Sarina Russo

Entrepreneur pioneers new way to get Britain back to work

2010-03-29T10:33:00.000+10:00

A leading Australian businesswoman has outlined her vision for getting Britain back to work at the official launch of her business in the UK.

Sarina Russo believes a more entrepreneurial approach is required to find people sustainable employment in the UK’s tough jobs market. Over 80 people attended the event in London where guest of honour Cherie Blair paid tribute to Ms Russo’s ‘can-do philosophy’.

Sarina Russo is well known in Australia, having hosted her own television show ’How to Get that Job’ for over 25 years, co-authored a motivational book ‘Meet Me at the Top’, and starred in both the Australian Dragons’ Den series and Dragons’ Den Around the World.

Her company, Sarina Russo Job Access, has more than 30 years experience in education, employment, training and job creation in Australia. Since October 2009, Sarina Russo Job Access has delivered employment services under the Government’s Flexible New Deal and recently under the Community Taskforce program.

Ms Russo said: “Our ‘entrepreneurial’ approach to skills identification, appropriate training, employer engagement and jobseeker mentoring has been proven to achieve results. We’ve succeeded in getting jobs for people including those with a disability, mature people, those from a non-English speaking background and the very long-term unemployed.

“With so much competition for each and every job currently, it’s important for job seekers to respond positively and take action to improve their prospects by improving their confidence and skills. We prepare them for employment, help find them work, then offer follow-up support and mentoring including psychology and occupational therapy services for highly disadvantaged jobseekers.

“Employers also benefit from our entrepreneurial approach because we allow them to concentrate running their business and refer them job ready candidates.

“Economic empowerment in this way not only helps the individuals concerned but also has wider social benefits by reducing crime, alleviating poverty, keeping families together and preventing mental illness.”

Cherie Blair told the audience: “Anyone who meets Sarina herself quickly comes to recognise her drive and commitment to providing opportunities for people. It is a drive which has built from scratch a business back home in Australia which is now worth some £40 million and employing over 1,000 people across the fields of education, training, employment and job creation.”

She said she was pleased that the Government was making such a determined effort to help people re-enter the labour market and bringing in new approaches and expertise was one way to do that.

She added: “I hope this will be a successful meeting of minds - a meeting between Sarina’s can-do philosophy which underpins this whole organisation and the can-do attitude of the UK people.

$1 million worth of local jobs

2010-03-05T12:59:00.000+10:00

ACHIEVING $1 million worth of local jobs in March is the aim of our new campaign at Sarina Russo Job Access in Frankston / Hastings, Ringwood, the Yarra Valley and Rosebud

The campaign's aim is to engage the business community and encourage them to give a local a job.

We are looking to drive local jobs for the benefit of our communities.

If you're an employer needing staff, or if you know of an employer who needs staff, Sarina Russo Job Access has thousands of locals ready to work straight away.

Employers are extraordinary and play such an important role in the fabric of our community.

Employers inspire, educate, enlighten and provide a better future for so many locals. Employers helped create memories, confidence, mateship, careers and much more.

Sarina Russo Job Access will add the annual salaries of all successful candidates placed into work in March to calculate the success of our local jobs campaign.

Over the coming weeks Sarina Russo Job Access will keep the community informed of the progress of our $1 million jobs goal in each area as well as the benefit these jobs will have for the community.

In the past 12 months, redundancies in the local areas had increased as businesses had had to shed jobs.

Sarina Russo Job Access has many people on the books who have been made redundant.They are experienced and skilled and want to get back to work as soon as possible.

We want to link job seekers with businesses and industries so they get back to work and help businesses grow, which benefits the whole community.

If you have a job for a local call:

- Maddison or Meagan on 9735 7800 in YARRA VALLEY

- Damian on 5986 9300 in ROSEBUD

- Teigan on 9847 5600 in RINGWOOD

- Terry on 8781 3600 in FRANKSTON / HASTINGS

Sarina’s Important Life Lesson 6

2010-02-24T09:59:00.000+10:00

Never stop learning.

The discipline I imposed on myself was to work harder on myself than on my job.

I was guided by the message of yet another motivational speaker: the pain of discipline weighs ounces, the pain of regret weighs tons.

I drew from this the determination to:
- Educate myself,
- Discipline myself with my savings,
- Find mentors who could inspire me (including my boyfriends),
- Visit stimulating places,
- Read good books,
- Listen to uplifting music, and
- Go to as many motivational seminars as I could to find about ‘how to develop your self esteem and self image’.

Remember I never knew the meaning of self esteem and self image at school.

Such a concept was beyond my comprehension.

Sarina’s Important Life Lesson 5

2010-02-09T09:10:00.000+10:00

Use empowering words in your self-talk. Don't underestimate the potency of this. There is scientific evidence that 80 per cent of our day is self-talk. We can choose to negatively talk or positively praise ourselves.

It stands to reason that if most of our self talk is positive, we will act in a positive, it can be done, manner. The reverse is true if our thoughts are mostly negative. I have a passionate belief in the power of words to give you strength.

In my scrapbook there is a copy of an article written about me several years ago by an interviewer who was fascinated by my tendency to speak in motivational phrases. He was right. I did speak (and think) in such phrases – and I still do – because I attended every motivational seminar that was available to me, and still do as part of the lifetime learning process I have committed myself to.

This is an extract of what the interviewer wrote in his article, which was titled The Rise and Rise of Sarina Russo: “Sarina Russo likes to speak in those motivational phrases that drip like the sweetest honey from the tongues of entrepreneurs giddy with their own success. Slogans like, Your attitude determines your altitude and the speed of the leader determines the speed of the gang. But the remarkable thing about her is that she has found success through living out such phrases, putting flesh on their glibness, giving meaning to words that, for many of us, are without meaning.”

Sarina’s Important Life Lesson 4

2010-01-25T10:05:00.000+10:00

Be the person you want to be and not the person someone else wants you to be. Be open to help and good advice from others but let no one take you over.

My focus was that I had only one life and one journey and I was going to take charge of it without any husband, father or banker controlling my destiny. In my mind it was better to drive my car and pick up my boyfriend than to have him pick me up in his.

That's the way I thought. There were young men who wanted to change the way I dressed, the way I spoke and so on, but I was happy being me, and we went our separate ways.

Sarina’s Important Life Lesson 3

2010-01-20T09:28:00.000+10:00

Associate with positive people and don’t let negative people suck you into their world of darkness and doubt.

The positive people are those who smile easily and always have a go at things.

The negative people are their opposites, those who are glum and believe the world is against them. If you can’t find many positive people to associate with, read books written by positive people.

Believe me, it works. Let me give you an example. One of the world’s greatest motivators is Anthony Robbins, author of several best selling books including, Unlimited Power and Awaken The Giant Within. He is a valued advisor to the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, members of two Royal families, former US President Bill Clinton, professional sporting teams and sports stars including Andre Agassi and Greg Norman.

But Anthony Robbins had an impoverished, unstable childhood His parents broke up when he was very young. His mother married twice more and struggled to put food on the table for her son. As a teenager he was frequently beaten up by bigger kids.

