Sarah Turner BNI® 💥

White Associates Ltd

Business Manager

A Buyer's Choice Home Inspections

A local West Auckland pre-purchase building inspection franchised business. 

Responsibilities 
•	Support with business strategy and financial planning. 
•	Two monthly GST returns. 
•	Preparing the books for our accountant.
•	Support with any issues that might arise. 

Achievements
•	Helped my husband to build a successful pre-purchase building inspection business.
•	Designed and implemented a prospecting system utilising open home buyers.  
•	Successfully marketed our business online and in person to become established. 
•	Networked with businesspeople to establish our brand and credibility locally.  
•	Implemented new software to streamline the booking process.

Business Owner / Director

BNI (Business Network International) New Zealand

A national franchise, part of a global franchise which helps businesspeople gain more revenue through business networking and qualified referrals. 

Responsibilities 
•	Actively contribute to the strategic planning of the organisation by contributing to the targets and goals for the team each year.  This year we hit our growth target early. 
•	Prepare and distribute our national communications including branding updates, campaign releases and training opportunities. 
•	Provide EA support to our two directors, each with their own unique style.  
•	Support the wider team of local directors with advice on policies and procedures. 
•	Assist the directors to recruit, prepare contracts for, train and onboard new team members.
•	Direct the operations assistant, my full-time direct report, with a focus on:
-	Providing supervision and necessary information to facilitate her role.
-	Offering guidance and training to enhance her skill set.
-	Mentoring her for increased responsibilities within the organisation.
•	Manage and maintain our national membership database for over 2800 members. 
•	Update and manage the national blog site through WordPress. 
•	Update and manage the national website and continuously work to improve our SEO ranking.  
•	Provide technical support for our global software system at all levels of the organisation.   
•	Facilitate and MC our national bi-annual leadership team training and monthly team meetings. 
•	Ensure all documentation and materials are up to date and correctly branded. 
•	Schedule, post and update our teams on training registrations, completions, and targets. 
•	Celebrate events, milestones, and achievements actively across our social media channels.  
•	Prepare and distribute weekly education moments for presentation.
•	Prepare and maintain training manuals.
•	Manage stock and organise internal and external suppliers.  
•	Coordinate and oversee nationwide events for our leaders and members.

Operations Manager 

A national franchise for building inspection or pre-purchase inspection and reports in New Zealand. 

Responsibilities 
•	Created franchise advertisements to help sell our first franchises in New Zealand. 
•	Prepared and delivered franchise presentations to potential franchise owners. 
•	Assisted in the sale of franchises to establish the New Zealand national franchise. 
•	Implemented the purchasing systems for all franchise equipment, software, and systems. 
•	Mapped out all the statistical boundaries for each of the New Zealand franchises. 
•	Provided technical inspection training and support to franchisees in house and out in the field. 
•	Trained and supported new franchise owners to prospect efficiently for inspection opportunities. 
•	Assisted new franchise owners to create professional networks within their franchised territories. 

Achievements 
•	Qualified as a building inspector through both AHIT and InterNACHI. 
•	Designed and built the New Zealand specific software template to aligning our inspection protocols to the New Zealand Standard 4306:2005 for Residential Property Inspection.

Operations Manager

Ray White

John Goodrum was one of Ray Whites Elite Salespeople selling in the top 5% of agents internationally. 

Responsibilities 
•	Absolute discretion, loyalty, and dependability as John’s trusted Executive Assistant. 
•	A strategic partner for new initiatives and strategies, someone to bounce ideas off. 
•	Schedule and supervise work for John Goodrum’s part time, casual staff, and contractors. 
•	Recruit and train new staff and contractors.  
•	Write marketing text and organise photographs for all new to market properties.
•	Plan, prepare and book promotional materials, weekly display, and open home advertising.   
•	Prepare contracts and take offers for the sale of residential property. 
•	Process contracts to completion of settlement facilitating a smooth transaction. 
•	Regular correspondence with solicitors, vendors, valuers, and purchasers.  
•	Schedule John’s busy open home schedule (often 8 per day) every week. 
•	Call and organise follow up correspondence to all open home attendees. 
•	Developed a call calling system for the team to help John Goodrum prospect for new listings. 
•	Daily database management using Top Producer 8i and the Ray White CRM system.  
•	Attend property viewings or building inspections as needed.

Executive Assistant to John Goodrum (Elite Member)

Avondale College  Auckland

At Avondale College from January 2003 to June 2005, I worked as a Science and Chemistry teacher. My responsibilities included delivering engaging instruction to students of varying proficiency levels, active participation in extracurricular activities, meticulous lesson planning, and providing pastoral care to foster a supportive learning environment. I excelled in teaching low-ability and ESOL students, consistently achieving high pass rates. Additionally, my contributions to the pastoral care of young adults led to an early appointment as Associate Dean with an associated salary increase.

