Female Founders: Heaven Leigh – Conscious Living Leader And Owner Of Australia’s Longest Running Vegan Restaurant.
A third-generation restaurateur and the first Australian born member of a migrant family; Heaven Leigh was introduced to business from quite a young age and opened her first café in the mid 90’s.
She then travelled to London to hone her craft in well-known modern Asian restaurants like Nobu before returning home to Australia to take over the family businesses which consisted of multiple plant-based food, retail and manufacturing concepts including the original Bodhi Restaurant her mother created in the 80’s.
Australia’s longest running and largest vegan venue, Bodhi is much more than just a restaurant. It has become a community hub for a new generation, embraced by like minded people from all walks of life who share Bodhi’s “do no harm” philosophy and passion for acceptance, compassion, protecting the planet and living consciously.
Today, Heaven continues to focus on her successful restaurant whilst consulting on other businesses, investing in start-up companies, creating content in the food and wellness space, and collaborating with like minded brands.
I come from a family of hard-working, high achievers, and there was an expectation that I would follow in their footsteps. My mother was the type of entrepreneur who believed anything was possible, you just had to go out and do it. The turning point in my career was failure. My family had business success, but they also had business failures. I was able to see these experiences from the inside, identify where things went wrong and ask myself how I would do things differently?
On the hurdles she faced when she initially started her business.
Businesses often have highs and lows, and when I took over my family’s interests it was at a low point, so the hurdle was how do I turn a business around that has so much potential but isn’t performing as well as it should, how do I manage huge amounts of business debt? Trim the business costs whilst investing in the right areas to make it profitable?
Sometimes starting a business from scratch is easier than turning around a ship that is sinking but I truly believed in the brand and the legacy of Bodhi. I knew how much people loved the intention and core of the business, so I had to find a way to make it work.
Inheriting my mother’s attitude of ‘we can do this’ and ‘where there’s a will there’s a way’ helped me in revitalising the business but in conjunction with that was the ability to step back and look at the business unemotionally when making tough decisions.
The uniqueness of Bodhi.
There aren’t a lot of businesses like ours that have been around for as long as we have particularly in the hospitality space. Also, to have a core value of ‘do no harm’ for success or profits whilst still being successful and profitable is quite unique.
It really is a business that has a genuine sense of love, joy and community around it and it’s nice to know what you do has a positive impact on people, the environment and animal welfare.
The piece of advice Heaven wishes she had been told before starting her entrepreneurial journey.
Surround yourself with good people and be open to listening to your team. Trust your gut instincts, if something or someone doesn’t feel right, you’re probably right.
Practice resilience and perseverance but learn to separate what you want from what will work in a business. Don’t be so married to an idea that you won’t change or adapt to be commercially viable and successful.
Always set up your company structure properly from the beginning. Too many people make that mistake or think too small when they start and get caught out down the track.
Lastly it doesn’t always need to be perfect to start, but it is good to test your product or concept.
Heaven’s favourite aspect of being an entrepreneur.
The variety and breadth of interests that you can pursue and explore is the fun part. When I began it was all about the growth I could achieve, now I enjoy and get satisfaction in sharing my experience and knowledge with other people to help them grow.
You need to be fearless and tenacious. Think of the business like a chess game, where you’ve considered all the possible moves and probable outcomes. You don’t have to be an accountant, but you do have to have the ability to grasp the financials.
The biggest mistake…
The biggest mistake I’ve made is not investing in myself more in the early days and burning the candle at both ends which can lead to burning out. You need to think like an athlete, if you aren’t in top physical and mental condition you will find it harder to reach the top, bounce back or handle the pressure and stress. So, invest in yourself, yoga, meditation, what you fuel your body with, mental health or creativity.
And the best decision…
Trusting myself.
Heaven’s personal measure of success.
I measure success by how clear my conscience is, by asking myself if I have done the best or right thing by others and understanding what my intention in the decisions I make. I also measure success with satisfaction, personal growth, and happiness.
On generating new ideas.
Ideas for me never stop, everything I do, everything I see has the potential to either spark an idea or make me ask if this was my business how would I do it, can I make it better?
My partner is my biggest cheerleader, my sounding board, and my inspiration.
How Heaven handles doubt.
You remember how bad things are in your darkest hour and you ask yourself if what you are going through is as bad as that. Often for me the answer is no, so I remind myself if I could survive that, I could survive anything.
Making the most of her day.
The struggle of juggling being a mum and a businesswoman is tough so you have to remember to be kind to yourself and remind yourself that it’s ok if things aren’t perfect, what’s important is that you try your best at everything you do.
Solving big problems as an entrepreneur.
Sometimes if I don’t know how to solve something I stop and let it sit for a while, sometimes the answers will reveal themselves when the time is right, so you just need to be prepared and ready to strike.
Believe in yourself, you are far more resilient and capable than you think you are. Know your self-worth and don’t forget to place a monetary value on your time. This will help you decide if the time you are spending on something, which is $X is worthwhile.
The energy and intention you put into your business is important to the outcome of your business so being mindful and compassionate of others is important.
Don’t constantly compare yourself to other women. It’s easy to look from the outside and think everyone else is managing it better than you are which often isn’t the case. You never know the struggles other people are going through so just focus on your own journey and forging your own path.
Don’t be afraid to take the time to invest in yourself and put your own needs in front of others, including the ones you love. Many women put themselves last on the list of priorities and feel that if they look after themselves, they are being selfish. Remember if you are operating from the negative, you aren’t giving the best of yourself to your family or your business, so a little self-love is not a bad thing, and it will have a positive impact on the things and people you care about.
Women can be the most amazing people and when they come together to support one another, they are literally unstoppable!
We Are Emersyn uses an inclusive definition “female” and “women” and we welcome trans people, women, genderqueer women, and non-binary people who identify, have identified, or have been identified as female, women, or non-binary.