He had an ego and wouldn't back down to anyone. Anthony turned his mind into a powerful generator of positive energy by reading first one, then hundreds more books on human development, psychology and physiology or, as he says, ‘anything about thought’. He recalls that in five years as a teenager he read 700 such books. They were the brain food that turned him into the world’s great motivator, acclaimed by the International Chamber of Commerce as one of the 10 Outstanding People of the World. His story is another example of using adversity to unleash your determination to rise to a higher level.

I had to repeat Grade 4 and failed Grade 10 English at my first try. I also failed Grade 12 senior English twice in evening classes and passed on my third attempt. Giving up was never on my agenda.

Here's a little trick you can use to keep yourself positive. Wear a rubber band around your wrist. When you say something negative like, I wish I were smarter ... or I'll never make it ... or it's too hard for me to do .... just give that rubber band a snap so that it stings your wrist. You can measure the extent of your negativity by the number of red welts you get on your wrist.

Sarina’s Important Life Lesson 2

2010-01-11T08:41:00.002+10:00

Never take it personally. Never think, why me? Never accept someone else's negative opinion of you, because it will drain you of your strength. It will fill your mind with self-doubt.

Have the positive attitude that whatever they say about you, it's only their opinion. If it's a question about your capacity or your ability, take the attitude that it is you versus your mind.

You can do anything if you put your mind to it. It's not what happens to you, it's what you do about it that counts. If you think you can, you're right. If you think you can't, you're also right.

When I was the migrant kid ostracised because of the smelly parmesan cheese and garlic sandwiches I was taking to school, and also because of my lack of English comprehension, I could have taken it personally, withdrawn into myself and curled up in corners.

Know what I did? I hoarded my meagre pocket money, bought a jar of the vegemite everyone else had on their sandwiches and started making my own sandwiches. I even mucked that up by forgetting to put butter on the bread first but eventually I got it right and there came that wonderful day when one of the other kids actually swapped sandwiches with me and ate one of mine. I was in!

See the lesson here? It wasn’t me the kids were rejecting. It was my sandwiches. I had the power to change the sandwiches so I did. And my English comprehension improved because I worked at it and did not go into a sulk.

Sarina’s Important Life Lesson 1

2010-01-04T10:09:00.000+10:00

Be loyal to your family and let them into your lives to share your triumphs as well as being there to console you in your time of need. Express your love for them. Their love, their support and their belief in you will give you strength to believe in yourself.

I think the young should be grateful if their parents have made them pull their weight, doing their share of jobs around the home and expecting them to earn their pocket money. That’s what teaches you a sense of responsibility and accountability and equips you to earn a living later in life. If you get it easy in your teen years, if you get all the spending money you need without having to work for it, if you get all the Nintendo and Play Stations you want without having to save up for them, my advice is, go out and get a part time job.

You have to learn to relate to people in the real world who have to make profits in order to survive and people who have to earn enough wages to support a family. Can you fit into their world? Can you be useful to a business? Can you contribute to a team? You won’t find out by staying at home and playing computer games in your bedroom.

As I was growing up I thought my father was a tyrant, making us work too hard and taking a large part of our earnings to put into the family fund. When I left home and went into the real world of doing a real day’s work for a real day’s pay I realised I had reason to be grateful to my father. He gave me my most valuable strengths – the capacity to endure hard work and confidence in myself.

All those seemingly impossible things he had given me to do and which I always managed to do, had equipped me to face any challenge with optimism and commitment. He also taught me the value of saving and the basic business skills which have got me where I am today.

Ten after holiday ‘Back to Work’ tips

2009-12-31T13:56:00.000+10:00

You must prepare yourself mentally and physically to get back into the work mode after the holidays.

It's never easy getting back into the swing of work after Christmas celebrations, family gatherings, and time off with good friends.

Regardless if you’re a Pay-As-You-Go employee or you work for yourself here are 10 tips to help you get back into work mode after your holidays.

1. Exercise - rejuvenates you and helps clear your mind allowing you to mentally prepare yourself for the challenge of getting back to work.

2. Relax - rest before returning to work. Holidays can be stressful with the logistics of family gatherings, gifts and big meals.

3. Reflect - what tasks you were doing just before you went on holiday and if anything was left unfinished?

4. Make a list – helps you prioritise and gets your mind back into the productive swing.

5. Set goals - improve your situation at work by setting some goals to work towards.

6. Clean up – putting away your holiday decorations will help you mentally move on. Clean your house as a cleaner environment helps cultivate peace of mind.

7. Check your email - if you have access to your work email at home, take 30 minutes and review your inbox.

8. Set your alarm - at least one day prior to returning to work set your alarm and get up at your 'normal' work time.

9. Communicate - once back at work, speak with your boss and colleagues to make sure you're focused on the right duties and everyone is on the same page.

10. Get ahead of the game – ensure those outstanding holiday tasks are done quickly so you’re on the front foot while your colleagues are still getting back into work mode.

With a little pre-planning you’ll relieve the stress of returning to work.

Seasons Greetings - Sarina Russo

2009-12-21T10:06:00.000+10:00

“You not only saw a light at the end of the tunnel in 2009 but you became that light for others”

My blog today is to celebrate the festive season with you, your family, and friends!

In 2009, the leadership and support of so may wonderful people has made a positive difference, not only in my life, but in the lives of others!

I take this opportunity to thank you personally from my heart for your passion, optimism, resilience, strength and vision.

Let’s continue to make our world a better place - Continue to take the leap of faith and continue to soar with the magic within you in 2010 and beyond!

Once again a big thank you and let’s celebrate!

Sarina Russo Job Access Epping makes a stir at Whittlesea Jobs Expo

2009-12-17T16:21:00.000+10:00

Over 1000 cups of coffee were served at the Whittlesea Jobs Expo by graduates of a Sarina Russo barista course.

We are so proud of the efforts of these 15 graduates who prior to their course all had significant return to work barriers.

What made the day even more special was we asked for a gold coin donation for each coffee and all the proceeds went to the bushfire appeal.

Over 4000 people attended Jobs Expo which was organised at the Whittlesea showgrounds by Centrelink and the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

The aim of the day for Sarina Russo Job Access was to match people to over a 1000 jobs available on the day and to provide people with relevant information and advice on training and employment.

As an industry leader in education, training and recruitment the Sarina Russo Group hosted four stalls at the Job Expo – Sarina Russo Job Access, Sarina Russo Schools | Australia, Sarina Russo Apprenticeship Services and Sarina Russo Disability Services.

Australia’s most famous tradie Scott Camm officially drew local business Safeway as the winner of our business card competition

Adorned in our pink Sarina Russo 30th Anniversary caps the staff looked fantastic and their expertise and dedication were appreciated by local jobseekers and local business owners.

Surviving the ‘holiday handover’

2009-12-15T09:26:00.000+10:00

The importance of an effective ‘holiday handover’ can’t be underestimated.

An ineffective ‘holiday handover’ means deadlines will be missed, customer needs overlooked and work piles up.

A smooth and systematic ‘holiday handover’ ensures the job gets done.

The holiday taker can then return to work knowing they will not be ‘overloaded or under the pump’ on their first day.

