#SeriouslySocial The Podcast
with Simone Douglas and special guest Tania Jolley
transcript
Chris Irving :
Welcome to the seriously social podcast with your host Simone Douglas. This episode features an interview with Tania Jolley from DNA Security Solutions.
Simone Douglas :
Okay, so, welcome to this episode of The #SeriouslySocial Podcast. I’m joined today by Tania Jolley from DNI security solutions. Tania, thanks for taking some time out today,
Tania Jolley :
Thanks Simone for having me. Great to be here.
Simone Douglas :
Yeah, my absolute pleasure. So maybe you can just start by giving us the cliff notes version as to how you’ve ended up on the red chairs today.
Tania Jolley :
Sure. So really, an absolute accidental entrepreneur had a number of businesses that I guess have three years have taught me different skill sets, and I’ve been involved in different industry sectors. And to be honest, sometimes during that journey, I often wondered why I was there. And then sort of 15 years ago, we had a company called Techno Tronics. And we worked with SAPOL in a first generation and property marking security product They then asked us, could you develop a product that marked criminals at crime scenes at the time that the crime was occurring with unique forensic evidence so that they could catch up with them at another time in place, and have the correct forensic evidence to actually link the criminal back to the crime scene?
Simone Douglas :
Yeah, cool.
Tania Jolley :
That started us on our journey. That is how we developed DNA Security Solutions. That’s how DNA Guardian came in came to be birthed, I guess. And then we realised that the most needy sector in the market was retail. For us here in Australia, specifically gaming, hotel, hospitality venues, of course. You know, the dynamics within each industry changes over time and so the old bank robberies that used to happen, sort of shifted down a level if you like, to the hotel sector because of the physical target hardening and the fact that branches have become very difficult to actually get into. So, you know, the criminal, I guess attacks and and their focus then became who’s the next softest target?
Simone Douglas :
Yeah. And hotels generally are. Yeah, having been in that industry a very long time.
Tania Jolley :
That’s exactly right in the previous industry that I was involved in was hospitality back in the beginning of the 2000s. I had a fantastic job in a brilliant, sort of three and a half years in SA hospitality, and I absolutely loved it. I was really sad to have to have left but those three and a half years were just magic grounding for us when we realised then that actually hospitality was going to be a great fit for what we had developed, and we were going to be able to provide a fabulous solution for those businesses.
Simone Douglas :
Yeah, cool. So in your career span, I suppose having worked in all those different industries, what has been the thing that surprised you most about where your networks fall in that so like how the networks have kind of followed you through.
Tania Jolley :
I’m not not sure that anything’s actually sort of surprised me. I guess what I have learned, though, is that you need to put effort into creating your networks, creating your relationships and keeping them. And so you get out of anything, whatever you’re willing to put into it. And you have to be able and willing to put in first so you give before you receive, you know, you give of yourself, you give him your time you give of your interest. Before you then do the ask. Yeah, and I think that has been my biggest lesson. And often you don’t need to ask once you’ve given and people get to know who you are and your generosity and that you’re there for the right reasons, in whatever, you know, industry or networking or whatever it is, whatever group that you’re in, it’s sometimes you don’t even have to really do a formal ask for help or for something because
Simone Douglas :
They just want to help.
Tania Jolley :
Yeah, that’s right. They offer and you know, it might just be in a conversation that you ‘Oh, you know, I’m having a bit of a difficulty with this, or, hey, you know, what did you do in this situation?’ I’m kind of there now, and I’m stuck. And and so then it comes very organically as opposed to actually having to formally tap somebody on the shoulder and say, ‘Hey, excuse me, but can you help me in this area?’
Simone Douglas :
Yeah, I think there are two types of sales people in the world often so like, um, you know, and in business, so we take a very relationship based selling approach. So the relationship is always more important than sale. Yeah. And um, but then you have that other type of person. Sometimes I get messages from them on LinkedIn. You know that they take it what I call a burn and churn approach. So it’s just a numbers game of flipping contracts until someone finally says yes,
Tania Jolley :
Yeah.
Simone Douglas :
But you know, when I talk to my guys, and I think like you said, You’re very similar in your approach to business and definitely from what I’ve seen, you know, online, but it’s about, you know, just help the people.
Tania Jolley :
Yes.
Simone Douglas :
And then everything else will take care of itself.
