Libby Prell - setbacks, resilience and building more than a business

Libby Prell grew up in rural NSW and first became aware of the gap between the “haves and have-nots” while at boarding school - a realisation that has shaped much of her life since.

After moving to Central Australia in the 1980s, she met her now husband Tony Smith. Together they built NT Link, a transportable modular building company based in Alice Springs and Darwin, with a fleet of more than 800 buildings.

But the journey has been anything but straightforward.

Their story has been shaped by setbacks that would have ended many businesses:

• Discovering unexpected liabilities in Tony’s first business purchase at just 24
• Losing everything after an over capitalised expansion in the late 1990s
• Cyclone George destroying one of their major accommodation camps in 2007

Yet Libby and Tony kept going - driven by a deep belief in their business and the people around them.

In Episode 15, Libby reflects on the lessons those experiences taught them:

• The importance of resilience
• The central role people and relationships play in a business
• What it takes to step back from leadership

It’s a powerful conversation about setbacks, persistence, and how those who face the toughest challenges are often the most driven to help others.

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