Company: The Audacious Agency, Australia
Company Description: The Audacious Agency empowers and supports women in business to enter business awards. Their mission is to help women embrace owning their successes and shine the light on all they do. Using their decades of experience in PR and branding, they educate and guide women to leverage the process to stand out and be well known, well paid and wanted.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Female Entrepreneur – Consumer Services –10 or Less Employees
 Nomination Title: KAREN MCDERMOTT
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the achievements since July 1, 2020 of the nominated woman, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below:
- Briefly describe the nominated individual: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 199 words used.
Ten years ago, Karen McDermott suffered a double miscarriage after a year-long cycle of PTSD. Living with such darkness, she made the conscious decision to lean into it and see where it took her. Amid great changes in her life, she took a leap and got her visa to immigrate from Ireland, her home country, to Australia. Thirty five weeks into her pregnancy, two young boys in tow, she moved across the world, knowing not one soul. Karen became inspired to write a novel, and without much effort, 50k words flowed out of her in a month. Karen understood the power of storytelling to help people heal, for the reader and writer. She was offered sponsorship to publish her book, but the process was negative. She researched publishing and started her own publishing company in 2012. Serenity Press began as a self-publishing vanity press structure, before evolving into a traditional press model https://serenitypress.org/about/.
Karen heads a multi million-dollar business with prestigious achievements. She’s published over 500 books and worked closely with over 400 authors in ten years. Impressive when you consider she started Serenity Press investing $50 a week from her shopping money in its early days.
- Outline the nominee's achievements since July 1 2020 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 249 words used.
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Karen was first an author, and then a publisher. Serenity Press is unique in that it aligns with its authors' aspirations, but not limited by a restrictive traditional model.
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KMD Press is a hybrid publisher https://www.kmdbooks.com/. It's a powerhouse with high-end authors, good distribution connections in the US and going to the UK.
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Karen’s revenue has grown four times over the pandemic, and in 2020 she had achieved over $1m revenue, up from 2019’s $300k. More recently, in 2022, she’s set to hit the $2m mark.
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In business success, Karen is closing 10 times more deals than in previous years
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Karen has brought on investors, including two big investors in Serenity Press, equal to 10% of the business. The goal was to hit a million valuations in 2020, and they did this in seven years instead of the 20 years the forecasters had given. Karen and her team will hit $10 million in the next five years.
Working with Sarah Duchess of York has been a major achievement. Knowing she used to write children’s books, Karen wondered if she would like to write one for Serenity Press, and wrote to her agent. Karen’s team now works closely with her. She has her own division now and a 22 book deal for children’s books, YA and non-fiction genres, and we are now working on a Netflix series for Demon’s Land.
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 18 words used.
Attached are links to Karen's website and media she has been featured in showcasing her approach to publishing.
- Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the nominee's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 187 words used.
The power of storytelling is ingrained in humanity, which is one of the primary traits that distinguish humans from other mammals. From tribes, like the KhoiSan, through to kids in their bedroom reading comic books or watching Netflix series, storytelling isn’t just about entertainment, it is a method for learning, and for many cultures, traditionally, it is a spiritual practice. In our modern civilisation, storytelling is just as relevant. Karen tapped into the importance of the telling by writing her one book and finding a catharsis, while the reader. Hearing and reading stories unify people through shared experiences. Keeping the literary world alive in the age of technology showcases humanity’s need for the written word. Tapping into this power not only healed Karen, but also allowed her to be the maverick she has always been, and let that unique quirkiness about her shine a light for others. Karen’s work is keeping the tradition of storytelling alive, making great books available to eager readers, while giving those hidden gems, the authors that never thought they could shine, a platform to share their stories and get into the spotlight.
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