I recommend the 10 point ‘holiday handover’ checklist to de-stress your return to work

1. Write a step-by-step handover list outlining job duties, timelines, deadlines, resources, current actions and reporting responsibilities.

2. Give a copy of your handover list to both your replacement and your boss.

3. Have a face-to-face meeting with your replacement to explain protocols and duties. Encourage questions and give detailed answers.

4. Explain you’re on holiday and who is filling-in for you on your out-of-office email, landline and mobile telephone message.

5. If your replacement uses your workstation don’t leave personal items in or on your desk.

6. Tell your friends you’re on holidays so they are not calling the office.

7. Don’t expect the job to be done exactly your way(no two people work alike)

8. On your return, meet with your replacement, and your boss, to understand what been done and what needs immediate attention.

9. Stay in the loop by catching up on office developments.

10. Ease yourself back into work – stay calm knowing your prior planning was the key!

These 10 simple Holiday Handover tips ensure holiday periods can be effectively covered with no detrimental effect on business productivity

Sarina Russo Job Access awarded Community Task Force contract in UK

2009-12-08T14:20:00.000+10:00

Sarina Russo Job Access will help over 13,000 jobseekers into work placements with community and voluntary sector organisations after being awarded a prime provider contract in the United Kingdom.

The Community Task Force contract runs for 18 months and Sarina Russo Job Access will deliver services in three geographic regions:

· London Central, Lambeth, Southwark & Wandsworth;

· Kent, Surrey & Sussex; and

· Coventry, Warwickshire & the Marches.

Being awarded the Community Task Force contract is recognition of our results driven attitude to employment services and is a great opportunity for Sarina Russo Job Access to impress the Department of Work & Pensions as we tender for Flexible New Deal 2 in January 2010.

Sarina Russo seeks out success by Mike O'Connor, The Courier-Mail

2009-12-07T11:31:00.000+10:00

Sarina Russo seeks out success

WE are waiting for the hairdresser or, more correctly, for the hairdresser's client who has kept the hairdresser waiting and who is now keeping us waiting.

A few minutes later the phone rings. It's her. She is in the car. "It's a two-minute drive from the penthouse but it can take half an hour if she gets on her mobile," says a staff member.

Several more minutes pass and then with the sound of her voice preceding her appearance by at least 60 seconds, she and her newly coiffed hair sweep into the room and the day proper begins.

Her staff had been there for hours but I sense that the day at The Russo Centre does not truly start until the Empress is at her desk.

"This year I've had the biggest challenges of my 30 years in business," says Sarina Russo, launching into one of her trade-mark monologues.

"I bottomed when we lost that government work, when after 30 years in Queensland they didn't think I had the capacity. It was like being in a tsunami without a life jacket. I had to decide what I wanted for this company."

It was in April that the "tsunami" hit when the Federal Government restructured Job Network and slashed the amount of work it gave to organisations such as Russo's Job Access as well as Wesley Mission, the Salvation Army and Mission Australia.

"I could have gone two ways. I could have closed all those offices down and made 150 staff redundant in Queensland because I didn't have a viable business in the job network. It was really a very fragile time for the business," she says.

"But I knew our brand was strong and that I had no debt and more than anything I wanted to ensure the security of my staff so I rang all the managers and said, 'What can we do?'

"It was like going back to the past. I had a breakfast for all the staff and said we weren't closing anything down and that every job was secure. I said we would just get going and let the job-seekers and employers decide."

The decision, she said, was not without risk but meant that she was well placed to take advantage of the upturn that followed.

"The next thing I got work from other providers and we picked up all the work that we'd lost. In revenue we lost tens and tens of millions but we've got it all back and more."

Russo says that despite 30 years business experience, she didn't see the crisis coming. "We were a high-performing office," she says with an incredulous shrug. "We were No. 1 in Australia and suddenly, based on that tender outcome - and I accepted the outcome - we were no longer relevant in Queensland.

"Everyone else made people redundant. They were putting off 150, 200, 350 people and closing offices but we didn't do any of that and all the job-seekers all came swarming back to us."

Russo's business is her life. She built it, made a lot of money in the process and after 30 years, her pride in her achievements is palpable. "I have no debt so we can leverage against our properties. We're a low-geared operation and I think I've got to thank my father, who always used to say, 'Pay your bills and pay off your debt'."

She draws a comparison between herself and failed childcare provider Eddy Groves.

"You look at people like Eddy Groves who had a very different philosophy and he was caught out whereas with us, the banks just want to keep lending us money."

She says she will continue building her company's property portfolio, and I ask if given that she already has a Russo Square, Russo Centre, Russo Place and Russo Circle, she might have exhausted the possibilities for eponymous buildings.

"You're right. Maybe I should ring Donald Trump and ask what he's now calling his buildings?" she says, smiling.

Having spent three decades consolidating her business in Australia, she says she is now poised to expand into the UK.

"I've invested many, many dollars over the past 12 months in the UK. We co-partnered and didn't win anything but we didn't give up and now we're tendering in our own right. I think we'll be bigger in the UK than we are in Australia. I've been spending a lot of time in the UK," she says.

Born in 1951, she says she is fitter now that when she started her business in 1979.

"You're as old as you feel. I run 51/2km in 24 minutes and I've bought a bike," she says.

I asked if, as I had heard, she rode a Gucci bike. She smiles and says that it's true she has a Gucci bike and that she has no idea how much it cost.

Retirement, she says, is not part of her plan. "I know I could be on the beach enjoying the sun every day. Why keep working? But I say that if you've got the capacity to do more, you're cheating yourself if you don't do it."

A confessed consumer of self-motivational books and seminars, she extols the virtues of mental discipline.

"It's not what happens but what you do about it," she says. "I've been into motivational seminars for 30 years. I breathe it, eat it and exercise it. My job is my lifestyle."

Russo enjoys being in control and has no regrets at not listing her company on the stock exchange.

"I'm glad we never made this company public or had an equity partner who may have told me I would have had to make staff redundant. I'm my own boss. It's pretty cool," she says.

Russo has never married but says that she accepts this as the way things have turned out.

"It doesn't bother me. Marriage is not for everybody. I love who I am and don't think about it. I guess I'm different," she says shrugging. "My family's expectation was for me to be married and maybe it was because my father kept on saying this that I wanted to defy him."

She concedes that when she started the business, her ambition then did not envision a company of the size she has built.

"Thirty years ago all I wanted was to get out of being a legal secretary and gain financial independence.

"I've worked two jobs, a day job and a night job and I've hit the lows and I know what it's like and I never want to be there again.

"And I'll tell you one thing," she says, "I'm never going back to being a legal secretary."

Even given future tsunamis, that seems unlikely to happen.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 20

2009-11-30T09:38:00.002+10:00

To live the life of a leader, to be seen as a leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my twentieth rule of leadership:

Rule Number Twenty:

Look beyond the immediate horizon.

Constantly challenge yourself in expanding your skills.

For me, this meant looking beyond my home State of Queensland into the southern States of NSW and Victoria and now into the United Kingdom.

I used to lack confidence at the thought of expanding my business down south and overseas.

How could I manage it from Queensland?

