Sarah Pavillard's switch from the navy to online fashion retail has proved to be the perfect fit. "I was 18 when I joined the navy," she says. "I joined immediately after school and studied electrical engineering as a midshipman."

During the five years it took to get her engineering qualifications through the Australian Defence Force Academy, Pavillard spent semester breaks undertaking study of quite a different kind.

"We'd do a whole raft of officer and military training on our breaks," she says. "The opportunity to be paid while I studied and the sense of adventure appealed to me. I felt it was something different."

During her 12-year career in the Royal Australian Navy, Pavillard was an assistant weapons engineering officer (aboard HMAS Darwin); personal aide (flag lieutenant) to the Chief of Navy; and a sustainment manager providing maintenance of weaponry.

"I can't talk about the specifics of the gear but I was responsible for maintenance and support of tactical electronic warfare equipment," she says.

Mysterious as it sounds, the last role was typically a nine-to-five affair, although that wasn't the case throughout her navy career.

When posted on HMAS Darwin, Pavillard was deployed to the Middle East.

"We saw the build-up of hostilities in the Gulf and I was there for the main invasion of Iraq in 2003," she says. "Looking back [it was scary] but at the time you don't think about it too much. There's a real sense of being part of a team but the uncertainty was palpable."

Strangely, it was during her time in the Middle East that Pavillard caught the bug for e-retail.

"If I wanted something, I'd get online and order it," she says. "It'd be on the ship a couple of days later. I began reading more about online retailing."

After having children, Pavillard decided to end her navy career in 2008. "I didn't want to leave the kids for long periods of time," she says.
Instead, she set up an online store, The Dreamery, selling Australian fashion and accessories. While it might seem an unusual leap, Pavillard says she's always been interested in fashion.

"Just because you wear grey overalls all day doesn't mean you're not interested in other things," she says.

Rather than checking weapons, she now spends her days checking the latest fashion trends.

"I have three staff and a part-time photo editor; we're growing steadily," she says. Although e-retail is growing (in stark comparison with the struggles faced by many retailers relying only on shop fronts), Pavillard says fashion is still a risky business.

"We do same-day shipping in Sydney, so we need to have all our stock on hand," she says. "You place your order for a range six months before it's delivered, so you can be ordering based on what your view of the situation will be [and that can change]."

She says the skills honed as an engineer and navy employee have paid off in her e-business.

"My systems thinking and disciplined approach both help. My technical background also helped me have a very clear picture of how the website should look and to articulate that clearly."

THEN
Salary: About $95,000 a year "including benefits like housing and healthcare".
Work-life balance: "During shore positions it was quite good ... Of course, when you are posted to a ship it becomes inherently difficult."
Hours: Varied according to the role. Pavillard's last role was from 8am to 4.30pm; however, life on board was quite different. "On the ship we worked much longer hours — I was usually up at 4.45am to start and would work through the day and into the evening."

NOW
Salary: "I pay myself about $45,000-$50,000 a year. I'm reinvesting most of my salary into the business to grow it."
Work-life balance: "Isn't as good as before! But I'm building something for the future. I also have flexibility — if my daughters don't have day care I can decide what to do about it."
Hours: 60-70 hours a week. "I work 9am to 5.30pm in the office, then I check emails and update Facebook from home. On weekends I work less."
Miss: "Being part of a big team and having a [direct] connection with a lot of people."
Challenges: "[In retail] you have to make sure you are always doing something to generate interest. Also, getting that balance between family and the personal and trying not to work too hard."