Tania Jolley :
Yeah, absolutely. And I’ve, I guess, we’ve always I have been the kind of sales marketing focus of our business. And I’ve always taken the point of view that I shouldn’t have to sell my solution or our technology. It’s, you know, it’s, it’s got a very, very important part to play. In the businesses that see the risk and want to do something about it. I can’t I can’t force that hand. And when those businesses understand the risk and the impact to their business, you know if they do, you know, suffer a criminal attack, specifically even worse so if they’re open so it’s the armed robbery situation on hospitality that has such a horrendous effect on the business. But it’s it’s once those it’s once our customers get to that point that they they the sale stops, like the selling at such stops. All I need to do is offer to describe, you know, to show people what it is what benefits we can offer them and then it’s up to them to decide whether they have the risk or the need for that. And I I’m a I’ve always been a big believer that if you’ve got the right product, then the right people will come on board.
Simone Douglas :
Yeah, absolutely. Do you find in your network, like what what things have you put in place to ensure that your network is forever expanding. So one of the issues I think not all business owners, but some business owners have is that they get into a routine. And they might have some informal networking that they do on a regular basis or some structured networking that they do. Yeah. But it’s the only networking that they do. And what I tend to say with those types of business owners is that their networks constrict. How have you avoided that happening for you?
Tania Jolley :
So again, it’s been it has, I guess, it’s been a conscious effort, but not a not a difficult effort. And I have consciously, it’s certainly in the last five years, gone after new networks. Yeah. So if there’s new incubators opening up, you know, I’ll be the first person to put my hand up and say, Sure, I’d like to know more. How do I how do I become involved or is this for me? And so I have been very privileged, I guess, and very blessed to have been involved in a lot of different programmes. So in 2015, I was the first South Australian woman taken into the Springboard Enterprises Programme in Australia. That opened my networks up to America. And you know, then later on via that, I was introduced into the DWEN Network. So that’s deals, women in enterprise networks, a very high level networking and opportunity to go to some of their conferences around the world. So it’s not, you know, it takes it takes effort to get involved in those. Yes, but you’ve got to be willing to say yes, s s opposed to sort of going on maybe or no, I guess I’ve always been that inquisitive type of person and gone Hey, I’ll learn more. I’m sure that there’s more I can learn here and so I’m just constantly reaching out to the different opportunities that become available to me.
Simone Douglas :
Yeah, that’s a really common thing when I talk to successful people in business and certainly for myself is that preparedness to say yes, and figure out the logistics afterwards often, but go, the opportunity looks like fun or it looks good, or I’m going to learn something. And I saw often, you know, as a mom and my kids are only 13 and 10. But you know, often then the back thing in my head is when do I have the kids and you know, who’s gonna look after them if I have to jump on a plane for three days, but it’s still all like works out?
Tania Jolley :
It does. It does. I think you make it work out. And, you know, I’m sure your your kids as mine do, and we talk to them often because, you know, they have to give as well. Yeah, like where we do ask sometimes that you know of their time. But they, you know, are very inspired by what it is that that we do and I think proud and they love watching our journey and our growth, and the roller coaster that we go on. I mean, they go on the ups with us, but they also come on the downs with us as well. So you know, getting to learn that grit and that resilience and learning to look at what opportunity looks like, you know, sometimes opportunity when it knocks on the door. It can sound different at different times. And it can look different at different times.
Simone Douglas :
Yeah. And sometimes sometimes it can look like a distraction, but it’s not really, or it’s a sideways step or whatever else it might be. Yeah, that’s, it’s funny. I had a conversation with my kids in the car, when about about a year ago now and it was when I really worked out how much of an impact talking to them about business has on where they want to go. So they’re in the backseat and I’m driving the car and Saxon’s going, So Hunter when you have your company, how many staff are you going to have? It goes then if we got a building together and then you could be on the top floor And anyway, so I’m listening to them. And then Saxon, my youngest pops over and he’s like, oh my you know, when you’re not making the world a better place, you can be a receptionist. And I was like, Oh, honey, thank you. Mommy’s never going to be anyone’s receptionist. But, you know, there is a place for that. But I’m too busy doing other things. And then I said to him, but the fact that you think I make the world a better place? I’ll take that one.
Tania Jolley :
Yes, absolutely. That’s just gold isn’t it? I mean, at the end of the day, that’s what you want to be doing. I think that’s like you’re saying all good business people that’s all we want to be doing is making the world a better place with whatever product or service or solution that we’re coming up with. You know, it’s that incremental progress that we’re making.