But once I was given that opportunity through our Job Services Australia and Flexible New Deal contracts, I embraced the challenge.

By deciding to bite the bullet and move beyond our local boundaries I created for myself a challenge to do more, to offer more and to increase awareness in the consumer market of our products and services. And now we’re doing it globally.

If you don’t grow your business, ultimately what you are offering can become redundant or superfluous.

By having diverse products and services, you can secure your investment – and your staff and consumers.

That is my focus.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 19

2009-11-24T14:26:00.002+10:00

To live the life of a leader, to be seen as a leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my nineteenth rule of leadership:

Don’t let you or your staff run out of challenges.

And unless you grow, that is exactly what will at happen.

When it does, your unchallenged staff will then look at your competitors who are growing and go to them because there is a more exciting challenge there. I believe developing our people and growing entrepreneurs within.

SPEECH BY CHERIE BLAIR AT THE OPENING OF THE SARINA RUSSO JOB ACCESS OFFICES IN COVENTRY

2009-11-18T08:49:00.002+10:00

Thank you, Sarina,

I am delighted to be here today to help mark the expansion into the UK of Sarina Russo Job Access.

It’s an initiative with an enviable track record in helping people find work in Australia over 30 years.

And it is clear that the UK Government believes the experience and expertise built up by the company will be of real help to those looking for new jobs and careers here in the UK.

I am sure they are right. For anyone who meets Sarina herself quickly comes to recognise her drive and commitment to providing opportunities for people.

It is a drive which has built from scratch a business back home in Australia which is now worth some £40 million and employing over 1,000 people across the fields of education, training, employment and job creation.

Sarina is not yet well-known here.

But back home in Australia she is one of their best recognised business leaders, hosting her own TV series and appearing in their version of Dragon’s Den.

What’s important is that she did all this herself, having overcome many challenges – including getting fired from a succession of jobs for her bolshie attitude.

So perhaps it is no wonder we hit it off when we first met in London a few years ago.

But it also means that she has a very clear idea of the problems that those seeking work face and the help and support they need to get back into the labour market.

These are, of course, problems which many people face including here in the West Midlands.

The global recession has led to rising unemployment across the world.

No continent or country has escaped its impact.

But the fact that you are caught up in problems which began a long way from Coventry doesn’t help you to get a new job or look after your family.

So I am very pleased that the Government is making such a determined effort to give people all the support they can, to help re-enter the labour market as quickly as possible.

And one of the ways they are doing this is by bringing in new approaches and expertise.

So I hope this will be a successful meeting of minds.

A meeting between Sarina’s can-do philosophy which underpins this whole organisation – and the can-do attitude for which the people of the West Midlands are well-known.

The result, I hope, is the chance for many more people to have a rewarding career and the opportunity to play a part in the continued success of their communities and this region.

I am very pleased to be here for this launch and wish everyone real success in the future.

Enjoy the celebrations

SARINA RUSSO, ENTERS WEST MIDLANDS EMPLOYMENT MARKET - CHERIE BLAIR TO OPEN SARINA RUSSO JOB ACCESS’ HEAD OFFICE IN COVENTRY

2009-11-18T08:48:00.002+10:00

West Midland jobseekers will experience a more entrepreneurial approach to finding a job with the entry of Sarina Russo Job Access into the local employment market.

Sarina Russo Job Access has more than 30 years experience in education, employment, training and job creation in Australia.

Founder and managing director, Sarina Russo, is a leading international businesswoman who for 25 years hosted her own television show ’How to Get that Job’, co-authored a motivational book ‘Meet Me at the Top’, and starred in both the Australian Dragons Den series and Dragons Den Around the World.

Sarina Russo Job Access has partnered with the internationally recognised services company Serco to deliver an outcomes based employment service throughout the West Midlands including Coventry, Worcester, Leamington Spa, Rugby, Stratford-upon-Avon, Nuneaton, Kidderminster, Evesham, Droitwich and Redditch.

Ms Russo said, with an unemployment rate of around 8%, we believe a tough job market requires a more entrepreneurial approach to inspire and educate local people on ‘How to Get that Job’.

“We get results for our jobseekers and employers because we think differently, challenge the status quo, deliver with speed and urgency and exceed the expectation of our clients. This is what our brand stands for and this is why people have trusted our brand for 30 years.”

“In our recent Australian contract, we placed over 130,000 jobseekers with more than 100,000 employers, we believe we will have the same success here in the UK.

“Our entrepreneurial philosophy to getting people a job is simple. We try to empower people to be accountable and responsible for their lives, to never stop learning, to persist and to believe in themselves with passion,” Ms Russo said
Sarina Russo Job Access entrepreneurial approach includes:
• Pre-employment preparation
• Employer partnerships
• Job ready training courses
• Life skills training and
• Career counselling, post placement support, mentoring,

UK CEO, Paul Siffre, said, “It’s an employers’ market and job seekers need to respond positively and take action to improve their employment prospects by improving their confidence and skills through education and training.

“Sarina is successful because she lives by the adage - Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care”, added Paul Siffre.
Mrs Blair will officially launch Sarina Russo Job Access operations at the company’s head office in Coventry on Monday 16 November, 2009

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 18

2009-11-05T16:18:00.000+10:00

To live the life of a leader, to be seen as a leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my eighteenth rule of leadership:

Take joy in continuing to lead in a direction where everyone’s going to gain – not only your customers but also your internal people. If you don’t grow your business, parts of your business anatomy will wither and die.

Looking back over 23 years, my business has seen nothing but growth and through it I have achieved economies of scale. It’s like a plane that flies to a timetable.

No matter how many bookings, the plane has still got to fly. Obviously it’s better to have it full, so airlines invent all kinds of discounted fare structures to get planeloads of people even though many will have paid different fares.

It’s the same in my industry. It’s much more profitable to have a big lecture room filled with students than to have only 10 sitting there.

Growth in the education environment gives you the opportunity to do more research, achieve more development, create more excitement, open up more international opportunities and develop more vision for 21st century business growth.

Now growth can also be painful unless you embrace the challenges that go with it. What happens is that the dynamics of the company changes.

Management expands, and some executives will feel insecure because of the structural change while others feel very empowered as a result.

What you need to do as a good leader, is to understand what growth is doing to the key people inside your business so that you are able to ensure that everyone is still driven by growth.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 17

2009-10-19T10:19:00.002+10:00

To live the life of a leader, to be seen as a leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my seventeenth rule of leadership:

It's really important to have a balanced life, which means having interests and friendships outside the business.

I have some wonderful friends around the world with whom I am in constant contact.

I have my Mum who's my emotional stability.

Then I have my family, my nieces and nephews and my sisters and brother.

It's very, very important to share and let them share your success as well.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 16

2009-10-13T17:40:00.000+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my sixteenth rule of leadership:

Look for milestones to mark your achievements.

Let them be monuments to your efforts.

The greatest thing for me was buying my first high rise building because it put us on the map and marked our success in creating Sarina Russo Schools Australia.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 15

2009-10-05T11:20:00.000+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my fifthteenth rule of leadership:

Be smart about banking.

Develop a relationship with your Bank Manager beyond the phone call and the business meeting.

