Legacy can be a bit of a loaded term when it comes to family businesses. If you’re taking over at the helm, how do you honour the legacy of those who came before you? Do you keep things as they were, or should you shake things up? 

Buckaroo Belts owner Tanya Van Der Water asked herself exactly these questions when her father fell ill in 2013. Unexpectedly, she was thrust into the CEO role in his place.  

Once upon a time, she wasn’t even interested in joining his leather-working company, let alone running it. She was a forthright woman of colour. How could she operate at construction sites and convince tradies she knew about toolbelts? 

Would a radical transformation of the business work? Could she really save the business while she had three kids under three, and the burden of alcoholism in the family? 

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Curveball is the show that leans into life’s messy moments! It’s a production of Deadset Studios.  

Keep up to date with every episode by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want to know more about how people thrive in challenging times? Sign up toCurveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! And suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com

This episode was produced by Liam Riordan. Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 



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Legacy can be a bit of a loaded term when it comes to family businesses. If you’re taking over at the helm, how do you honour the legacy of those who came before you? Do you keep things as they were, or should you shake things up? Buckaroo Belts owner Tanya Van Der Water asked herself exactly these questions when her father fell ill in 2013. Unexpectedly, she was thrust into the CEO role in his place.  Once upon a time, she wasn’t even interested in joining his leather-working company, let alone running it. She was a forthright woman of colour. How could she operate at construction sites and convince tradies she knew about toolbelts? Would a radical transformation of the business work? Could she really save the business while she had three kids under three, and the burden of alcoholism in the family? +++  Curveball is the show that leans into life’s messy moments! It’s a production of <a href="https://www.deadsetstudios.com/">Deadset Studios</a>.  Keep up to date with every episode by following @_deadsetstudios on <a href="https://twitter.com/_deadsetstudios">Twitter</a> and @deadsetstudios on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/deadsetstudios/">instagram</a>.  Want to know more about how people thrive in challenging times? Sign up to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/curveball-6745938675223425024/">Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter</a>! And suggest a Curveball guest by visiting <a href="http://www.curveballshow.com/">www.curveballshow.com</a>   This episode was produced by Liam Riordan. Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

The human experience is all about adapting. Whether it’s a CEO trying to ride out an international travel crisis, a surfer struggling against a monster wave while his floatation vest fails, or a media star whose whole life changes in an instant, rarely do you get to glimpse what’s really going on during a someone's darkest hour.

In these revealing, personal conversations with a range of successful people, Curveball host Kellie Riordan gets the lowdown on how people grow in extraordinary times. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios.com on Twitter and @deadsetsetstudios on Instagram. Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by going to www.curveballshow.com

Curveball is also now a LinkedIn newsletter! It's a weekly top-up of the best advice our guests have to help set you on the right path. Subscribing is totally free.

Curveball

Meet the woman who unexpectedly inherits a leatherworking business and hear about the radical transformation both she and the business went through to escape collapse.

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