A Rail & Construction Compliance Professional, Dannielle Walz is one of the new entrepreneurs that recently joined our EO Melbourne chapter. She is the Founder and Director at Training Ahead Australia, the training company leading the change in the way training is delivered in the rail and construction industries.
What made Dannielle take the entrepreneurial path? Let’s find out more as we put the spotlight on her in this Member Focus Series.
Q: Can you give a brief background about you, your family and your business?
I grew up in central Queensland on a cane farm and started my career working in finance in the construction and mining industries. In 2016, My husband and I moved to Melbourne, where my business partner Tom Scash and I started Training Ahead Australia (TAA). The business has a number of services – including assisting clients with rail training and pre-employment medicals and providing consulting services for those entering the rail industry. Alongside TAA, I co-founded and was CFO for one of Victoria's largest rail safe-working providers – Track Protection Australia.
Q: What inspired you to be an entrepreneur?
It started when I was 16 – I would purchase and resell items off eBay, noting what sold well and learning about customer service. This sparked my interest in business and, over the years, I’ve honed my ability to see gaps in the market and ways we can improve the service to a client. That continual improvement in service and being able to anticipate customer and market needs continue to drive me in business, alongside working with our wonderful team!
Q: What do you enjoy most about being an entrepreneur?
It would have to be helping our team grow, both professionally and personally. It is such a rewarding feeling to help a team member identify, work towards and reach their goals. In the same way that they are helping our clients to successfully (and safely!) achieve their rail work goals, I love coming to work each day to help them achieve their own dreams.
Q: What are the biggest challenges you have faced as an entrepreneur?
Accepting that there are factors outside of our control – risk mitigation is often on my mind, but not every situation can be prepared for.
Q: Why did you decide to join EO?
I wanted to connect with like-minded people, and I thought it was an excellent opportunity to continue my own professional development.
Q: Can you share a golden nugget that you learned from your experience or from another entrepreneur or mentor in the past?
When leading a team, you need to speak less and listen more. Give everyone the opportunity to speak and share their ideas – leaders should be the last to speak, once they have listened to their team.