Do lunches, or do dinners.

Always have a second bank on a string, because one may go along with you for a while and then have a change of policy that cuts you out.

It’s best to borrow money when you don’t need it because it’s always easier to get – and you get it on better terms when you’re not desperate.

Clinton Global Initiative - Commitment to Action

2009-09-30T08:45:00.002+10:00

Please join with me and welcome seven outstanding Nepalese community and business leaders who have landed in Brisbane to attend a five day Global Business Executive Seminar at James Cook University Brisbane as part of our Clinton Global Initiative - Commitment to Action.

President Clinton inspired me to help leaders in Nepal improve their capacity so they can continue to grow and better serve their local communities.

As a company we have committed to provide Global Business Executive Seminars for the next three years with the long-term goal of getting every woman in Nepal vaccinated for cervical cancer, providing better access to health clinics, improving education opportunities for Nepalese teenagers and reducing the incidents of unnecessary blindness.

James Cook University Brisbane, under the guidance of Justin Sharp, Ron Nankervis and Paul Kidd, have put together a world class executive business seminar as well as forged professional links in our scholarship holders in their fields of endeavour.

The Executive Seminar consists of a blend of formal lectures, guest speaker presentations, interactive workshops and industry field trips aimed at broadening the outlook and expanding the potential of each scholarship holder.

Scholarship winners are:

Mr Umesh Thapa
Mr Umesh Thapa is the MD of Trinity International College, which opened in July 2008 with an initial enrolment of 900 students (Years 10, 11 and 12). In July 2009, enrolments are 1,800 students with 3,200 on the waiting list. Mr Thapa’s will examine the role of technology within the administration and the classroom at JCUB, Sarina Russo Schools Australia, John Paul College, Nudgee, Churchie, St Peter’s Indooroopilly and Clayfield College. Mr Thapa intends building a boarding school in Nepal that will offer education with supporting services of the highest quality.

Mr Sudip Pokhrel
Mr Sudip Pokhrel is the foreign affairs reporter/correspondent with Avenues TV, which devotes itself to the transmission of news 24 hours a day. Mr Pokrel’s visit to Brisbane will be enriched by interacting with the news gathering and production teams a Channel Seven in Brisbane. Mr Pokhrel will also be producing footage of JCUB and the field visits of each of the scholarship winners, for transmission in Nepal.

Mr Sunil Manandhar and Mr Krishna Gopal Shrestha
Employed at the Tilganga Eye Centre which was established by the Fred Hollows Foundation. The Medical Director, Dr Sanduk Ruit of the Tilganga Eye Centre, was trained by the late Fred Hollows. Recent additions to the buildings of the Centre now allows 600 patients daily to be treated, up from 200 patients prior to the construction of new building. Nepal and Eritrea are the two countries that manufacture the lenses used for cataract and intraocular surgery. Mr Manandhar and Shreshta are involved with the quality control of the manufacture of the lenses. During their visit to Brisbane, Mr Manandhar and Shrestha will be under the supervision of the Ms Sue Larsen, Brisbane director of the Fred Hollows Foundation.

Ms Amala Devi Manandhar and Ms Radha Pyari Nakarmi
Ms Amala Devi Manandhar and Ms Radha Pyari Nakarmi are employed by the Nepal Network for Cancer Treatment and Research which works closely with the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation. Cervical Cancer is the biggest cause of death among the female population in Nepal. The Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation will supervise the field visits for Ms Amala Devi Manandhar and Ms Radha Pyari Nakarmi.

Mr Tshering Sherpa Ang
Mr Tshering Sherpa Ang is a Sherpa and tour guide in Nepal, taking trecking parties and tourists into outback Nepal and often to base camps of Mt Everest. His brother has climbed Mt Everest three times and is organising a concert at the second base camp with proceeds to go to Mr Ang’s work of establishing medical clinics in remote villages, which can be as much a three days walk for patients. The clinic which is the focus for Mr Ang’s visit to Brisbane is the Kushudebu Public Health Mission; with the website of www.kushudebu.org.np <http://www.kushudebu.org.np/> . Mr Ang has also offered to give a lecture at JCUB to interested students and the public about Kushudebu and other proposed clinics.

Clinton Global Initiative

2009-09-25T08:53:00.001+10:00

I am attending the Clinton Global Initiative here in NY and as a member I qualify for the live webcast - link below

http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/webcast <https://member.clintonglobalinitiative.org//page.redir?target=%2fexchweb%2fbin%2fredir.asp%3fURL%3dhttp%3a%2f%2fwww.clintonglobalinitiative.org%2fwebcast&srcid=42524&srctid=1&erid=241292>

I would love to share it with each one of you!

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 14

2009-08-31T15:15:00.001+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my fourteenth rule of leadership:

Be good to yourself, reward yourself.

I think it’s important that you come home to a place you like.

For all of your efforts and commitment, treat yourself with special things to keep you motivated.

In my case that translates to a beautiful home and a great lifestyle.

Congratulations - Sarina Russo Apprenticeship Services

2009-08-19T16:03:00.002+10:00

Today we toast Sarina Russo Apprenticeship Services who, with QANTAS, has just won the Minister's Awards for Excellence for the Sydney region!!!!

What a great night!

A big thank you to Monica Ferreri and her team from Sarina Russo Apprenticeship Services!

The 2009 Minister’s Award for Excellence for Employers of Australian Apprentices is a fantastic initiative.

I wholeheartedly agree with the Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard that employers who make an investment in the skills of their staff today will yield dividends for those staff, their business and their nation into the future.

This award is an incredible endorsement for Sarina Russo Apprenticeship Services and QANTAS

Please join me in a fabulous recognition!

Ciao for now! See you at the top!

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 13

2009-08-17T10:07:00.001+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my thirteen rule of leadership:

Don’t age-group yourself.

Interact with young people and be `with it’ by immersing yourself in events that excite you and stimulate you and by surrounding yourself with people who are `groovy’.

A whole different, happening world is going on out there via cyber land and it is the young who are tapped into it.
Connect with them and stay tuned for new opportunities, personally and professionally.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 12

2009-08-10T09:48:00.000+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my twelfth rule of leadership:

Build relationships.

As a CEO you must network with your staff.

When you are in a service industry, as I am, your inventory is your staff.

You must know them by name and understand what they do – and be available to them.

I have an open door policy, so that anyone can email me, phone me, write to me, walk into my office.

Regardless of whether they’re people at the front line or management I believe it is important for them to know they have that opportunity to talk to me and tell me their feelings.

I like to do boardroom lunches and get to know them.

People will extract information from me and vice versa on things that would never be shared if you were behind a desk.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 11

2009-08-03T09:37:00.000+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my eleventh rule of leadership:

Celebrate your progress.

I believe in putting on the biggest Christmas party, taking my people to a Ball Room, with the silver service and the five star treatment and I don’t spare the cost.

A lot people around Christmas never get this sort of exposure.

It’s a great boost for them to feel that the boss really values them and also wants them to share the success of the year that has passed.

I also believe in regular social functions.

We have a monthly barbecue/drinks night where staff can let their hair down with food and drinks.

