As part of the Morning Lazziness series highlighting empowering women who are making a remarkable impact with their ideas, I had the pleasure of interviewing Yvette Adams.
Yvette Adams is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, and former journalist who has launched six businesses, sold two, acquired one, and still owns two – The Creative Collective, a full-service marketing agency, and awardshub.com. A former Facebook Community Trainer for Australia & NZ, she has overcome plenty of personal and professional adversity, including strokes and heart surgery in 2022. A mother of two, property investor, and ocean lover, she is passionate about helping businesses succeed.
In this interview, she reveals the mindset shifts, bold moves, and lessons that helped her turn ideas into impactful online businesses.
What inspired you to start your business, and what problem were you passionate about solving?
I started The Creative Collective in 2007 with a 3 year old and a 7 week old at home out of desire and necessity. A desire to keep my brain active and offer my services to people, and necessity because like many young families, we couldn’t afford to live off the one income. I saw a gap for a full service marketing agency that would save people from going from one service provider to another. At the time, people would have to go to a graphic design company for a brand, a web developer for a website, a photographer to get the photos and so on – there were no full service agencies and this just didn’t make sense to me. I knew if we did a good job on the first service the client came to us for, we could build a relationship and work with them on other services, and for those I didn’t offer, I started to pull in contractors to do the job and later staff. I really do believe we were one of the first full service agencies, certainly on the Sunshine Coast, possibly even in Queensland or Australia. Clients loved the convenience of going to the one company for all their marketing needs. I also wanted to be non-discriminatory – whether you were a startup or a corporate I wanted to help them to professionalise their business, promote their business and also harness digital tools without being overwhelmed by jargon or tech barriers. And to this day, our ethos is very much the same.
How has your business evolved since its launch, and what key decisions helped drive that growth?
We’ve evolved from a small local agency in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast into a multi-location team of 15 or so, with around 30 contractors and many national and international clients, some of them quite high profile. Key decisions along the way have included pivoting to be a hybrid workforce model after COVID, investing early in SEO and social media expertise, and more recently, leading the charge on AI integration for marketing. Each pivot has kept us ahead of industry shifts.
In your view, what truly sets your brand apart in today’s competitive market?
Our combination of adaptability, diversity, and transparency. We’ve built a team with people from different cultures, disciplines, and backgrounds, and that diversity sparks more creative solutions. We’re also honest – if something won’t work, we say so. Most clients value that integrity.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to date, and why do you think it worked so well?
Thought leadership – through blogs, speaking, and training. By sharing knowledge freely, we’ve built trust, attracted the right clients, and positioned ourselves as experts in areas like social media, SEO, and now AI.
How do you stay connected to your ideal audience and understand their needs or behaviors?
We listen closely – through monitoring our analytics and conversion tracking, regular client check-ins, surveys, and anecdotal feedback too. Our team is also embedded in industry events and communities, which keeps us aware of emerging pain points and opportunities. I also travel a lot and gain inspiration from where ever I am, often bringing global trends and things I’ve seen elsewhere back to Australia or suggesting them as a new way of doing things to our clients.
What’s one branding move or campaign that helped elevate your business to the next level?
Winning and publicising major industry awards gave us credibility that opened doors with larger clients and councils. Awards also energised our team internally – they reminded us we were doing work worth recognising. Also winning some major local Government, state Government and federal Government contracts and tenders has been excellent exposure.
What does success look like for you, not just in numbers, but in purpose or impact?
For me, success is seeing our work make a real difference – whether that’s helping a not-for-profit raise awareness or money from donations, supporting a small business to grow strategically and not in an erratic unplanned manner, or guiding a council or regional health network to communicate effectively with its community. Our mantra is ‘helping people and organisations become a better version of themselves’ – in short Impact matters more than just revenue.
How do you personally define success, beyond revenue and growth metrics?
Resilience, lifestyle and freedom. I’ve overcome health challenges and personal setbacks, yet the business has continued to thrive. That’s a success in itself. Success also means creating a business that supports flexibility – for me and for my team. And living our values which are respect, kindness and trust.
Can you share a challenge or setback that ultimately became a turning point for your brand?
In 2022, I experienced multiple strokes, heart surgery, broke my foot and had COVID twice – all within months. I couldn’t work for 18 months, but because the business was structured with strong systems and people, it kept operating. That was a turning point – it showed me the power of building a resilient, adaptable business with great procedures, templates and resources in place. Also on hiring great people who are prepared to step up when push comes to shove.
What daily habits or rituals keep you focused, creative, and grounded as a leader?
I prioritise exercise, meditation, and journaling. I also carve out time to read widely – lots of audio books lately – and not just business books but self help books, psychology, technology, and biographies. It keeps me curious and open.
How do you approach innovation and risk in your business strategy?
I’ve always been an early adopter – I had a yahoo email address in 1996, a social media profile on all channels (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin) in 2008, Netflix in 2013, and these days we have been using an extensive amount of AI tools for a couple of years and love introducing others to them too. I assess risk by experimenting in controlled ways, then scaling what works. Innovation doesn’t have to mean recklessness – it’s about being open to new things and smart testing.
What advice would you give to someone starting a business in today’s fast-changing digital world?
The one thing constant is change – so get comfortable with it! Build resilience, surround yourself with mentors, and don’t wait until everything is perfect – start, learn, and adapt. And invest in your brand early – it’s the foundation that carries you through pivots.
Where can our audience connect with you and learn more about your work or offerings?
You can find me on LinkedIn, TikTok or Instagram personally or via our website or company social channels – LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest & YouTube, where we share case studies, insights, and training opportunities. You’re also welcome to sign up to our newsletter here.
