Twin winners were named Business Woman of the Year at the 2021 Rubik3 Canberra Women in Business (CWB) Awards last Thursday, both of whom embody the tenacity and boldness shown by female-led businesses during the pandemic.
CWB Business Woman of the Year winner, Natashia Telfer of National Community Care, is a juxtaposition of genuine humility and a fiery passion to help those deemed too difficult for the system.
“When they called my name, it was overwhelming. I applied for the Social Impact Award and decided to chuck my hat in the ring last minute. I really didn’t expect to win at all. I’d only written my one speech! It was phenomenal, I was in awe of all the women I was surrounded by.
“I do get imposter syndrome. Sometimes I feel like I’m not worthy of this,” Natashia said.
National Community Care fights for financial support for those who fall between the gaps of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Natashia had worked across the board in healthcare before finding her calling, although her journey started before then.
At just 18, in the middle of her gap year, Natashia was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, “right when I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life”.
“Up until that point I honestly thought the purpose of life was having kids.” She was informed that due to her condition, she might not ever be able to have children.
Natashia went on to beat cancer after six months of treatment. Ten days after that, she enrolled in a healthcare course at CIT.
The light of her new purpose had ignited. “If only I could provide one single person a little bit of the help that I received …”
Her future business partner, Lisa Walker, who ran a national nursing agency at the time, approached Natashia with a keen eye. “She said, ‘I just knew you were going places and I didn’t want you going there without me’.
“When we set out, we never really knew what exactly it was we were going to do. I just wanted to get in there and do it all,” Natashia said.
Early on, the women were approached by Atticus, a not-for-profit with four clients living in Canberra Hospital for a combined 18 years, due to their conditions not fitting the right boxes in the system.
Natashia and Lisa fought a seven-year battle to educate and get the green light from ACT Health that the four people were not in feasible care.
They broke rules and funded care out of their own pockets, until finally, all four patients were living in a purpose-built home, with assistance provided in all aspects of life.
“Just because no one stands up to question a rule, doesn’t mean it’s right,” said Natashia.
Today, National Community Care has become the go-to company for the “too hard” baskets.
Natashia believes that there aren’t enough women in business, “and it’s because we second guess ourselves!”
“At the end of the day, nobody ever made me feel like a fish out of water, I put myself there.”
A trail blazer through the woods, her advice to those who follow is simple. “Jump! If it’s truly your passion, it’s a no brainer.
“There’s no such thing as a business failure. If you see that your business idea is a sinking ship, and you decide to call it off, then that’s called a smart business decision. It truly is about having perspective and revaluating every step of the way.”
Joint winner, Olga Imbriano’s energy and innovation has carried her through dark times, ever since she migrated from the Czech Republic.
Despite having an extensive background in finance, Olga shared the experience of many migrants in Australia, struggling to find work when her qualifications weren’t recognised.
She waitressed at a café for a year, weathering comments about her accent and background, until one customer recognised her potential.
“Phillipa Leggo. We’re still friends to this day,” smiled Olga. “And we were finalists together this year. That’s out of this world! She was the one who gave me a chance when no one else would.”
Phillipa brought Olga back into finance. As she provided support to various businesses, she found herself dreaming of one day having a shop of her own.
“I always thought to start a business I would need to win the lottery or take out a huge loan.”
Bellelis was a light inspired by dark times. While Olga was on maternity leave with her second daughter, her father was hit by a car. While visiting him every day in hospital, buying new body suits became the last thing she could think of.
“I remembered with my older one, I used these bodysuit extenders that I couldn’t find in Australia.”
Thus, she made her very first extender in the corner of her family room. When friends asked for some too, Olga tried to order the special buttons online.
“I couldn’t find them in Australia, and it turned out the minimum you could order was 1000 pieces!”
Bellelis’ first form was an online store selling a single item. After that, Olga’s dream fell into place more quickly than she could have ever imagined.
With a wide interest in cloth nappies inspired by lockdown, Olga was further encouraged and the Bellelis storefront began to take shape. Knowing she needed more hands, Olga gave jobs to two other mums in the community. Many of the mothers Olga would hire in the future were her own customers.
Later still, 80 per cent of the brands Bellelis stocked would be Australian female and “mum-led” businesses.
“Women supporting women and mums supporting mums,” Olga insisted, paying forward the leg up she received from Phillipa years ago.
Now her store is rebranding to the ‘B Eco Family,’ continuously teaching the benefits of eco-friendly baby products. Olga says she’s still learning to dream big.
“Bellelis will still represent the products I make myself. I’m keeping that as my baby,” she laughed. “The name is a combination of Bella, which my husband called me when we met, and my daughter’s name, Eliska.”
“You don’t need a huge amount of money, and there is never a right time. This came from one of the hardest times of my life. You just need to go with the flow and start with whatever you dream about.”
The 2021 award winners
Chamberlains Law Business Woman of the Year: Olga Imbriano, Bellelis Australia; and Natashia Telfer, National Community Care
QT Canberra Young Business Woman of the Year: Vanessa Schimizzi, Branded Graphics
Pipeline Talent Indigenous Business Woman of the Year: Melissa Lacey, Point River Networks
Solace Creations Small Business Woman of the Year: Justine Lennane, Gumnut Dance
Elite Event Technology Innovation Business Woman of the Year: Melissa Lacey, Point River Networks
Bookssorted Social Impact Business Woman of the Year: Antoniette Gomez, Exhale Coaching & Consulting
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