Louisa Wood was never given enough pocket money...

In fact her $6 a week income wasn’t going to buy her the pair of “Reebok Pumps” she dreamed of, in the dark hours of the night, in the small hope of one day being able to “look cool” at school. Being forced to invent ways of making money, Louisa sold hair scrunchies during her primary school recess breaks.

This strange affliction of selling soon progressed to fundraiser Freddo Frogs in high school, where Louisa sold $5,000 worth to help her travel to national triathlon events, before getting “banned” because she was making more money than the canteen and was the causal factor in the expanding waist line of the Principal.

Made to move along, Louisa turned her focus to the daggy school diary, a basic booklet of stapled lined paper. Louisa took it upon herself to be a “boredom buster” and make the school diary fun, educational and entertaining.

It was in her 12th year of schooling that Louisa gave proud birth to “MyDiary”.

Funded entirely from her $8 an hour “Can I Take your order please” jobs, Louisa started to grow her business “page by page”.

At age 26, Louisa has since gone on to sell over 230,000 diaries to students across Australia, creating a nationally operating business.

• A winner of the Brownes Yogurt Every Woman of the Year Entrepreneur Award

• A three-time finalist in the Telstra Small Business Awards

• A three-time finalist in the Telstra Womens Business Awards

• A four-time finalist in the Telstra Young Womens Business Awards

• A two-time grant winner in the National Nescafe Big Break Competition

• A winner in the National Shell Livewire Competition

• A winner in the National Australis Self-Made Girl Competition

• Winner of the Micro Business Young Achiever Award

• Winner of the North-West Metro Business Awards, Youth Achiever Division

• Winner of the 2005 Renouf Challenge (Ticket around the world)

• Third Place INBA 2004

• Third Place NABBA 1995

Louisa believes in the importance of maintaining fitness and healthy lifestyle. This is illustrated in her passion for sport, including bodybuilding. Here are some pictures over the last 3 years of Louisa in her competition physique: