At the age of 27, Zoe Warne is co-founder and co-director of August, a Melbourne-based digital agency, where creativity and technology are used intelligently to generate business innovation and success. In an industry dominated by males, Zoe is an excellent role model for young women. Her optimism and gutsy ‘I‘ll give it a go’ attitude have opened doors for her professionally, and her ‘straight-talking’ communications skills have won over new clients, plus landed her a periodic co-hosting gig on ABC Radio with Jon Faine, where she is known for her youthful entrepreneurial enthusiasm.

When people are designing an online presence they have so many options these days in terms of web designers. What do you think makes your company stand out?

August is all about demystifying the web and making it accessible to people. I think sometimes clients get a bit lost with the jargon and tech-speak, we prefer the ‘straight-speak’ approach and explain in simple terms how these web technologies and tools can be used. Rather than talking ‘widgets’ and ‘meta-tags’, we use language that clients of all backgrounds can readily grasp, such as ‘save time’, ‘reach a larger audience’, or ‘simplify complex business processes’ etc. I have also been told that I have a naturally warm and open approach to clients, and I think that they really value that, especially in the digital space which many are unfamiliar with. It's something I continue to work on.

I'm a firm believer that the most successful people fail more often than others, but learn from it and come back bigger and better. What would you say is something you've failed at and how have you become a better person from it?

I think the way I managed my existing clients' transition from my first business through to the formation of August in it's current form, could have been handled better. I think I got a little lost in the flurry of activity that comes with starting a new business, and failed to support some of my clients through this change and to adequately communicate the benefits of that change to them. Luckily we did not lose any clients, but it is something I would do differently if it ever happens again.

What are the four best pieces of advice you could give a young entrepreneur?

1. Listen to your instincts and trust your gut, if your "spider" senses are going off about something or someone, it is usually with good reason.
   
   
2. Business success is like a rainbow - rare and fleeting, but enjoyable while it lasts - and what's more, you know it will come again. Your network is gold, and your relationships are like the colours of the rainbow, with your network equivalent to the pot of gold at the end. Even more apt in that the colours tend to merge into and across each other - which is true in most relationships in both business and life - nothing is linear!
   
   
3. Champion your client at every turn. August constantly supports our clients, from the chocolate we eat, to the shoes we wear, to the gifts we buy other clients to celebrate their successes - all are from within our client network. We find this strengthens our relationships with our clients and their products - if you use them every day and recommend them to others you can't help but know them intimately.
   
   
4. If you make a decision, commit to it wholly and take charge of its success.

I don't really have one or two specific people - I tend to glean little bits of inspiration from everywhere - like a sponge. I generally admire people who have succeeded and triumphed despite difficult journeys.

What are your three favourite books?

So hard to choose just three (I am a bookworm) hmm... ok Roget's Thesaurus (does that count?), then in no particular order:

1. Fraction of a Whole, by Steve Toltz
   
   
2. Fugitive Pieces, by Anne Micheals
   
   
3. The Dark is Rising Sequence, by Susan Cooper

Boring but true - Richard Branson. Or Alexander Graham Bell or Warren Buffet

What was your earliest childhood ambition?

I used to sell my mother's homemade bread around the neighbourhood - and it was always a goal of mine to come back with an empty basket.