There is a relaxed and fun-charged atmosphere at this function that sets thoughts flowing and ideas bubbling.

It promotes friendliness and bonding.

Your people benefit and your business benefits.

A happy business is a successful business.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 10

2009-07-27T10:01:00.000+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my tenth rule of leadership:

Reward performance unstintingly.

Provide an incentive scheme or profit sharing so that your people find there is room for them to make money and secure themselves financially.

Acknowledge and recognise individual performances with warm and enthusiastic praise.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 9

2009-07-20T10:17:00.001+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my ninth rule of leadership:

Don’t fight change - use it.

It’s important that you understand that business changes, that the needs of people, the consumers, vary and people want more or want to be inspired and stimulated by your environment.

See change as an opportunity for your business to do more for your customers in order to get more from your customers.

You’ve got to be able to embrace change rather than regard it with fear and trepidation.

You’ve got to embrace it with passion and excitement and take your team along and make it a window of opportunity of whatever it is that you need to be challenged with.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 8

2009-07-13T10:24:00.001+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my eighth rule of leadership:

Keep looking and listening to the `buzz’ of your business so that you are constantly monitoring its health.

A good leader should know his or her business as well as a doctor would know what a patient’s vital signs should be.

Imprint the anatomy of your business into your brain. Every part of the business body should be healthy.

It’s crucially important to recognise it if some part of your business is dying. You may have to cut off an arm so that it doesn’t disease the rest of the body.

Don’t shirk that decision.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 7

2009-07-06T10:52:00.001+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my seventh rule of leadership:

Spread the load and delegate.

If you’re feeling challenged, I think it’s really important to share that challenge with your management team and ask for help.

For example, say, you need help me with this challenge.

What do you think we should do?’

And empower people.

Let them contribute.

Listen to them.

Even if you don’t agree, give them the ability to feel that their contribution is of added value.

from Sarina's desk - Let's integrate, celebrate and activate!!!!!!

2009-06-30T17:27:00.000+10:00

Quote:
No Pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed to unchartered lands or opened a new doorway for the human spirit” - Helen Keller, US blind & deaf educator (1880 – 1968)

Quote:
As unemployment rises, and confidence in business declines, we are given the most important and fundamental job that anyone could wish. That is to become the vehicle to make not only our lives better and secure but to make someone’s life better”- Sarina Russo

Action:
Let’s integrate, celebrate and activate all our services @ each office and educational campus! Stand tall, and lead with absolute determination to maintain our view from the top” - Sarina Russo

Hi to everyone!

Tomorrow is the start of a new beginning of new innovative ideas, renewed passion, a renewed self determination bigger and stronger than ever!

Today, we congratulate our industry, our people, our jobseekers, our employers who have benefited from our success of this current contract.

We had one important job to do today and that is to record and acknowledge each one of you in Sarina Russo Job Access and the Sarina Russo Group for your commitment, loyalty and incredible achievements, as we enter into our new Contract 4 starting tomorrow the 1st July 2009.

Our most amazing record shows we have assisted 130,000 job seekers into work and supported over 75,000 employers with their staff needs! What an achievement to have this record and endorsement which will no doubt focus our energy and passion and help futurise the business for the new Job Services Australia contract.

Creating opportunity from adversity – Sarina Russo Job Access has now created opportunities galore not only to serve thousands of job seekers and employers, but also to work in harmony with our former competitors so that we can enhance our industry and show the way in our industry in Australia and globally!

Your demonstrated capacity will grow our services in our 35 Sarina Russo Job Access Offices, especially with our partnership with One Stop Employment Services and our ability to undertake Mission Australia’s training throughout the East Coast.

We are a Harvard Case Study, where we have embraced each other and learnt from each other that when the opportunity strikes we can unite and create our point of difference; eg. One employment provider shared with us that it was going to be a sad day for them as they had to make 200 staff redundant today compared to our zero redundancies and all SRJA offices are open for business!

Our New Enterprise Incentive Scheme will operate throughout the East Coast and South Australia. We will empower others to filter our culture and self belief to start their own business, just as 30 years ago a fired legal secretary realised her dream to become an entrepreneur and financially independent!

Sarina Russo Apprenticeships Services has been awarded over 2 years contract extension; what a thrill it is for all of the related staff members who have worked with passion to drive Sarina Russo Apprenticeship Services integration with Sarina Russo Job Access.

Just this week – we have been successfully appointed to the Indigenous Employment Panel! This provides us with an extraordinary national opportunity to develop a range of initiatives and projects to be funded by DEEWR in order to provide and increase employment for Indigenous Australians in partnership with business.

To add to our expansion of education, employment and training solutions we are excited to open the new SRJA City Office showcased at the ground floor at Sarina Russo River Centre, 100 Eagle Street Brisbane.

Of course, this new city office will create brand and because of the location will generate lots of vacancies for the whole group. The objective is to communicate with you! all the job vacancies will be communicated to the centre and vice versa; your promptness and immediate delivery to the team working collectively to deliver the best employment services. We will all nationally drive marketing, sales and business development for the Group and this will give us an extraordinary edge to integrate all our services and become the leading provider in vocational education, higher education, and recruitment.

We are proudly one of the top 10 in Australia in the Job Services Australia contract and we can all strive to stay focused on two major initiatives

1. “ The jobseeker” who is in pain for support, trust and leadership, and:
2. “ The Employer” who is striving to have the best by utilizing our full capacity, self belief and united front to deliver with urgency and speed!

As we “Futurise our Enterprise, we strongly welcome your input as you are proven winners in creating, stability, empowerment and success to the Group through your determination to swim against the tide and now ride higher and higher above the sky, and glow! Our brand is our headlights!

Once again to all our new staff – it was an absolute pleasure to meet all of you last week: I shared the importance to develop a strong communication with each one of you. So please accept my invitation to give me feedback on any related issues that you believe you would like to share with me.

My heartfelt thanks for giving me the privilege to lead in this industry and personally lead you into the future!

As one united Sarina Russo Group we celebrate James Cook University Brisbane, Sarina Russo Schools, Russo Recruitment, Sarina Russo Apprenticeship Services, VOICE - Psychologists & Allied Professionals and Sarina Russo Job Access (Australia) & UK:

Let’s integrate, celebrate and activate all our services @ each office and educational campus! Stand tall, and lead with absolute determination to maintain our view from the top”

Ciao for now and I will see you at the top!

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 6

2009-06-29T08:59:00.001+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my sixth rule of leadership:

Stay level-headed in difficult situations.

As a leader, you cannot, must not, transfer your stress to others.

I think it’s important that when you walk into your organisation each day there’s some calmness about you as well.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 5

2009-06-22T11:10:00.001+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour.I'm delighted to share today my fifth rule of leadership:

Safeguard your health and fitness.

As a leader, you have to find a way to give yourself some relief from the many unavoidable stresses that are part and parcel of the pressure cooker world we live in and the weight you carry in being a leader.

I find the only way for me to release my stress is in some form of exercise.

You’ve got to have a fit body and if you have a fit body, you have a fit mind.

I have what I call my daily `one hour boardroom retreat’ which is me in a fitness environment, whether it’s in the pool or running around the track or doing something that’s physically strenuous.

