Media Kit
The Chameleonic Woman that’s Sashaying to Success on the Peninsula….
She’s changed her colours to suit the business but remained true to her
Top Three Business Values
Typically the attributes that enable success under the glass ceiling and those that fulfil the demands of running a small business could be considered to be worlds apart. The fact that Glen Begley has changed her colours with each of her new ventures could be the reason she has been successful across many different business landscapes.
Earlier in her career she audaciously ascended the corporate ladder holding senior management positions with some of the giants of the textile, clothing and footwear industry. She was General Manager of Sheridan (bed linen and towels) in the late 80’s and Group General Manager of Australian Weaving Mills (Dri-Glo and Dickies towels) in the early 90’s. The owner of one employer-company described her style as “New Yorkian”. And I don’t think he was referring to her reputation for high fashion and the fact that she wears a lot of black. But there is no doubt he was referring to the fact that she rarely sleeps, is glamorously diligent, unafraid to take charge, and has on many more than one occasion been described as brash.
Glen left the corporate world to pursue her entrepreneurial talents in small business where she has been equally successful. She attributes her success in this challenging new environment to her adherence to the same Top Three business values that she maintained throughout her career in both business spectrums, in this order: Superior Product Knowledge, Exemplary Customer Service, and Relentless Hard Work.
For her newest and what’s likely be her most successful venture she morphed into a real estate guru to create Beach House Rentals in 2005 – a specialist holiday rental agency on the Mornington Peninsula. No doubt many of us can spot a market gap but not everyone is capable of exploiting it to create a successful business opportunity. Beach House Rentals was created to provide a service capable of responding to the peculiarities of the holiday rental sector and the expectations of the owners and renters alike which had been ignored by the traditional Real Estate Agents on the Peninsula. With a 70% return rate amongst its customers, Beach House Rentals has successfully captured consumer confidence for the company’s ability to provide a hi-tech and sophisticated process to its customers - greater than 90% of bookings are made electronically. Outstanding and competent personalised service to tenants and profitable revenue coupled with peace of mind to landlords are trademarks of the company.
Rather than a hindrance, Glen Begley says that being new to the holiday rentals industry was a bonus to fast success. It forced her to undertake painstakingly thorough research to uphold the first of her three values; Superior Product Knowledge. This knowledge enabled her to develop a website that was easy to navigate by an audience possessing various levels of internet literacy which achieved immediate market visibility and has earned the company the enviable status of highest hit real estate website in Australia.
Creating the company’s logo meant drawing on past experiences. The coloured summer thongs logo for Beach House Rentals comes from a previous business designing platform thongs (remember those?), which became the biggest selling footwear item for national giants Portman’s, Sportsgirl and Witchery.
Glen maintains that women who are leaving the corporate world should consider what it means to change their colours to suit the demands of a new industry or self employment.
Her second business value of Superior Customer Service means that she maintains an equal regard for both the property owners and the holiday renters as both are her customers. “Property owners want to know that Beach House Rentals is protecting their asset”, says Glen. “In this regard we screen all potential tenants and we are not afraid to turn people away if we suspect they will not do the right thing during their stay”. “Conversely, renters want to know that we are being honest about the expectations we have set for them about the property in which they will spend their precious and hard earned holiday time and money”.
Glen’s third business value, Relentless Hard Work, ensures that many a potential renter will receive a confirmation email in the wee hours of the morning or a personal response to request after they have moved in. Local residents know it is not uncommon to catch a glimpse of Glen perusing the Peninsula’s streets on a weekend to keep a watchful eye on a rented property or to secure a new one that the other agents would have left until Monday.
The culmination of Glen’s three business values has enabled Beach House Rentals to achieve the coveted status of highest hit real estate website in Australia and places the company as a premium source for this market segment and an absolute attribute to the tourist industry and supporting businesses on the Peninsula.
