Phillipa Leggo – Where are they now?

2024 is the 10th anniversary of CBRIN and the innovative ecosystem. To celebrate, we sat down with Phillipa Leggo Commercial Director + Co-Founder of SCOTT LEGGO and asked about her journey, where she is now, the challenges she’s overcome and all the wins along the way.

What are your big wins/challenges since we last spoke?

It has been a challenging few years for business, with the pandemic, and now cost of living pressures. As a result, we have been forced to innovate and be bold with our business strategy, including products. As a result, and despite the challenges, we have been able to achieve continued growth across the business both in-store and online. Our new Canberra gallery is a notable win and something I’m very proud of. We opened the new Kingston gallery in June 2023. Located just a few doors away from our previous gallery, it has a beautiful new interior and layout. This new store is designed to showcase the beauty of Australia to a domestic and international audience. The new location is a benchmark for a gallery retail space, not just in Canberra, but in Australia. Everything is designed with the customer experience in mind, with bigger artworks on the walls to soft close drawers for browsing small gifts as an example. It reflects a contemporary approach to creating an exceptional shopping experience.

We had the honour of His Excellency Governor-General David Hurley opening the new gallery for us too. This was very special given his advocacy and support for veterans and their families post service.

Whilst, I run a small creative business with my husband, I’m still an accountant by background, so I’m very proud of the efficiencies we’ve created from the move. The new location brings three locations into one, with a gallery, head office, and storage, now all centralised in one location. The efficiencies are huge for us both financially and operationally.

 

What are you currently working on/towards?

Our vision for the business is to be Australia’s first choice of premium photographic products of the Australian landscape. Our purpose, “to share the beauty of the Australian landscape”, drives us and motivates everyday. Naturally we are a Canberra based business, but we are now really focused on becoming a truly national business, that is based in Canberra.

Having stepped up our in-store game with the new gallery and the in-store experience, to achieve the growth we’re seeking, we are now focusing on how we improve our online performance. With the ability to ship Scott’s artworks and gifts around Australia and overseas the potential is huge. What is driving us, is thinking about ways we can replicate the in-store experience online. How do we deliver a best in class online shopping experience for our premium quality wall art and gifts.

Are there ways we can better match the in person experience provided by our staff in-store for those customers shopping at home or at work, On the performance and results side, this also means exploring ways to improve our SEO, improve our online conversion rate and so much more. Watch this space.

Outside of the business, I enjoy using my finance background and skills gained from our small business and corporate career to benefit other organisations. I’m Chair of the Board for a local primary, a Divisional Councillor for CPA Australia’s ACT Division, part of the women’s advisory group with Canberra not for profit Karinya House and Mentor at Mentor Walks in Canberra. I value the opportunity to give back and utilise my skills and experiences in other areas. I particularly enjoy the community involvement and people I meet as a result. I’ve always enjoyed people and I think this shows through my work.

 

How has being part of the innovative community helped you achieve your goals?

I love being part of the Canberra Innovation community. I really enjoy the Female Founder events for inspiration, ideas and networking.

I participated in a Sales, Deals and VC workshop earlier in the year. It was a lot of fun and very collaborative. The new contacts and networks are definitely a huge opportunity for anyone in business. It’s always important to get other perspectives and stay up to date with new business trends and thinking. Running a small business in particular can be lonely at times, and so having access to communities like CBRIN are important.

What advice would you give to yourself 5 years ago?

Personally, being a parent, with young children and running a small business is always a juggle. I would tell myself that it is normal and that is ok. Professionally, back yourself more and keep saying yes to opportunities. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day stresses, but staying focused on the bigger picture and remaining resilient is key. I would also remind myself to never underestimate the value of a strong, supportive community. I am fortunate to have a network of fabulous men and women as supporters and promoters. No one achieves success in isolation. The Canberra business community is strong and connected. It has always been helpful and supportive to us.

 

Anything else you’d like to add?

I would encourage others to recognise the importance of prioritising exercise in daily life, for mental and physical wellbeing. As a business owner and mum, it can be a really challenge to find time to exercise. During my career in the corporate world I would often work late and long hours, and not find time to exercise. Now, the juggle with little people and a small business means there is even less time for exercise. It’s easy to let it slip, so over the past few months, I have deliberately made the time for regular exercise and I feel great a result. I love how exercise makes me feel afterwards – it is a fabulous way to start the day. What works for me, I plan my exercise into my week and include it as a meeting in my Outlook calendar. It may move from time to time, but I am getting better as prioritising time to move and sweat. As a result, I am a better person, business leader, mum, wife and person.

For more information about the SCOTT LEGGO business. Check out their website scottleggo.com and visit their Canberra gallery 33 Jardine St Kingston.