Those physical activity sessions are a form of mobile meditation and they help me through my stress level.

I recommend regular massage.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 4

2009-06-15T09:53:00.001+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour.

I'm delighted to share today my fourth rule of leadership:

Be a clear and strong communicator.

Once every week I send out an email to all my staff, titled, from Sarina’s desk, and I tell them about some activity or event I have been involved in. I like them all to know what’s happening, why it’s happening and what it means to the business.

I welcome any comments. I empower all of my staff to feel part of a family culture by following the principle that nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.

I have regular meetings with my management and my financial people, at which I speak my truth to them and they speak theirs to me.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 3

2009-06-10T16:35:00.001+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour.

I'm delighted to share today my third rule of leadership:

Be the image maker. Develop a presence.

To be a leader you should look like a leader in your dress and in your demeanour through the working day.

Remember you are the brand, you are the example to follow.

It’s important that you take care of your appearance and come in looking successful and feeling successful.

Branding is a crucially important element in my business, as in any business.

As the leader, I am part of that branding. My image is reflected on the rest of my team.

When I walk in every morning it’s absolutely critical that I look professional and that I carry that professionalism through everything I do, down to the way I leave my desk in the evening.

I could leave my office with files on the floor, files on the table, but I don’t. I’ll always clean up so that the next morning, my desk is neat and tidy, ready for the start of the day.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 2

2009-05-25T15:15:00.001+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour. I'm delighted to share today my second rule of leadership -

The leader must determine urgency and speed.

I think the speed of the leader determines the speed of the gang.

Once a leader shows some complacency, the complacency immediately is transmitted to your management team and through the culture of your managers to your individual employees.

It’s extremely important that even if you feel a little complacent, you never show it. If you do, you’re better off going on holiday or taking yourself elsewhere for the day.

Never come into an organisation like mine and show that you are going through some complacency or some compromise because the leader must communicate the standards.

Those standards must be your vision and your values.

The leader’s responsibility is to build a vision and it’s up to the management to execute that vision and then to filter it through down the chain.

Sarina Russo's 20 Rules of Leadership - Rule 1

2009-05-15T11:38:00.002+10:00

To live the role of leader, to be seen to be the leader, I follow a set of 20 rules that govern my attitude and my behaviour.

I'm delighted to share today my first rule of leadership -

I live each day with three objectives constantly in my mind:
(1) To make sure there’s direction;
(2) to make sure there’s certainty; and
(3) to foster a feeling of, there’s something in it for me throughout the organisation, whether you are an area manager or an employee.

One of the things I drive is that the organisation is only an instrument to its management and its employees in enabling them to achieve what they want to achieve.

They’ve got to work out what they want to have through the organisation, what they want to see through the organisation, what they want to become, and what they want to do.

The organisation is purely a vehicle for their personal and professional needs.

When you have that attitude, individuals feel empowered that they too can get something out of this company called ours. To me, it’s very, very important that I have that culture.

If you can’t maximise the power of the individual in your company, you haven’t done anything.

If you expand the ability of individuals in your organisation, you expand the ability of the whole organisation.

Grasping that concept has helped me as a leader to expand and develop my business enormously and I have taken my management team with me.

A Tough Jobs Market needs an Entrepreneurial Touch

2009-05-05T15:52:00.001+10:00

A Tough Jobs Market needs an Entrepreneurial Touch

With unemployment set to skyrocket well past ten per cent, a different ‘entrepreneurial’ approach is needed to get people back to work.

People who have never before been unemployed are losing their jobs and it’s a real shock to their system especially as many of them have mortgages and family responsibilities.

These jobseekers are in pain, they have lost their significance and it’s important we take action to maximise their competitiveness in the job market.

When unemployment climbed above 11 per cent in the last recession we got people jobs and during this recession we’ll continue to be ‘ahead of the curve’ in the employment industry.

Sarina Russo Job Access will reengineer our services by offering jobseekers and employers a mix of Job Network and private employment services at our 35 Job Network sites across Australia including six new Melbourne sites won in the recent Federal Government tender.

By being more entrepreneurial we’ll improve our services and have a distinct point-of-difference from our competitors in getting people back to work.

It’s now an employers’ market and there is more competition for each and every job, so jobseekers will need to improve their skills with further education and training.

Sarina Russo Job Access will look to maximise the capability and capacity of our education, training and recruitment businesses to identify new and relevant services for both jobseekers and employers.

We have placed 130,000 jobseekers with 75,000 employers since 2003 and we are finalising opening a specialist hospitality school in Melbourne in the new financial year.

Sarina Russo Job Access will be more entrepreneurial in pre-employment preparation, employer brokerage, job ready training courses, basic skills training, platinum recruitment, career counselling and advice, Certificate IV in small business management and outplacement service including psychology and occupational therapy services for highly disadvantaged jobseekers.

A customised human resources service will allow employers to concentrate on running their business while we refer them qualified permanent, contract and temporary staff.

Jobseekers who face large barriers to employment will link with our dedicated team of Parenting Coordinators, Disability Coordinators, Indigenous Coordinators, psychologists and other specialists to help people become job ready.

I’m as passionate today finding people jobs as I was 30 years ago when I started a small typing school with $2,600 and nine students.

We are loving the new direction which will forge positive outcomes for jobseekers who are facing so much uncertainty.

Be inspired - to do more with less...

2008-12-23T15:59:00.001+10:00

Hi,

One of my passions is to inspire individuals to do more with their lives!...Through the Sarina Russo Group, we have touched thousands and thousands of people’s lives by way of empowering them to do more and become more!

So, when I was invited to join the Global Dragons Den in London, I was absolutely thrilled to be part of it!....I loved the opportunity to be a Dragon on the Dragon’s Den in Australia!...For me, it was an opportunity to partner with young entrepreneurs to drive an idea and create a successful business. Hence, I wanted to do the same for the Global Dragons Den. It often starts with an idea and sometimes it starts with feeling desperate and unhappy with what you are doing in your life: (wish for either inspiration or desperation – either one will work):

Perhaps you have been fired today, this week or this year and think - what is my life going to be like now? Well, that’s what happened to me – over a period of my first 8 years of work – I kept on getting fired as a legal secretary, and it was the day I was fired from being five minutes late from lunch - that day my world changed and I said to myself – “I will do it or die”…and I then decided to take revenge!...and the best form of revenge is massive success!...So, with A$2,600.00 to my name, one part-time junior and a part-time teacher, I started with an idea, passion, commitment and determination like you have never seen in my life before; and evolved into a typing school business and now some 30 years later, it’s a multi-million dollar, international group of companies in education, training and recruitment!. (check my web page)!

So, now my passion is to continue to inspire in a global capacity, especially, now as the world has changed in such a different way in the commercial economic model!..

We have to change our thinking and we have to build a new paradigm in 2009!....So, we have to do less with more!...We have to become positive on the way we think about ourselves, our business, our community, our country and our world!. That’s what the 42nd President Bill Clinton shared with us at the Clinton Global Initiative in Hong Kong this year.

And the time for you to start is NOW!....We have to look at opportunities where the environment is bleak and absolutely negative and we must see the silver lining!