Science and Chemistry Teacher, Third Form Associate Dean

Responsibilities 
•	Teacher of Science, year 9 to year 11. 
•	Teacher of Chemistry year 12 and 13. 
•	Pastoral care and management of year 9 students. 
•	Teacher in charge of girl’s chess. 
•	Ran the Australian National Chemistry Quiz. 

Achievements 
•	Excelled in the teaching of low ability and ESOL students as represented by average pass results over cross section of students within the departments. 
•	Active participant in the pastoral care of young adults in the college environment. Invited early on in career to pursue a role as an associate dean resulting in higher salary level.

Weekend and relief administrator/receptionist while at university

I am an outgoing, self-motivated, and bubbly individual who likes to take initiative. I am both strategic and analytic in my approach with an added passion for people and the ability to work alongside others injecting enthusiasm and bringing both positive energy and leadership to the team.  

I thrive in a busy environment where I can adapt quickly and be flexible as needed. I love to be the go-to person assisting the team with operational and technical details in a calm, professional and supportive way, enjoying the satisfaction gained from achieving our shared targets and goals.

I am highly organised, know how to prioritise, delegate, make decisions and problem solve. My high level of attention to detail allows me to carry out tasks thoroughly with accuracy whilst still being flexible to changing circumstances and demonstrating absolute trustworthiness and discretion.

Franchise Owner 🔍

Sales & Marketing, 
Prospecting for Inspections for Duane Turner - Inspector, Waitakere & Surrounding areas.

Founder of “Change is Possible” Community & Accelerator where corporate professionals build influential brands & portfolio careers I Change Advisor to Leaders I Ex-Citi COO I Follow for modern leadership, career & change

Over the past 25 years, I have built a successful international banking career.
Most recently, I was the Regional COO for Citibank’s $2Bn business across 16 countries in Asia - leading large-scale transformations in digitisation and culture.

But in 2021, I walked away from my high-paying executive role.

Why?

Because I wanted more space.
More time with family.
More alignment between who I am and how I work.

But I didn’t want to start from scratch.
So I asked myself a question:
What if I could build a career around everything I already know - and love?

That’s how my portfolio career began.
And it changed everything.

Now, I help other professionals do the same.

What I’ve built since 2021:
→ A 6-figure portfolio business with 3 income streams
→ Founder of Change is Possible - a business community for professionals redesigning their next chapter
→ 100K+ LinkedIn followers (grew from 17K in under a year)
→ Coached 100+ professionals through successful career transitions
→ Host of a Top 20 global podcast on career change, Change is Possible
→ TEDx speaker, Forbes columnist, and Bloomberg TV guest

Want to build your own portfolio career?
🚀 THE PORTFOLIO CAREER ACCELERATOR (Launching January 2026) 
Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1thkmph_EwRxLGfuL9muCsRir1uKDdF2nXYeI7X_1oSA/edit

This is an 8-week program designed to help you:
→ Turn your expertise into income
→ Build a personal brand that opens doors
→ Create your first income stream - even before you leave your job

Only 20 spots. 12 already claimed.

Other ways we can work together:
✔️ Join my business community — Change is Possible https://changeispossible.co.uk/ - doors open for new members on Sept.10, 2025
✔️ Book me to speak — I deliver keynotes on leadership, change, career reinvention, and the future of work - send a DM.
✔️ Hire me as an advisor — I support companies navigating complex transformation - send a DM to meet and explore.
✔️ Book 1:1 coaching — For senior execs ready to design their next chapter - send a DM.
✔️ Book my LinkedIn Growth Bundle — A 2-session intensive where I teach you the exact system I used to grow to 100K+ followers. Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bLp7wmK8xhIpfFu8beImvD5JZQHYsbraTBx5Orjx0zs/edit

P.S. Still wondering if change is really possible?
🎧 Tune in to my podcast Change is Possible — where 100+ professionals share how they redesigned their careers and lives. Watch here - https://www.youtube.com/@ChangeIsPossiblePodcast

Ani Filipova

The GPS doesn’t argue with reality.
It adjusts to it.
Your career works the same way…
Except most people wait too long to recalculate.

They stick to the original plan because:

– It once made sense
– It used to be rewarded
– It feels safer to continue than to adjust

Even when the signals are obvious.

The company changes.
The market shifts.
The skills that mattered five years ago lose value.

And still… they stay on the same route.

So how do you recalibrate? Here are several ways to it:

1. Review direction, not just performance

Every quarter, ask:
"If I started today, with what I know now, would I still choose this path?"

2. Run small course-corrections

You don’t need a dramatic pivot.
You need optionality.
Add one new project, one new skill, or one new network outside your role.

3. Reduce single-path dependence

Build at least one capability that creates value beyond your employer.
Anything that moves you from dependent to adaptable.

4. Treat friction as data

Persistent frustration usually isn’t weakness.
It’s misalignment.


