Entrepreneurial success

Ly Lim started Knowledge Plus in 2003, motivated by a desire to help others develop their skills and build their careers. This passion inspired her to write a practical guide to small business success Small Pebble, Big Ripple.

She saw a lack of executive training as a major limitation to small business growth. Time pressures often leave owners concentrating on day-to-day issues rather than the bigger picture. As a result, skill development is often neglected.

“Training is one area that businesses often lose sight of and this ultimately impacts their potential,” says Lim. “One of the mistakes that businesses can make is to settle into a pattern and stop trying to innovate and improve their business as the market changes.”

This insight led Lim to create an advisory board for Knowledge Plus, made up of a range of specialists from different fields. The aim is to keep abreast of industry trends and the business environment, and to keep Knowledge Plus evolving. This has allowed her to expand her business and implement new processes.

According to Lim, the secret to success is not trying to be an expert at everything. “Use your network to gather specialist advice and skills to help your business run successfully and expand when the time is right.”

In 2007, Lim was named President of the Asia-Pacific Business Council for Women. She also picked up two prestigious accolades at the Australian Small Business Champion Awards, sponsored by Commonwealth Bank Local Business Banking and the Australian Government.

Garry O’Shea, Executive Manager of Commonwealth Bank Local Business Banking in South Australia, said, “Lim displays such passion, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, and it is great to acknowledge her achievements through the Australian Small Business Champion Awards.”

Lim and her partner Les plan to expand Knowledge Plus interstate to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Darwin, and also branch into new market segments such as recruitment.