About The Founder
Gail Austen OAM
Goodtime Surf & Sail - Founder
Her Story
Gail Austen OAM has created an environment where business is a lifestyle, the bottom line is the thing you are standing on, vital assets are people and shares are what are distributed amongst those not so fortunate. Gail has been globalised since birth, communicates over and through any obstacle, is hell bent on being around for the new world order and intends to be in the line up. No wave is too steep – it’s the thrill of the ride she is after.
The walls of the store display many notable honours and records, and the medals that hang loose are just some of the reminders of the great moments on the sporting dais. Her belief that you can only enrich your life through enriching the lives of others underlines the very essence of her drive and energy. Her contribution to the disadvantaged and disabled is one that she cherishes most. The bell has sounded for yet another round, this time in a much larger arena. Who knows what this journey will bring – it will certainly bring others with her, of that there is no doubt. In May 1997 the campaign launch to nominate for the position of Lord Mayor of Brisbane in the year 2000 began. This ‘Gailforce’ plan will make it ‘Only a Matter of Time’ according to the pundits.
Strategies for Success
If you feel you belong somewhere, stay there and grow. Starting out as a woman in a male-dominated industry in the 1970s, Gail Austen OAM had a huge and hostile competitor. She had suppliers who felt having their products in her store affected their image, but nothing, not even the fire that destroyed her business in 1984, stopped her from being where she knew she wanted to be.
Recognise that the time we have on this earth is very, very short. With time we can paint, we can dream, we take it or leave it, but we will never get it back once given, and that is the most important description of time there is. It’s yours to value and to use for the simple and easy task of using it well, using it carefully – using it as if your life depended upon it. Don’t set high standards… live by them. Many people are afraid of failure. They are afraid of being wrong or looking less than someone else. Gail accepts that some people are more skilled and intellectually more gifted than her. We were all given gifts. It’s how you measure up to the gift that you were given that matters, not how you measure up to the gifts everyone else has. Never have any doubt that it’s from the top that you can truly make a difference. It’s in the mainstream where you can make real change.
Gail always joined the biggest organisation that was related to her industry, workplace, or goals and ambitions. It gets you out there with the best. She often talks about self-esteem and using sporting life as an example of building it. Strength gives you courage and makes you feel powerful. It is without doubt part of the recipe.
