Cherie Barber was pulled out of school at the end of Year 10 when her family couldn’t make ends meet without her contribution to the workforce. Now she can boast a renovation empire with more than 26 years of experience in profitable renovations, and 113 separate renovation projects under her belt.
Whilst she’s now a household name as Australia’s Renovation Queen and the Founder of Renovating for Profit, there is another aspect to Cherie’s life that is less well-known – her role as mother to her nine-year-old daughter. Successfully managing to balance her personal life with her public one has been one of the greatest successes of Cherie’s career. However, it hasn’t been without its difficulties. She says that owning your own business whilst being pregnant brings its own challenges, not least having to go on maternity leave. Cherie seeks to show that running a demanding business doesn’t have to mean that sacrifices have to be made in other parts of life. Her attitude to motherhood – providing a stable and loving home, and a good role model to her daughter– is something that she reflects in her business dealings, where she hopes to be a figure for young girls to look up to.
By taking on a role within the male-dominated sphere of renovation, Cherie is hoping to show that there is no route that can’t be taken by the women of today. In 2013, she was a finalist in the Telstra Business Women of the Year Awards, in both the Business Innovation and Business Owner categories. In the same year, she also became the first Australian female National Brand Ambassador for Asbestos Awareness, joining other well-known celebrities and providing female representation in what many might consider a male sphere. Along with her public support for Asbestos Awareness, Cherie is also privately philanthropic, spending time personally choosing to help individuals in need. Whether that’s simply someone who is down on their luck or a family powerless to help themselves, Cherie makes it her mission to give back.
For Cherie, it’s about being the best mother possible in both the micro and the macro spheres – being present at the school gates as well as always being there to prove to her daughter that she can do anything she sets her mind to.
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