Introducing Phoebe Maroulis
A note from Kerrie – “How have we not connected before now!” was the question Phoebe & I were asking just recently when we finally met, having discovered many friends and ideas in common as well as passion for creativity, inspiration and connecting. I know you’ll also appreciate Phoebe’s insights from her broad experience and her brave honesty that really encourages those around her.
Phoebe Maroulis, painted by Tim Gratton, fundraising for the Pink Angels Calendar, promoting Darling Irrigation.
Cathy Smith nominated Phoebe with these words – “Phoebe challenges me and how I think in a way that makes me want to achieve more both personally and professionally. Phoebe is relentless and determined. Nothing can distract her from her goals and dreams. These characteristic tend to be infectious to all those around her.”
Phoebe’s life’s journey represents a really diverse mix of personal development, family, community, income generation and passion, and that is just the way she likes it.
With degrees in Industrial Design and Commerce and a career path that has lead her through agripolitics, community development, the arts, running a service station, bioenergy, grazing, online retailing and everything in between, Phoebe’s journey is being enhanced through the blossoming of her business, Cicero Design.
Believing that creativity, connection and communication are the primary means of fostering vibrant rural communities, Phoebe’s passion now lies in creatively challenging the status quo in rural community development, nurturing new connections and communicating the resultant innovation in a manner that can be tailored by communities to meet their specific development needs. Cicero Design is very much a work in progress making every day very different to the one before.
How do you love to explain your business/enterprise to others?
I don’t see myself as “running a business”, I see it as living a rich life which involves enterprise, family, personal growth & community. The aim is to create a fluid mix of these components, each blending and complimenting the others. When the mix is tuned correctly, income flows from these activities but more importantly my family and I enjoy the abundance and joy of life.
Phoebe and Sam Maroulis
There are multiple enterprises that make up the mix. Darling Irrigation, which I founded with my husband Sam in 2004. Darling Irrigation was recently named on the BRW top 100 fastest growing businesses and Sam and I are extremely proud of the contribution we are making to sustainable water utilisation throughout regional Australia.
The Macquarie Theatre is an ambitious redevelopment of an old cinema complex in the Wellington CBD. Following 4 years of challenging work the space is now blossoming as a unique venue for the delivery of Arts based activities and events.
Cicero Design is a service business linking people, ideas and mechanisms for implementation for innovative rural community development. And in between I manage a couple of mixed enterprise properties in Wellington and one in the beautiful Western Division. Underlying all of this is a commitment to serving my local community, particularly in the area of the arts and raising three children to be balanced, resilient, joyful members of their community.
Who are your greatest supporters?
I find that the greatest support often comes from the most unlikely of sources. As an example I ran an exhibition at the Macquarie Theatre recently that wasn’t as well attended as I had hoped. The following day I was quite flat and a stranger came up to me in the Supermarket and told me how much she benefited from seeing the exhibition and how it had inspired her to take up painting again after a long period of not painting. That type of support makes it all worthwhile.
Its corny but my kids offer amazing support. They seem to know when I am doubting myself as a Mother and wondering if the mix is too heavily balanced away from them, and they remind me of the benefits they enjoy from having a Mother who is fulfilled, inspired and giving her fullest contribution to the world.
How does your business contribute to your community?
I am a firm believer in social capital. I think of my life as a blend of interconnected facets. I am fortunate that in that mix is a family business that generates enough income to allow Cicero Design to be heavily philanthropic. I believe real joy stems from giving and I feel very fortunate that through all our businesses, but particularly Darling Irrigation, we are able to make generous contributions of time and resources to our community.
How has the increasing success of your business impacted your personal/family life?
I balance the imposition on time generated by Cicero’s increasing success with the knowledge that the ability to show my children the joy that comes from pursuing one’s passion and making a contribution to others more than balances this negative impact. Viewing life as a blend rather than as a set of distinct demands helps enormously.
Describe a significant business (or other) challenge have you faced. How did you approach it? What did you learn?
As one who has a mind full of ideas and a burning desire to make an impact in the world outside the four walls of my home, I have found the roles of Mother and Wife very challenging at times. Recently this challenge has presented as acute panic attacks, often at the most inopportune time (such as in the middle of the children’s school swimming carnival). The gift in these attacks is that I am now taking the time to get to know myself properly and as a result I am learning how to be kind and loving to myself. Some days are easier than others but I am secure in the knowledge that the more aware I become of my inner realm, the greater the contribution I am able to make in the outer realm, and that makes me really excited!
Phoebe Maroulis
Director
Cicero Design
36-42 Swift Street, Wellington 2820
Mobile – 0409 311 893
Email – phoebe[@]cicerodesign.com.au
Website – www.cicerodesign.com.au
Twitter – @PhoebeMaroulis
