill.
But Steph believes that their truly aligned purpose and friendship-first mentality made them solid business partners. For the latter, it’s about showing vulnerability, and listening and learning from one another.
“We’ve had to have some difficult conversations,” Steph said.
“Some of the hiccups or failures or hurdles that we’ve had, I definitely would not have been able to get through them without her and I think she’d say the same thing. We’re just really good at helping each other out and balancing situations out.”
“I couldn’t imagine running a business by myself. Especially not, without someone that I felt like I could be completely honest and open with.”
3. Trust your instincts
Above all, Steph felt her biggest imparting wisdom is this: “listen to your gut”.
“I think Laura and I would both agree on that, because there’s been some decisions or pathways we’ve gone down which didn’t feel right at the time, but we did,” Steph said.
“We probably should have listened to our gut, although, we learned from them so it’s never a bad thing. But I just wish I trusted myself a lot more. I wish I had a little bit more confidence in some of those times or decisions.”
