13 minute read
The Young SA Woman Award
For a woman under 30 (as at 1 July 2022) who has started her own business and shown personal growth, tenacity, determination and an entrepreneurial spirit.
Advertisement
Proudly sponsored by: Coosh & Co.
THE YOUNG SA WOMAN AWARD
A cut above the rest!
Emma Duncan was the inaugural winner of The Young Woman in Business Award in 2021. She is the owner of Halo Hair Collective - a busy, thriving salon, specialising in colour corrective work, cutting and styling. They are an Australian Hairdressing Council accredited Gold Salon Select member in recognition of exceptional client service, professional salon presentation, fair employment practices, training to the highest level, comprehensive business structure, ethical and creative marketing and promotion, environmental sustainability and the highest standards of business ethics.
Isn't it just wonderful to hear a business owner giving so much credit to her team - recognising that success comes from the efforts of everyone, not individuals alone. These heartwarming words featured in Emma Duncan's acceptance speech as she reflected upon winning The Young Woman in Business Award in 2021.
We have loved getting the chance to talk more with Emma about being a young woman in business.
// 2021 was the first year the Young SA Woman Award was awarded – and you were an incredibly worthy recipient! What other exciting achievements or moments have you had in this past year?
Wow! What a year it’s been! A lot of ups and downs I think for so many business owners, but I am truly blessed to have such great support around me.
We have grown by another two staff members, my husband Fraser and I have purchased our block of shops, becoming landlords - eek! We are in the midst of our expansion later this year! So many exciting things happening within HHC. // What obstacles and opportunities have you found being a young woman in business?
I try to look at 'obstacles' not so much as a problem but as something that is going to challenge me and help me to grow as a leader.
The last few years have thrown more curve balls at us than I can count but I’m so proud of my myself and my husband, and my team for handling it all with grace and patience.
We are thriving, with a constant growing list of clientele and I feel as though as a team - we can do anything.
Being involved with the right companies and people alike present so many exciting opportunities (watch this space).
// What advice would you give to other women under thirty who are looking to start their own business?
One bit of advice I can give is, you need to have a crystal clear understanding of who you are - most importantly - and what brand best represents your beliefs.
You want the culture of your business to be a mirror image of everything you are striving for, everything you put into it. The business should excite you and push you to want to create something not just for yourself, but for other likeminded people. Know your worth, and kick those goals!
To read Emma's acceptance speech in full, follow this QR code.
Discover more about Emma & her team at Halo Hair Collective at halohaircollective.com.au
Courtney Schultz, ASD Support and Education, was the People's Choice Winner of The Young Woman in Business Award in 2021.
THE YOUNG SA WOMAN AWARD
2022 Finalists
To connect with Taylah Suridge and discover more about her salon, follow this QR code.
TAYLAH SURIDGE, LA STRAND HAIR AND BODY
I created La Strand Hair and Body when I was 19. I saw a gap in the hair industry for affordability and packaging services. I started from a salon at home and built the brand. No clients, no capital and no savings behind me, I drew out my business plan and worked out how my business would stand out in the industry. Working 60 plus hours every week to meet demand, I opened a shopfront in 2020 and it has just excelled from there, with a $900,000 turnover, 11 staff and growing!
What do you love most about being in business? I love that being able to step back and observe my team running the business exactly how I envisioned it 5 years ago. Having the confidence in your team to get the job done and get it done better than you ever could.
What has been your biggest triumph in your business ? My biggest triumph was slowly removing myself from the floor and serving clients. This was one of the hardest hurdles to date as I love my clients so much, but knew that stepping off the floor was the best decision in growing the business and supporting my team.
What is the biggest thing you have learnt from being in business? The biggest lightbulb for my career so far has been: you have to take risks, get comfortable being uncomfortable and always remind myself my age, gender and experience does not determine what I'm capable of.
What key moments led you to starting your business? Growing up in a refugee camp I remember watching family members with disabilities have no access to essential services, I recall seeing people with disabilities crawl across the floor as a mode of transport from one point to the other. The lack of resources and support systems made day-to-day activities extremely difficult.
In addition to this, working as an Assistant Nurse gave me insight into the struggles people with disability face in Australia, due to providers failing to deliver what they promised. As a result, many NDIS customers end up in the hospital for months when they don’t medically need to be there.
I wanted to make a difference in someone’s life. Simaru True Care is more than just a business to me. It was launched to support individuals to be independent, live life full of choices, where they are in control, to live how they want to live and decide what they want to do. I hope and plan to give back to people in refugee camps by donating essential resources and creating more accessible services.
What do you love most about being in business?
As a young girl in a refugee camp, I always wanted to be a midwife, but the poor education system meant a lack of opportunities for young girls like myself. Coming to Australia was a blessing, but I was very overwhelmed by the possibilities for a career in any pathway I wanted to follow.
Since my experience as a child in the refugee camp, I’ve always wanted to work in an industry that would allow me to help others, especially those who were vulnerable and less fortunate.
That is exactly what I love about being in my chosen role as well as in my own business. Simaru True Care has created a platform that allows me to help others and be part of their progress and success. I love reading progress notes as it reminds me of the changes the business I created is making in people’s lives. The reviews make me smile.
