Sydney’s top work from home business owners reveal secrets behind success

The increasing popularity of working from home has spurred on a rising number of new and innovative businesses as Sydneysiders reshape the 9 to 5 grind in the post-pandemic world. See the list.

The increasing popularity of working from home has spurred on a rising number of new and innovative businesses as Sydneysiders reshape the 9 to 5 lifestyle in the post-pandemic world.

Photography studios, consultancy firms and arts and crafts ventures are some of the many businesses residents across the city have launched home as part of the WFH movement.

Many of the owners say benefits of running a home-based business include flexibility and the ability to strike a work-life balance.

But it is not without its challenges including the ability to manage distractions at home, not being able to unplug and setting boundaries between the professional and personal lives.

Latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows more than 40 per cent of the nation’s workers were regularly working from home as of August 2021.

A report from the Productivity Commission meanwhile shown about 35 per cent of jobs do have aspects that allow them to be done at home

We take a look at some of Sydney’s work-from-homers who have shared insights into their businesses.

VALENT LAU – VALENT LAU PHOTOGRAPHY

Valent Lau is the principal photographer at Valent Lau Photography.

Valent Lau is the principal photographer at Valent Lau Photography, based in Coogee, which specialises in family and corporate photography.

Nowadays everyone has a dozen cameras on their phone but the way we approach photography is to get to know the real connection with our clients – not the fake laughs at each other, but the quiet look your son gives you with that curious expression. The way he holds your hand, and what all that means to you. Those expressions that mean nothing to an outsider, but hold so much meaning for you. We started the business in the living room of our two-bed unit. When a client came, we’d have to move all the furniture out of the way, haul out all our studio equipment. My wife would have to take our son to the shopping centre for a few hours. I’d even stand on the kitchen bench to take some shots. But it was worth it. After we launched, we started working with a business coach and photography mentors and moved beyond “owning a big camera”, to helping capture relationships in a way you couldn’t do yourself. When you see the connection, the photograph becomes worth printing and earns a space on the wall. We moved into a townhouse, with a dedicated studio and client meeting room/office at the front. It’s much better, with permanent setups and space for samples. Compared to working an office job in the CBD in my past life, I’m saving two hours commuting each day. Especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, this is avoiding the inevitable colds and flu you get from a crowded bus. The challenge was the business part of it. Knowing what to charge, suppliers, how to set up business policies. Taking great photos wasn’t enough. I had to learn to do my books, learn tax rules, get the right business insurance, permits, get contracts written up by a lawyer. I think all this has helped me become a more rounded person, and to better understand how society works. The top benefit of WFH is I get to work in my own time. Apart from being able to sleep in, I can also work as late as I want. I can do bits of work and rest in between instead of going a full eight hour block. Being able to answer emails or calls at 7pm is also great for client service. Working late is no longer a burden, but a choice.

QUANG NGUYEN and NGOC VO – ANH DAO CAKES

Quang Nguyen and Ngoc Vo are the owners of Anh Dao Cakes.

Quang Nguyen and Ngoc Vo are the owners of Anh Dao Cakes based in Englorie Park which specialises in creating cakes, cupcakes, desserts and other delicacies.

My husband and I are graduate architects and we had seven years of working experience in Australia. In 2019, I left my job to take care of our newborn baby and shortly after that my husband lost his job because of the Covid-19 pandemic. At that tough time, we decided to run our own business from home as less start-up money was required and opened our home-based food business that is operating from a council registered commercial kitchen. Fortunately, we come from a family of Vietnamese bakers. In 1990, our mother opened the first Anh Dao Cakes shop in An Giang, Vietnam. Since then, we’ve been baking the same way for more than 30 years to give customers our signature experience. The family business is still going strong today with a total of five stores in the southwest of Vietnam. In Australia, we’re continually using and evolving our traditional recipes, real ingredients and professional artisanal skills to bring the community nothing but the most beautiful, delicious cakes. From our own experience, owning a home-based food business had many challenges involved in starting. However, the most difficult one was getting council’s approval for building a commercial kitchen inside the house. It definitely took time and money to build up the kitchen that was fully compliant to regulations.

SARA BOWTELL – HOUSE OF SAMARA

Sara Bowtell is the owner of House of Samara.

Sara Bowtell is the owner of House of Samara, a skin care salon based on the northern beaches.

I started House of Samara nearly eight years ago. I’d been out of the beauty industry for a few years, so I decided to upskill my qualifications with a goal of setting up my own business from home. I’d previously worked in salons and for cosmetics houses and could see that there was a real niche for providing a service that was a little more personalised and inviting. My business started by offering general beauty treatments but has evolved to be a sustainable skin clinic. I wanted to offer quality treatments in a quiet and peaceful environment where clients could relax and experience personalised treatments. The beauty industry was hit pretty hard during the pandemic and my business was closed for a period of nine months during the period. However, it allowed me to focus on redeveloping my business and becoming more sustainable in the process. When I did re-open clients felt comfortable that they didn’t encounter other staff members or clients so it gave them confidence that the risk was reduced, and they could enjoy their treatment time. As a small-business owner, you need to constantly re-evaluate your operations and examine ways to improve on what you do. Setting up a business always has its challenges. There’s a considerable amount of investment of both time and money and sacrifices that need to be made in order to achieve getting the business off the ground. The availability of products and technology is tricky when you are starting from scratch. There is also a lot of equipment that is needed and supply times can be quite long.

