Hawkesbury Women In Business (HWIB) is a group filled with women who have overcome hardship and loss as they forged their own paths and built supportive communities within their own fields.
Since 2019, HWIB has helped thousands of women in their business endeavours.
Speaking on behalf of the group, founder of HWIB, Sarah Cassim said they focused on supporting women in business on both a professional and personal level.
“It is a great success for us all to see so many incredible women lead businesses as both finalists and of course winners in the latest business awards in the Hawkesbury,” Sarah said.
“We are focused and committed to the growth of the small businesses doing big things in the Hawkesbury.
“Alongside other networking and community organisations, we can truly showcase the talent that we harbour right here in the Hawkesbury.” Nila Oyama is thrilled to be a member of HWIB.
“I have met these amazing women, also winners at the Hawkesbury Business Awards,” Nila said.
“When I started my business, I had left the corporate world, I was a mum with two little ones and knew no one in the Hawkesbury.
“This group has provided me with support, motivation, networks and mentorship.”
HWIB are about to celebrate their fourth birthday.
IMAGE: Nila Oyama with Susan Templeman MP at the 2023 Hawkesbury Business Awards.
Didos Place - Winner Business of the Year, Business Person of the Year and Accommodation Awards
Nila Oyama
When Nila Oyama began Dido’s Place back in late 2019 she did not imagine that her first challenges would be a constant run of opening and closing due to fires, floods and COVID lockdowns.
“We are back up and running and it’s full steam ahead,” Nila said.
“The downtime gave me a chance to really perfect our accommodation service and the way I run the business.
“I was able to undertake a number of courses to upskill and it also gave me time to really look at, not only how we operate as a business but how we could give back to the community, undertake sustainability initiatives and really make a difference.”
Nila said that running a successful business wasn’t only looking at finances, but also looking outside the box, the bigger picture.
“We might only be a very small business but our positive impact is what we are most proud of and we hope this will inspire others to do the same,” she said.
After the birth of Nila’s second child and the loss of a few close family members over a short time span, family became her sole focus and she credits family with inspiring her to open her own business.
“I wanted a place where we could all come together and create memories,” Nila said.
“Life flies by too fast.
“I wanted to be able to capture those precious moments and for others to also do the same.
“Dido means Grandfather in Ukrainian and it was our Grandfather who originally purchased the land back in the 1960s.
“Dido’s Place is our tribute to our beloved Grandfather and his love for his family.”
There’s certainly no denying it has been an incredible journey for Nila and her family, particularly after their huge win at this year’s Hawkesbury Business Awards.
“We won the Trifecta,” Nila said.
“We won the Business of the Year, Business Person of the Year and the Accommodation Awards.
“Last year we won the Accommodation Award ‘22 and were finalists in the other categories.
“I want to use these awards to show what the Hawkesbury has to offer.
“I want us to make a mark in the tourism market.
“I feel the Hawkesbury is often overlooked.
“There is so much potential to develop our local tourism market, to create more employment and support our fantastic local businesses.” Nila is a member of the Hawkesbury Women In Business networking group.
IMAGE: Ladie Tradie Amber Browne celebrates her win at the Hawkesbury Business Awards.
Ladie Tradie Australia - Winner Other Trades & Construction Award
Amber Browne
When she was 16, around 20 years ago now, Amber Browne’s ultimate decision was whether or not to push through her fear and stereotyping to pursue a career doing what she enjoyed most.
Today, she is an inspiration to other women who want the opportunity to be a woman in blue collar work with a trade qualification.
Amber has her own trade qualification in Shop Fitting & Detailed Joinery and over 20 years of industry experience under her belt.
“There came a time that everyone was concerned about if and when you fall pregnant, have children, how can you be on the tools?,” Amber said.
“Children did come along, but this was not the end of my career.
“It was the beginning of Ladie Tradie Australia.
“Being my own identity and an available mother for my sons and showing them equality.
“Not all men are good at labour as not all women are great in an office. “Women can do a manual line of work and provide for their family.”
Ladie Tradie Australia has now been operating for four years, and has already won two back-to-back Hawkesbury Business Awards in the category of Other Trades & Construction in 2022 and 2023.
The win in 2022 was Amber’s first since completing her TAFE course in 2006.
“It was so much more meaningful as it was of my own business creation,” she said.
“This year the category grew to a huge 12 businesses large and small and quite diverse.
“Shocked is an understatement to have taken out the award again.
“It is a massive hit of motivation to spur me into other directions and keep doing what I do well.
“I’m absolutely honoured and I thank the people of the Hawkesbury for making it possible.”
Amber and her partner, Chris Shephard are the Rural Ambassadors for The Blank Canvas Foundation in Mental Health Support.
