Graduate Story

Annabelle Lindberg joined Queenstown Resort College in 2018 and enrolled into our Diploma of Hospitality Management programme.

After spending some time working in the Hospitality Industry, like many people, the introduction of Covid interrupted her career plans. However, it also presented her the opportunity to pursue another goal, to open her own business.

Read on to learn more about Annabelle’s journey since leaving QRC and how it led to her being able to realise her ability to create her “dream job”.

Why did you choose to follow a career in the tourism/hospitality industry?
I wanted to pursue a career in hospitality because I love working with people and helping others and I felt this was the best industry to be able to do this

Why did you initially choose QRC?
I chose QRC because I liked the ability to be able to do an internship and get work experience within a diploma. I also wanted to move away from home and QRC was the best option for me.

Where did you undertake your internship?
I undertook my internship at the Grand Mercure Auckland where I worked in their Rooms Division as a Guest Service Agent.

What was the most important take away from your internship?
My time at the Grand Mercure taught me that every day is different, and you need to be prepared for anything. You need to be able to use your initiative and think on your feet.

Tell me about your journey since leaving QRC.
Since leaving QRC I instantly went back to where I did my internship at Grand Mercure Auckland. As a result of Covid and the property turning into a MIQ facility, I was made redundant and so I continued on with my business ventures that I had already started while I was at QRC and made it into my full time job.

When did you decide to start your own business and what were the motivations behind this?
I’ve always been a big believer in diversifying your income and having different streams so while I was at QRC, I was enhancing my studies by learning more about e-commerce, website design and Drop shipping. Drop shipping is an order fulfilment method that does not require a business to keep products in stock. Instead, the store sells the product, and passes on the sales order to a third-party supplier, who then ships the order to the customer.

I had a couple trial and error companies but finally hit the jackpot with my swimwear business, Belle Bikinis, as a result of having more time to put in after I lost my job.

Tell me about your new business and the services it offers.
After my experience with drop shipping businesses and learning about website design, social media, marketing and more, I decided to launch my own consulting company, Annabelle Lindberg Consulting. This ties back to the idea that I love to help people and so that was one of the main reasons I decided to start consulting and helping other businesses. Services offered include:

• Business Management

• Social Media

• Marketing and Advertising

• E-commerce Start Up

• Content Creating

(All services can be seen on my website www.annabellelindbergconsulting.com)

How did your time at QRC help prepare you for this new venture?
I think my time at QRC has helped me as, in addition to learning about customer service, you also gain a solid foundation in a wide range of business-related subjects including accounting, marketing, law and economics. I have been able to apply a lot of this knowledge to my own business including the ability to do my own taxes!

What do you enjoy the most about running your own business?
I love being able to be my own boss and having the ability to choose my own hours! However, the thing that gives me the most satisfaction is the ability to pursue something I’m extremely passionate about, being able to be true to my values each day, every day and most of all, being able to help others.

I also love the ability to be able to volunteer my time and to mentor others throughout their learning of the digital marketing world working with Manaaki.

What are your plans for the future?
Looking forward I have set a goal of constant and sustainable growth for my businesses and hopefully get to the stage where I could employ someone!

Any words of wisdom for those considering a career in the industry?
Take the risk, there is no harm in trying. I never ever thought I’d be running my own business. I started my business ventures on a student budget so you don’t have to have a lot of money to start up something. All you need is passion, determination, and a good work ethic.

You can learn more about Annabelle’s consultancy business by visiting her website www.annabellelindbergconsulting.com or following her on Facebook and Instagram.