
Painting Dreams at Frida’s Sip n’ Paint
Imagine how challenging running multiple business interests can be. John Caruso adds another episode to our ‘Everyone Has a Story’ podcast series and discovers the importance of self-belief.
Rebecca Bateman is a woman of many talents and passions. She’s always been fascinated by different industries and opportunities, and has pursued her goals with courage and creativity. From organising dream weddings, to running successful gymnasiums and fitness centres in Australia and the Cayman Islands, to launching a chain of popular art and wine studios, Becc has done it all.
She’s a female entrepreneur who has learned valuable lessons along the way. It’s been a journey of discovery, challenge, and growth; a journey that still has some way to go.
“My first sip and paint art studio opened in 2019 in Hobart, which is where I grew up,” Becc says. “I was introduced to the sip and paint concept while overseas and I thought, Hobart is invested in culture and the arts, so it should do well.”
Although not a painter herself, the sip and paint concept spoke to non-painters who simply wanted to ‘have a go’ to see what inner creativity could end up on canvas.
“I just loved the concept because it made painting and learning the steps so easy, no pressure and a lot of fun,” Becc said. “My mum was an art teacher and she still dabbles in it, selling paintings and so forth, so I was always around that kind of thing.
“While I’m involved in the collections that we bring out and I have a lot of say in what I want to see in the studios with Frida’s Sip n’ Paint, as far as actually painting the paintings and taking the classes, I hire staff to do that.”
Was a career path surrounded by paints, brushes, and canvas always on the cards?
“I wanted to be an actress or a musician,” Becc laughs. “I ended up a wedding planner for ten years, and I enjoyed that experience.
“I liked working on the finer details and loved designing weddings – from what guests will see as soon as they walk into the wedding space, music, the layout, and the experience. I brought a lot of those ideas to Frida’s.”
The are many strings to Rebecca’s bow. Franchising a chain of gyms has been something the entrepreneur has been working on for many years.
“I have an F45 studio in the Cayman Islands where I lived for eight years,” she says. “I set up the wedding planning business over there first, then the gym.
“I knew the area and I knew it would do quite well. When it comes to any business venture, you’ve got to have confidence and believe in what you’re doing and just give it a red-hot crack, and if doesn’t work, what’s the worst that’s going to happen? That’s my mindset.”
Juggling a home life, raising kids, and running multiple businesses makes for a full dance card.
“There are two kids, a twelve-year-old and a nine-year-old and to be honest, the more that the brands grow, the easier it gets with children,” she said. “I think that’s because we have so much more support now.
“When I started the wedding business, it was just me. I was up until two in the morning trying to do everything and it was the same when we opened our first studio, but as we grew, the team settled into their roles, so it makes things a lot easier to oversee everything.
“I still work full time, but I get to go home and be with the kids at the end of the day. Put in the hard yards at the start, and things will fall into place.”
There’s a lot of pressure on teenagers and twenty-somethings to have a career all planned out at a very early age. Many will argue that there’s plenty of time to decide, and no single path is definitive.
“I didn’t have a plan of what I was going to do as a career,” Becc says. “I’ve taken every day as it comes. I’m 40 now and I look at the things I’ve done and I’m comfortable with that. I think it’s pretty good and I’m proud of my achievements, however I’ve still got a lot to do. I want to open more studios!
“There are currently nine Frida’s studios around Australia, six of those are franchised and my franchise manager and I want to expand into Victoria and New South Wales.
“There’s also a gym brand, NOFOMO, that I started in 2021 which is also a franchised business and outside of that I’d like to study and get back into music.”
You can listen to the complete chat with Rebecca Bateman on our Everyone Has a Story: Conversations from the Sunshine Coast & Noosa podcast, available where you get all the good podcasts from.
WANT MORE? Download the interview with Becc from our podcast.