Obama, the President-elect of the USA, has an inspirational philosophy that he shares with the world and that is “YES WE CAN” attitude and let’s start now!..

Let’s defy the odds and lets build courage to start your business idea now!

Imagine? – succeeding in something that you had fear in and you defied that fear and started with your idea and created a valuable service or product and created a momentum! That’s what happened to me 30 years ago – how my life changed and I promise that yours will also! It’s better to fail and succeed than never to have failed and do nothing with your life.

So, that’s what happened to me!...My world changed, I changed regardless of all the negative influences and people who categorically said to me that ‘I would fail’!? and now…the rest is history!.

When you are reflecting on your life in 2008 and entering into 2009, think of me and think of the greatness in your potential to do more and become more!..

Congratulations on reading my blog and may we continue to inspire others and touch the world in a positive way!

Happy holidays and a Happy New Year!

Ciao for now.

Sarina Russo

Clinton Global Initiative

2008-09-26T09:33:00.001+10:00

Hi to everyone!

As promised here is an article that describes the CGI conference on Day One:

NEW YORK (AP)- There are plenty of current and former world leaders at the Clinton Global Initiative, starting with the founder, former President Bill Clinton.

So, it should be no surprise that the two men looking to join those ranks are scheduled to be there, too. Senator John McCain and Barack Obama are both expected to address the conference on Thursday, at a session on water, food and energy issues.

McCain is scheduled to open the session in person, before heading to Washington where legislators are dealing with the financial crisis. Obama is expected to close the session, and address attendees by satellite.

The conference opened Wednesday, and included attendees like former Vice President Al Gore, Bono, Bill Gates and Lance Armstrong. Famous faces like Muhammad Ali could be seen in the audience.

In the opening plenary session, Gore warned that humanity is struggling in the fight against climate change.

The former vice president pointed to a number of natural disasters, from storms in Haiti to hurricanes on the Gulf Coast to fires in California, as evidence.

``Since we met here last year, the world has lost ground to the climate crisis,'' Gore said. ``This is a rout. We are losing badly.''

``This is the result of a dysfunctional, insane global system pattern that we have to change,'' he said.

CGI, now in its fourth year, draws world leaders, celebrities, activists and scholars for three days of discussions about pressing global issues such as climate change and poverty. It coincides with the General Assembly meeting taking place on the other side of town at the United Nations.

Gore was joined at the opening plenary session by Clinton, Queen Rania of Jordan, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, Bono and E. Neville Isdell, Chairman of the board of directors for Coca-Cola.

Clinton also asked Bono whether the current financial crisis would affect the ability to meet global goals to improve life for the world's poorest people - a cause that is very important to the U2 musician.

Bono questioned nations' funding priorities.

``It is extraordinary to me that you can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G-8 can't find $25 billion to save 25,000 children who die every day of preventable disease and hunger,'' he said.

``Bankruptcy is a serious business,'' he said, but added ``this is moral bankruptcy.''

Participants at the Clinton Global Initiative are asked to take concrete steps to tackle specific global problems. Some of those commitments are announced during the four-day meeting.

On Wednesday, Lance Armstrong, who is planning a return to cycling and next year's Tour de France, said his foundation would commit $8 million over the next five years to a global awareness campaign for cancer, including a meeting that would convene in Paris after the tour.

Ciao
Sarina Russo

Health, Longevity and Pleasure - action this daily!

2008-09-23T08:27:00.000+10:00

Hi,

There is pleasure and there is pain. The pain of discipline weighs ounces; the pain of regret weighs tons! So, weight loss AND EXERCISE daily disciplines are very pleasurable.

Remember Dr George Fielding says no more than 1300 calories per day. Discipline certain foods and fluids out of your daily lives. Absolutely no alcohol, no bread, no pasta, rice, no cheeses, no sweets and no coffee!

Daily exercise at all cost! Walking for a minimum of 45 minutes, aerobic! Weights! sit ups, steps - boxing - any form of exercise!

Apply to your healthy lifestyle today the same passion that has given you so many pleasures in your professional and personal life. Reflect on how you achieved it. The same disciplines apply to the perfect weight for your physical need right now.

Daily focus! Eye on the goal! Never waiver! Absolute commitment! Absolute Passion!

You are doing it! And you know you could raise your standards harder and more passionately right now! Become more determined than ever! It's a do it or die attitude!!! It's a must now!

An absolute change of attitude! It's absolute self belief and going the extra mile! Its a "can do" attitude daily! Start now!

Remember, completely eliminate alcohol and sweets. You can not put any of these foods in your mouth because you will crave for another bite.

Think your way to the perfect state of health, the perfect body, the perfect weight!

Do not commit to surgery unless all options have failed. As surgery is not a quick fix and it can go horribly wrong!

Carry a photo of yourself with the weight you loved in the past and become accountable every day to achieve that goal weight again.

NOW! TODAY! RIGHT THIS MINUTE!

It is either inspiration or desperation! - wish for either! Both emotions work! Believe it can be done now! Small steps!

Start celebrating your success in advance. Stay excited and visualize yourself with that sensuous and sexy and above all healthy body!

Enjoy your DAILY journey of self discipline, keep the momentum rolling!

Let's celebrate life!

Ciao for now!

FROM SARINA'S DESK

2008-09-22T09:49:00.002+10:00

Hi - Just Landed in London! I would like to acknowledge everyone for all the supportive and great emails I received on our celebrations yesterday of 29 years of success of our Group!

Are we ready to party for our 30th year? Yes! Yes! Yes!

I am in London with Kevin Ayre and our UK executives for 5 days with our start up of our new business opportunities Welfare to Work.

I then to fly to NY for the Clinton Global Initiative! Of course my favourite President Bill Clinton and Hillary will be present and some amazing world leaders like Tony Blair another favourite of mine!

At this conference we have agreed to sponsor education to third world countries by way of 5-day Global Business Executive Seminar through James Cook University Brisbane! We will have a stand there marketing our JCUB partnership!

So, what thoughts do we have on the world with the financial banking industry all being truly challenged with global and domestic companies declining in share values? Yes! I have always loved property more than shares - you go past it and enjoy it immediately!

It's a time for public and private companies to have little debt rather than big debt! Relax we have a low debt ratio!

On home political grounds, whilst we acknowledge the extraordinary challenges ahead and the great abilities of our Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and Wayne Swan, our Treasurer, both making us proud of showcasing Brisbane on a National and Global scale.

The announcement, that the Hon Peter Costello will not lead the Liberal Party, we now have a new Liberal Party leader, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull which is positive news for all of us - to have a strong opposition!

As you may know, I was part of Malcolm's Australian Republican movement for 2 weeks in Canberra and Malcolm Turnbull led the ARM and Julie Bishop (Deputy Leader) was there as an elected member, like myself!!

Whilst we did not win on the ARM movement, I built a huge respect and admiration for both Malcolm and Julie!

In my opinion, Malcolm is very dynamic and has extraordinary capacity to lead!! He is driven and passionate!

So, on that note, I will keep you updated on my overseas activities!

Keep surging with passion!

Ciao for now