Blinded by the Stars
WORDS by Kerry Anderson, PHOTOGRAPHS by Shayne Mostyn
In what many would term an unusual career pathway, Shayne Mostyn has been preparing to be self-employed for most of his adulthood. From the army to technology; from the Gold Coast to the dairy town of Cohuna, every step and new skill has prepared Shayne to create his own destiny in a rural town where he was blinded by the stars.
Like most teenagers, school was just something you do every day according to Shayne. ‘Nothing inspired me at school,’ he admits without apology. ‘I just wanted to go into the army.’
Six years in the army taught him one of his greatest skills. ‘Tolerance,’ Shayne says. ‘I cope with day to day stresses much better than most people. When I am out at 2.00am doing a night photography course with a storm raging around me,’ he explains, ‘I weather the storm a lot better.
Exiting the army, he then became a technician for Xerox in Sydney followed by a stint working at the Olympic Games. Technology is another expertise he has accumulated.
‘I worked my way up through Xerox becoming a team leader and then operations manager. You get a name for yourself and then get head hunted to put out fires.’
Working for Xerox and IBM taught Shayne about processes, another important element that has prepared him for business. ‘Flying by the seat of your pants is definitely not the way to manage a business,’ Shayne says.
As is often the case with tree changers, Shayne first discovered Cohuna in northern Victoria when he and wife Sarah were visiting her sister over the Easter holiday five years ago. Arriving in the small agricultural town of just over 2,000 population they discovered that there was no reception for their mobile phones via Vodaphone.
‘Without my usual 140 emails per day, eighty percent of which would require action, I suddenly had bliss,’ Shayne recalls. ‘We loved Cohuna and driving back to Melbourne I said to Sarah that I could live there.’
As fate would have it, by the time they arrived back in Melbourne he had received a job offer of driving an excavator. ‘I’d driven tanks in the army,’ Shayne explains. ‘Other than a gun there is not much difference.’
Two weeks later Sarah was offered a job with an accounting firm in nearby Echuca getting offered more money than she was receiving on the Gold Coast. Their fate was sealed!
Owning a farm was a dream of Shayne and Sarah but it soon became evident that a traditional dairy was beyond their means. ‘With a $2.5 million buy-in required we decided to go with a different business model,’ Shayne explains.
An episode of Master Chef featuring goats cheese gave them the idea to convert an old dairy farm to breed and milk goats, a much more affordable solution.
‘I enjoy the farming side of things and did relief milking to gain experience,’ says Shayne. ‘We’re doing something different and I would challenge anyone in the district to say they are bringing in more money per acre.’
Hmm in light of the recent dairy crisis, he is probably right!
With Sarah driving the product development and marketing their boutique soaps made from goat’s milk at Windella Farm, Shayne has been free to pursue other interests. It soon becomes clear that he is not one to sit around and lounge at home.
That very first weekend in Cohuna he saw the stars and took his first astro shot. Actually, that was the big selling point when it came to relocating there.
‘You can’t see stars like that on the Gold Coast,’ he says. ‘I started studying online watching You Tube clips. I took a night photo of an old Massey Ferguson tractor in a paddock and put it up on Facebook where it got a lot of attention.’
That was the catalyst to establishing Shayne Mostyn photography which is now one of his favourite past times and an increasing source of revenue as he studies what is the best business model in this field.
‘Everyone has a camera these days and, even if they want professional photos, many aren’t prepared to pay for it,’ he says. As far as photography is concerned, Shayne believes there are three sources of revenue. 1. Selling artwork through a website; 2. Paid photography for special family events and commercial work; and 3. Teaching photography through workshops.
The latter is what Shayne is finding most successful.
Collaborating with Matt Krumins, a Melbourne based photographer, Shayne is offering city photographers something they can’t find in Melbourne – the stars. Weekend workshops are bringing city folk to the country. They start with the theory, photograph at night, and then edit and reflect by day.
‘We were thinking of doing it closer to Melbourne but because of the dairy crisis and fear in the local community I decided to bring the workshops to Cohuna. It’s only eight people each month but it is eight people that weren’t coming before,’ Shayne says. ‘They come and use the local accommodation and spend their money in town.’
Becoming part of a rural community has had a huge impact on Shayne and Sarah.
‘On the Gold Coast we lived closed to people but didn’t know anyone. Here we have got to know people. What should take 30 minutes to do often takes over an hour in Cohuna because we are always stopping to talk to people.’
And local connections leads to more work as Shayne has discovered. Drawing on his technical skills and love of a challenge, he has his finger in many pies. 25 local businesses now entrust their websites to Shayne for regular updates and he is also trained to do specialist hoof trimming through a local vet for local dairy farmers which involved training in the United States.
When I ask what Shayne thinks about living in a rural town he pauses for a moment.
‘There is an element of satisfaction and achievement that I’ve never had before,’ he admits. ‘I’m more creative. I look at an opportunity and see what I can do with it.’
On the downside there is limited customer reach in a rural town requiring travel. ‘You’re also competing with the locals who are already well known.’ On a positive note, he adds, ‘the strength of a small town is word of mouth testimonials. Do a good job and they become your biggest advocate.’
Five years living in a rural town and Shayne’s goal is not to be working for anyone else. That means doing something different in Cohuna hence the Astra workshops and a new idea to combine them with a tour of the Murray River.
‘There are plenty of people doing this type of thing but I can do it differently. I’m looking for the wow factor,’ Shayne says. Some would say he has stars in his eyes!
Check out Shayne Mostyn Photography
Shayne’s Top Business Tips
Diversify. Don’t do what everyone else does.
Follow up with everything you do. ‘Must have’ photo list for a wedding essential.
Be honest about what you can do.
2020 update:
While the Astro workshops continue to be run when rain and cloud permit, Shayne tells me that his iPhone workshops are proving to be the most popular. Why I wonder? ‘Everyone has them,’ he replies. ‘The main group of people that come are young mothers, grey nomads and business owners. It’s all good fun.’
Shayne has also found the web design – both new work and ongoing maintenance – with local businesses to be good regular work. ‘My customers are mostly local businesses. People like the fact that there is a face and someone to answer the phone.’
With wife Sarah also busy with her goat dairy business, Windella Farm, Shayne has been helping out with some new marketing initiatives on social media.
He starts to tell me his latest news but falls silent. ‘I’m branching out on a different tangent and busy building something new, but its hush hush,’ is all he will say.
My curiosity is heightened, and he relents.
‘It’s an online version of my iPhone photography workshops,’ he confides. ‘They have been very popular locally, so I am taking it online to a wider audience.’ (COVID-19 psychic?) LINK
Has it been a good move to Cohuna I ask? This time he doesn’t hesitate.
‘We love it here.’
KERRY ANDERSON: Author of ‘Entrepreneurship: It’s Everybody’s Business,’ Kerry works with small businesses and rural communities to help them embrace new opportunities. READ MORE