AS Laurie McDonald looks to the New Year, and sets her goals for 2013, she can’t help but reflect on how far she’s come.

With her business, Canberra Furnished Accommodation approaching its 10th birthday, she’s received recognition from awards and satisfaction from creating a thriving, successful workplace.

Laurie says Canberra Furnished Accommodation has been the market leader in Canberra for almost a decade.

“We specialise in providing beautiful, functional, short-term, flexible accommodation,” she says.

Clients come from everywhere – people relocating to Canberra, on contract work, between homes, renovating or visiting friends and family.
She says “baby boomer” grandparents visiting family enjoy the freedom of their own space and having somewhere to “hang out with their grandchildren”.

Laurie’s enthusiasm is infectious, which probably goes some of the way to explaining why motivating others comes naturally to her.

Indeed, Canberra Furnished Accommodation was the ACT winner of the Telstra Business “Go for Business Gold” competition, a nationwide search to find outstanding motivators among the country’s two-million-plus small-to-medium businesses.

Entrants had to show excellence in motivating staff, themselves or their customers with a winner for each State and Territory.

“I thought it would be a fun, team-building exercise to create a video and enter the competition,” Laurie told “CityNews”.

As part of the prize, Canberra Furnished Accommodation won a visit from Olympic swimming champion Duncan Armstrong, who spoke at a lunch held at Civic’s Soju Girl for Laurie’s invited guests.

Duncan won a gold medal in freestyle swimming with a world-record swim at the Seoul Olympic Games and was Australia’s 100th Olympic swimming medallist.

At the same Olympics, Duncan also won a silver medal and his overall swimming achievements saw him awarded the Young Australian of the Year award for 1988.

“The Olympics were an unforgettable experience,” Duncan said. “Inspiring people by sharing that experience at an event like the one Canberra Furnished Accommodation arranged is a pleasure.”

Laurie says it was great to hear Duncan speak about what motivates him and his emphasis on enthusiasm really struck a chord with her.
“It was a great opportunity to say thanks to our staff and biggest supporters.”

Canberra Furnished Accommodation began in 2003 when Matt and Laurie McDonald rented their investment property on a short-term furnished basis. Laurie was on maternity leave with their first child and began the business by putting a computer and furniture package on her credit card.

She gradually grew the business and didn’t return to her job with the Federal Government. Today they offer more than 50 properties available in Canberra for people needing furnished and equipped accommodation on a flexible basis or short-term basis.

Laurie says she’s proud of many of her achievements, including being a finalist in the Telstra business awards, and that after 10 years she feels her systems are streamlined.

“It’s really exciting to be at a point in the business where everything works and flows well,” she says. “I’m a real nerd and business systems excite me.

“But one of the things I’m most proud of is that over the past 10 years, I have rarely had to compromise on being a mum to my two little boys, and that’s what starting the business was all about in the first place.”

When Laurie started the business, it was just her for a number of years and she now has five full-time equivalent staff.

“I first started designing a furniture and equipment package for one property. Now I design furniture and equipment packages for five properties at a time,” she says.

Group managing director of Telstra Business, Will Irving, said: “Go for Business Gold was one of many ways Telstra celebrated the successes of small business.”

“Every one of our finalists showed the passion, creativity and motivation that typifies the best in Australian business.”