Simone Douglas :
I think two, I was having a conversation with my friend Brad. He says sponsorships manager for Bendigo Bank, and he said, you know, the thing that I love about the way that you network is, it’s never about what’s in it for you i t’s always just about like introducing people to people and just seeing what happens. And I said, well, it’s a bit like mad scientist, really, because I’ll be like, oh, host a lunch snd I’ll put 20 people in a room for no other purpose than putting 20 people in a room. They’re all own their own businesses they sit down. And I’m always fascinated about like, who ends up doing business with who and who connects to who and
Tania Jolley :
The gravitation and the cross pollination of different Yeah, fascinating it is. And I’ve got to say, I actually have learned to really love and thrive, networking events for that reason because I think, you know, for me, watching other people and learning how they deal with what might be a typically very broad and topic centred, like, you know, you might say marketing for instance, right, you know, and there might be in a very, very different industry in a very different category to what what we’re in, but I think there’s always learnings and there’s always those sort of, you know, getting to understand how they’ve connected with their target market. You know, how do they resonate? How do they stay relevant. How do they celebrate? You know, and so this was something that I learned very recently. So I’m good friend of mine, Rachel Kidville from TC Pinpoint, right, she’s, you know, fabulous with this sort of stuff and just recently she started putting up some, you know, congratulations and, you know, celebration of different anniversaries with some of her customers, which has been brilliant. And I reached out to her and I said, That’s fabulous. I’m gonna steal your idea. So, keep a watch out for some, some of our, our social media is sort of changing a little bit and adding to it, changing the stuff that sort of the celebration and the introduction of all of our new customers as we come as they come along, has been an important part of our growth. And it’s been an important part of sort of growing our brand and growing out purpose. But we’re just going to add some more into it and were going to start celebrating and when, you know, we’re going to start sort of being I guess just proud of the achievements that not just we because we can’t do it on our own. Yeah. It’s always about our team and our customers. So we couldn’t do without our customers.
Simone Douglas :
Absolutely. But I think that that’s a really good point. Probably to capture into finish on is don’t forget to be proud of your achievements and your customers. Yeah, I’m, you know, one of those people who’s forever looking for the next thing that I can do. And so often, you know, when we end up finalists in the Telstra Business Awards, or whatever else it is that, you know, happens. Someone will say to me a week after the event, or Congratulations, and I’m like, for what, because it was a week ago. Yeah, and I’ve already moved but you know, it’s that thing of, I’m definitely trying to stop for slightly longer to celebrate achievements, but also, like you said, celebrating the business journey. Yeah, and I think too it’s actually okay to brag about it. We need to find a better name a better word than brag.
Tania Jolley :
We do. Because it’s fact. I mean, yeah, managed to grow a business. That’s not a brag. That’s, that’s a solid fact. Yeah, you know, and we want to, I think there’s nothing better than to be able to celebrate success. And, you know, one of the reasons why I have been so passionate about being on the board of Women in Innovation for here in South Australia for such a long time is, you know, for my beautiful girls, you know, you can’t be what you can’t see. And and so if we can see constantly, you know, not just women, but but all business owners, yeah, grow and succeed and celebrate that success. We know that we can get there too. Yeah, absolutely. And I think I’ve very much got to that point in recent history where I’m refusing now to apologise for being good at what I do. Because I think that sometimes you’ll have you’ll encounter people in life especially on social media, everyone has an opinion. Let’s be honest. I didn’t say that out loud, but you know, often people will say, you know, are you know, you posted about this deal, or you’ve just done this, although, you know, and someone said to me the other day, who shall remain nameless, but you know, they were basically like, or you might want to think twice about, you know, talking about x, y, and Zed. You know, you’re coming off as a little bit arrogant and I went and I actually said some witches. I’ve never used these words before. I said, if it was a man that was doing the same thing right now, would that be perceived as arrogant? And the person asked me, the question happened to be a man. And he was like, Well, no. And I was like, Huh, this is interesting. Yeah. So because all I’m doing is talking about my business achievements, things that I’ve done things that I’ve worked really hard for, that I’m really proud of. Yeah.
Simone Douglas :
But yeah, I think as human beings so not just gender bias, but you know, I think as human beings, we have to we have to change the cultural expectation in Australia that you can’t be proud of what you do absolutely.
Tania Jolley :
Absolutely. I think that there is a big opportunity for us to mature in that aspect. But I, yeah, in an in a good way, I don’t want to, I’d hate for us to go over the top as some countries do with their successes in their achievements. So I think that there’s a nice middle area where we can do more than what we’re doing now,
Simone Douglas :
But still not be arrogant.
Tania Jolley :
Yeah, that’s exactly right. And I guess I’d say to you someone that perhaps maybe those people were just not your tribe, they’re quite possibly. If they don’t, if they’re not happy to share your success and your celebration and celebrate with you, then maybe they’re just not your tribe.
Simone Douglas :
That’s, you know, that’s a really nice way to end it. Tania, thanks very much for joining me today.
Tania Jolley :
Thank you, Simone. It’s been delightful.
Simone Douglas :
Awesome.
Chris Irving :
Thank you for listening to the seriously social podcast. See our website for more details at www.socialmediaaok.com.au/podcast. Check the show notes for credits music used in the programme and more details about our guests.