Another Fitzgibbon in Newcastle walks her own path to business success

The 30-year-old's business is booming, and she launched her own product line while becoming engaged with a baby on the way.

It's part and parcel of a whirlwind life for the 30-year-old, who spent five years managing multi-million-dollar budgets for industry titans in Sydney.

But it's been a winding road for Fitzgibbon, filled with calculated risk, long nights pouring over the books, tears and triumph.

So how does the magnetic #GirlBoss make it look so easy?

Madeline was 24 when she was "thrown into the deep end" at pharmaceutical heavyweight Pfizer, hired as Chapstick's brand manager.

Her manager, Chevaun Fenton, bolstered the young professional in tough times.

"I really had a lot of self-doubt at the time, as most 24-year-olds do. 'Can I really do a job like this? Can I really run a $10 million portfolio across Australia and New Zealand?'" she asked herself.

"But she said 'You can'. She backed me."

Fitzgibbon's responsibilities included product launches, retail margins, stock inventory and finance - the latter proving the trickiest.

But she was not the type to avoid or delegate what she couldn't master, and with the support of Fenton, began a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). Week nights and weekends were spent at lectures or studying.

"People were like, 'How did you do that?', but I just found that I loved it - though I had a bit of a breakdown studying the finance courses," she says.

But her perseverance saw her all the way through to graduation day.

"I'm a big believer in taking responsibility for your own learning and development... You've got to be the one who is constantly re-educating yourself," she says.

She left Pfizer and spent time at cosmetics giant Estee Lauder working under a different type of leadership.

Fitzgibbon says it's important to "shift, in order to learn new things, to challenge yourself".

"But it's also important for young women to know they're not always going to have the best boss in the world... Different experiences can teach you about the type of manager you want to be."

A stint working on multivitamin multinational Centrum followed, but by 2019, an exhausted Fitzgibbon moved home to Newcastle.

She remembers conversations with her father, NIB's CEO Mark Fitzgibbon, where she agonised about her next chapter.

"Dad's always been the kind of father that said: suck it up, you'll be fine, you'll figure it out," she says. "It's difficult to put into words the role my dad has played in leading me through the world of business, whether it was advice about the difficult subjects in the MBA, or just being there through tough times."

She credits both of her parents in shaping her - her mother, Gabrielle, held roles at the HMRI, Allianz and Port of Newcastle while raising four children.

"Everyone needs someone like mum in their life, someone who is always in your corner... I hope I can be a mum like her."

But Fitzgibbon says both her parents made it clear that her career was her own. "My career has never leant on dad in any shape or form. He's a big believer that you start from the bottom and you build your way up."

Bolstered by the support of her family and her now-fiance Guy Bunder, owner of Made Homes, her vision for author. consulting was born.

Her idea was simple: provide innovative storytelling without the hefty price tag to help businesses grow.

"Many can't afford agencies with massive teams and overheads. So we charge a quarter of the price, and suddenly a lot more have access to marketing and brand services," she says.

Among her clientele: local fixtures Three Monkeys cafe, Feast catering, Triggerpoint chiropractic and Suki hairdressing, along with a dozen legal, construction and real estate businesses.

Fitzgibbon also launched her own venture - Humidi, a compact humidifier for dry skin.

"We sell a bit of product, we do a bit of advertising with influencers, and it's still done out of the garage," she says.

For now, Humidi is a passion project.

Business is booming for her consultancy after the NSW government rolled out small marketing grants to dig the economy out of the COVID-19 ditch.

"Knowing that I wanted to have a baby this year, I had to prioritise where I am best spending my energy," she says.

It'll be her and Guy's first child, who became engaged on the balcony of their new Merewether home Merewether last month.

"We bounce off each other, we're such a good team, and I think that you want that in a partner, you want to encourage each other to take chances on yourselves."

Fitzgibbon says the biggest takeaway so far has been the importance of diving in, sticking with it and working it out along the way.

"You can take calculated risks if you are willing to put the hard work and hours in, to take that responsibility.

"You can learn anything. You don't need an MBA. You go on YouTube, and you learn it!"