What has being involved in the 2022 SA Woman Awards brought to your life? Being involved in the 2022 Awards, has meant so much not just to me but to other young women and girls who struggle to believe in themselves and their dreams. To the girls who do not think they are worthy of their achievements. To the young girls in the refugee camps who no longer have hopes for the future due to a lack of education and opportunities. This Award serves as a reminder that it is possible, they can and will do it.
SHAONA IMARU, SIMARU TRUE CARE
My name is Shaona Imaru and I am twentytwo years old. Having relocated to Australia from a refugee camp where I had limited prospects to pursue a career or even achieve any kind of fulfilment in my life, I value the opportunities now available to me here in Australia. I work part-time as a Registered Nurse at a local hospital while running Simaru True Care as a CEO/Manager. Simaru True Care provides a range of disability services under the NDIS such as assistance with transport, household tasks, personal care, (Supported Independent Living) SIL, Respite and community involvement to participants across Adelaide. We are committed to ensuring that each participant is supported to make informed choices, exercise control, and maximise their independence relating to the support provided.
To connect with Shaona Imaru and discover more about her work, follow this QR code.
THE YOUNG SA WOMAN AWARD
EMMA HACKETT, EMMA HACKETT DESIGN & THE CONSCIOUS CUSTOMER CO
Emma Hackett Design offers professional web design and graphic design services. Since I started the business, I’ve worked with hundreds of clients; my target market and main clientele are small businesses. I also recently launched The Conscious Customer Co – an online marketplace that lists Australian-made products from small businesses in an easy-tosort and discoverable way. It benefits both the website users and business owners – users can find great products from small businesses that are aligned with their values, and small business owners can increase their visibility in a larger market.
To connect with Emma Hackett and discover more about her work, follow this QR code. What do you love most about being in business?
I get to work every day on projects that I’m passionate about and genuinely enjoy working on. Being able to get up and look forward to work is a real privilege. By working from home, I can work when my brain is firing and not be restricted by office hours. I know working from home doesn’t work for everyone, but if my brain isn’t firing, I can step away, go for a walk or listen to a podcast to re-energise and then come back to the project as a far more switched-on version of myself and therefore deliver far better results for my clients.
What has been your biggest triumph in your business? I’m blown away by the number of businesses I’ve had the pleasure of working with. My largest and most well-known clients include Shameless Media and Turia Pitt who are enormous names in the Australian media landscape. I’ve also worked with hundreds of small businesses from a range of industries, all attracted through word of mouth. I’ve never had to spend money on advertising for Emma Hackett Design and am proud that my work and customers’ experiences are what attract new clientele. Secondly, everything you see on The Conscious Customer Co (with the exception of the legal policies) has been designed and marketed by me, with some assistance in social media scheduling from my sister. The branding, website and marketing were all completed by me in my spare time. It has also been entirely self-funded with a small budget of about $6,000. I’m really proud to have launched a successful, highly-praised business and attracted such a great audience from these in-house efforts.
What is the biggest thing you have learnt from being in business? It’s important to treat clients how you want to be treated as a client. I approach everything from their point of view and carefully consider what would make their life easier and their customers’ lives easier. For example, I could easily create a website straight from a template or solely from the brief I’m given, but instead, I look at the site from their point of view and their customers’ point of view to offer recommendations to take things to the next level to ensure my clients get the most value out of working with me. By working like this and genuinely caring about my clients and their outcomes, I have had a continual flow of satisfied clients and never had any difficulty finding work.
Definitely becoming the face of The Adelaide Set during the pandemic. Thanks to The Adelaide Set platform, my career as a social media presenter started. Supporting small SA business owners during the pandemic was lifechanging on many levels and running our team of 10 young contributors provided me with real leadership qualities. Thanks to that powerful journey, I now have a course that educates others on everything I know about the social media industry.
Throughout the ups and downs, how have you stayed true to your vision? I've stayed true to my vision thanks to discipline and courage. It's not easy being yourself in real life let alone being on social media in front of thousands of people. But what I've discovered is that if it scares you, it's the right thing to do. Seeking discomfort is very important for any industry to thrive and as an entrepreneur, I love trusting my intuition - even if things don't work out. Staying true to yourself takes sacrificing old philosophies and for some people that doesn't work but for me, it's everything.
What has been your biggest triumph in your business life? Starting a production company is certainly up there. The amount of business growth I have learned at The Australia Set Productions - no education could teach. We've captured so many historical moments for Adelaide already and the list goes on for all the opportunities that came with that in such a short amount of time. We are creators and as creators, we know we can make it here in Australia.
What obstacles and opportunities have you found from being a woman in business?
The biggest obstacle I faced was being able to take on constructive criticism. When I finally mastered this, I could lead strongly beside men. The moment I understood what this looked like was the moment far bigger and greater opportunities came. I believe men and women compliment each other and greater things can happen side by side.
A love for my womanhood. I love being a woman and I am so thankful for just being me. SA Woman Awards gave me a chance to share my story as a young and proud SA female entrepreneur, bringing gratefulness to my life that supports my next professional steps towards my dreams.
TAYDAM KNOWLES, THE ADELAIDE SET PRODUCTIONS
My name is Taydam Knowles and I am the General Manager, and face of Australia's largest youth-dedicated platform The Adelaide Set with over 55 k followers on Instagram and 28 k on Facebook. I am also a film producer at The Australia Set Productions and founder of the 'Be Your Own Social Media Presenter' online course that supports others with social media, business and personal branding.
To connect with Taydam Knowles and discover more about her, follow this QR code.