“We hope to raise awareness for both @LadieTradieAU and @TheBlankCanvasFDN as we combine our life experiences and career skills to create connections through communities,” Amber said.
IMAGE: Bianca Santucci’s skill with animals wins her an accolade at the Hawkesbury Business Awards.
Barking With Bianca - Winner Agriculture & Animals
Bianca Santucci
After volunteering at the RSPCA, Bianca Santucci was inspired to open her own business five years ago.
Barking With Bianca not only has a catchy name but it caters to owners of animals from all walks of life.
“I wanted to give back to the community for people and their pets,” Bianca said.
Her small business offers dog training, dog walking, doggie day-care service and pet sitting services.
Barking With Bianca was built with an aim of helping educate the Hawkesbury community when it comes to caring for their pets properly.
She is also no stranger to winning awards, with her first local award win in 2020 and a nomination for the Channel 7 Young Achiever Award.
Of course, she won the 2023 Hawkesbury Business Award in the Agriculture & Animals category this year.
“I was over the moon when I received the award,” Bianca said.
“I was very proud to be able to showcase who I am and for being recognised for what I do in the community.”
Bianca has also published a small children’s book and magazine about the services you can find at Barking With Bianca.
She even has a dedicated Kids page on her website complete with colouring pages.
IMAGE: Michelle Speed’s skill with needle and thread coupled with her business acumen landed her with Hawkesbury Business Award.
Sewchicplus - Winner General Retail Award
Michelle Speed
Newtown Arcade, Shop 4/505 George St, South Windsor NSW 2756
Come October, Sewchicplus will celebrate completion of its first year of operation, and it all began with Michelle Speed busily sewing bags at home and selling them via her Facebook account and website as well as doing markets.
Michelle calls herself a sewist, which is a new term to describe a sewing artist.
“I have been a sewist for most of my adult life,” Michelle said.
“Firstly with clothing as I used to be 100kg heavier and couldn’t buy clothes.
“After losing my weight I started making bags and accessories and it’s just evolved from there.”
Her store came about when she was on maternity leave.
“I had more time to focus on my brand while being off with my little one,” Michelle said.
“Then I experienced a miscarriage in August of ‘22.
“I needed something to really focus on so I didn’t fall into a depression hole.
“And that’s when the idea came about.
With the little stash of money she’d saved, Michelle invested lock, stock and barrel into creating what her store is today.
Now, she is not only able to market her own brand, but is able to help many other locals build theirs as well.
With less than 12 months as an established entrepreneur, Sewchicplus won Best Retail Store in the 2023 Hawkesbury Business Awards.
“I’m still in shock about that,” Michelle said.
“I’ve worked in retail for many years.
“I’ve currently just hit 10 years at Bunnings but worked with other big brands previously, so I put a lot of my knowledge from that into play when opening my shop.
“I never thought I’d win such an amazing award after being open for such a short time so it’s incredibly inspiring for the future.”
IMAGE: Angela Gauci’s passion for Human Resources earned her HR business win at the Hawkesbury Business Awards.
Aster HR - Winner Business Services Award
Angela Gauci
HR - Human resources, it’s a term we often hear in business circles, but it can also be a very mis-managed area of business.
After a few bad experiences herself, Angela Gauci opened Aster HR in 2017 and is looking forward to celebrating her 8th business anniversary this year.
“That sounds like a long time, but it doesn’t feel that long as I had a break in the middle with the birth of my children and in small business you are always learning new things,” Angela said.
“A career in HR has always been what I wanted to do.
“I have a strong belief that good HR management benefits any business, no matter how small.”
As stated, Angela was no stranger to negative experiences in the workplace, she just used her experience as inspiration for being part of building engaged, respectful, inclusive and successful workplaces all over Australia.
“My business, Aster HR was born with a vision that no business owner should have to go it alone,” Angela said.
“A lot of small businesses don’t have the need for their own HR team, but still need advice and tools to support them in their journey of employing staff.”
Angela is determined to make HR relevant to her clients and enjoys finding proactive strategies for her clients that identify potential problems before they occur and setting them on a path towards success.
A proud member of the Hawkesbury region, Angela said she enjoyed supporting other business owners in the area and throughout all of Australia.
“I was excited to attend the Hawkesbury Business Awards in June and was named the winner of the Business Services category,” Angela said.
“I have also won the 2022 Altitude Awards in the Excellence in Professional Services category and also the Climb Every Mountain category of their 2020 awards.
“No matter which stage of business you are in - whether you are hiring staff, paying staff or managing changes in your workplace her team at Aster HR know how and where to find simple answers to complex problems.”
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