You don’t have to abandon the destination.
But you do need to accept that the path will change.

The professionals who adjust early rarely need dramatic change later.
Those who ignore the signals end up being forced into it.

---

Here is the problem:

Most people only see recalibration options within their job or industry.
A promotion. A new company. A sideways move.

But there are usually far more ways to use your skills than your employer is paying you for.

You just do not see them yet.

That is what I help with inside the Portfolio Career Accelerator:

→ How to identify the real market value of your skills
→ How to position them beyond one employer
→ How to build options while you are still employed

Cohort 2 starts on April 27.

Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gpEqqqFs
♻️ Repost if someone in your network needs to see beyond their current path.

Some people did everything right and still didn’t make it.

I think about them a lot.

They made smart decisions.
Built the right skills.
Were genuinely good at what they did.

And the break never came.

Meanwhile, I know people (myself included) who caught a moment of luck so precise, so accidental, that if you shifted timing by six months, or moved geography by one country, the whole story collapses.

Here are two of mine:

1) A colleague in London mentioned, almost in passing, that there was a COO role available. I applied. I got it. That one conversation shaped the next chapter of my career.

2) Years later, I got invited to an event where entrepreneurs pitched to magazine editors. I saw what people were building. The energy in the room. The possibilities. That night is a direct line to me leaving my job.

Neither moment was “earned”.
Both changed everything.

And I know plenty of successful people have these moments too, but they rarely mention them because it complicates their success story.

We are sooo binary:

- Success is merit: work hard, decide well, win.
- Success is luck: hard work doesn't matter anyway.

The real version sits in the middle.

Decisions create the conditions.
Luck pulls the trigger.

Sometimes luck pulls the trigger for someone who didn’t deserve it.
Sometimes it never shows up for someone who did.

If you are navigating this, here is what I know:

1️⃣  Your decisions still matter a great deal.
They don’t guarantee the outcome.
But they are how you stack the odds in your favour.

2️⃣  Luck is real.
You don’t get to choose when it shows up. Acknowledging it keeps you hungry without making you bitter, and grateful without making you passive.

3️⃣  Make peace with the unfairness.
This is the hardest part.
Sometimes you do everything right and still don’t make it. The only move left is to accept and move on

The truth is: most success stories are part skill, part luck, and a lot of editing.

---
You can’t control luck, but you can control your odds.
That’s what we build inside the Portfolio Career Accelerator. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gpEqqqFs

or DM me

I used to think I handled feedback well.

Then I watched myself get defensive almost immediately.

I nodded. Said, “Thank you for sharing.”

Then spent the next three days arguing with it in my head.
And thinking, “Who does he think he is?”

Here is what most people get wrong about criticism:

They do not hear, “Here is how to improve.”
They hear, “You are not as good as you thought.”

That is why people:

▶️ Get defensive.
▶️ Justify themselves.
▶️ Go quiet.
▶️ Blame the delivery.

It feels like a threat.

The top 1% leaders do not hear feedback and think, “That is unfair.”

They think, “What is useful here?”

That shift changes everything.

Here is what that looks like:

▶️ Pause.
▶️ Let them finish.
▶️ Write it down.
▶️ Ask for an example.

Then leave the room and decide what is signal and what is noise.

Not all feedback is right.
But almost all feedback reveals something.

If you want to grow fast:

Stop protecting your ego.
Start mining for signal.

Feedback is uncomfortable.
But staying the same is worse.

Follow me, Ani Filipova, for leadership truths most people avoid.
♻️ Repost if someone in your network needs to hear this.

How to learn so fast it feels unfair.

Here is why this matters now more than ever:

- The half-life of skills is shrinking.
- What you learned 5 years ago may already be outdated.
- AI is changing industries faster than most people can adapt.

Learning how to learn is no longer a nice-to-have.
It is the skill that makes all other skills possible.

Leaving corporate was one of the biggest learning curve of my life.

- Suddenly, no team.
- No structure.
- No playbook.

If I did not learn fast, I did not earn.

So I devoured information.
And still felt behind.
Because volume is not the same as mastery.

When I interviewed Dr. Justin Sung on my podcast, he explained why.
The best learners do 3 things differently:

1️⃣ They pause.
Your brain needs time to organise what it just received.

2️⃣ They synthesise.
They teach it, apply it, turn it into something useful.
This is where real understanding happens.
And where you discover what you actually do not know yet.

3️⃣ They compare.
They connect new ideas to what they already know.
This anchors new knowledge into your existing mental frameworks.
It makes learning stick.

🎥 Watch the full podcast episode with Dr.Sung here: https://lnkd.in/g32j73jq

♻️ Repost if someone in your network needs to learn faster.

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Sarah Turner BNI® 💥

Ani Filipova

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The Battle

Sarah Turner BNI® 💥

Ani Filipova

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Engagements

Likes

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