SHARON MELAMED – MATCHBOARD

Sharon Melamed is the founder of Matchboard, based in the eastern suburbs.

Sharon Melamed is the founder of Matchboard – a business matchmaking program that enables companies find new suppliers, and suppliers find new clients.

Matchboard was started 10 years ago from my living room and since then it’s expanded to cater to work with more than 4000 clients. I wanted to solve the frustration that most people in business experience when searching online for a new service provider – millions of results can pop up, you don’t know where to start. Search engines also don’t screen the reputation of suppliers so you may get a dodgy one on page one of search results just because they have good SEO consultants. Our key strategies are: SEO, referrals and partnerships; a newsletter; social media; PR; and direct sales. Running the business from home means I have more time in my day – I can escape for walks in nature in minutes and I get to spend more time with family. I spend most of my time on sales and marketing because the proprietary matching software I developed does most of the legwork in the matchmaking. I balance that with at least one day a week going out to meet customers face-to-face. My advice to others working from home: take ergonomics seriously.

RENEE TOUMA – RENEE TOUMA MAKEUP

Renee Touma is the founder of Renee Touma Makeup.

Renee Touma is the founder of Renee Touma Makeup, a home-based makeup studio based in Earlwood.

In 2017, at the age of 18, I founded Renee Touma Makeup. I had a passion for makeup throughout high school and loved being creative. I also enjoyed connecting with others and meeting new people. When I first started my business from home, I worked two additional jobs. In 2019 my business slowly grew, from applying makeup on a few customers a fortnight, to booking out my weekends. This allowed me to leave my other jobs to focus solely on my business. Operating my business from home allowed me to grow and provided flexibility to work at my other jobs at the initial stages of establishing my business. The Covid-19 pandemic greatly impacted the makeup industry. Weddings were cancelled, gatherings were banned, and lockdown laws were implemented. This was a challenging time for all, and my business was no exception. At the time, our business came to a complete stop. Although it was financially crippling, I considered myself fortunate having established my business at home. Although I had no customers at the time, I was not forced to pay for a commercial space that was non-operational. Emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic, the business has continued to grow and welcomed employees for the first time. Those employees are now a part of my team of makeup artists who assist me. Establishing my business from home provided flexibility as I was able to pursue my business journey without the restrictions of a lease or outgoings. This also allowed me to assess my business exposure before moving into a salon. I enjoy my job and love making my customers feel and look their best all in just 60 minutes. Being able to make an impact on someone’s day is extremely rewarding.

ERROL MADDER – MIND THERAPY AUSTRALIA

Errol Madder is the founder of Mind Therapy Australia.

Errol Madder is the founder of Mind Therapy Australia – a hypnotherapy and counselling business.

I decided to launch Mind Therapy Australia in 2020 as an online hypnotherapy and counselling business to help with the demand for mental health services along with having a lifelong passion for mental health and helping people work through what is holding them back. With the Covid-19 pandemic came many restrictions including stay at home orders. With this came a rise in mental health issues among the community. Starting a business during the Covid-19 pandemic did have its challenges. For any new business the first step is getting noticed, and that is hard during a global pandemic. But it also had its advantages. For example, as the restrictions came into play everyone became very accustomed to working remotely and online. This worked as a benefit to us as people were more willing to try therapy online. Being able to support the public work through various issues such as insomnia, anxiety, stress management, fears, phobias and also quit smoking all online has been extremely rewarding for me. I love what I do and being able to see great results for people through an online platform has been extremely rewarding. To work from home online means that we can help people from all around the country. I have worked to grow the business by forming strong connections with general practitioners and other medical professionals. I have also seen the business grow through giving back to the community.

NICOLE SCHMITZ - NICOLE SCHMITZ LEADERSHIP COACHING

Nicole Schmitz is the founder and chief executive of Nicole Schmitz Leadership Coaching.

Nicole Schmitz is the founder and chief executive of Nicole Schmitz Leadership Coaching - a leading holistic leadership development business based in Sydney.

Founded in January 2021, I started this business during the Covid-19 pandemic, where I uncovered an urgent need within the community for strong, capable leaders to effectively guide them through adversity, bring people together again, and lead us towards sustained socio-economic growth. Adopting an online business model where I work from home has several benefits. Not only does it meet the needs of globalisation and technology trends, but it allows my business to remain flexible, agile, responsive to change, and safeguards against external factors such as Covid-19. This was proven during the second Delta wave in 2021 where business operations were not impacted. It has also allowed me to target my niche market on a global scale in a sustainable, secure, and convenient way. For this reason, NSLC was able to serve clients across 10 countries within its relatively short period of operation and continues to expand. As a small business owner, all of these benefits have been highly rewarding. Digital marketing has been a key factor in my business’s rapid growth. With a focus on organic marketing, I have been able to build awareness, trust, credibility, and my personal brand, through global market exposure and demonstrating thought leadership. With any start-up, there are always going to be challenges. The complexities of Covid-19 only added to that. Nevertheless, adopting a digital business model with a strong value proposition that directly meets the immediate and ongoing needs of the community, has allowed my business to flourish.

MICHAL GABRIEL – BEAUTY AND BROW

Michael Gabriel runs Beauty and Brow.

Michael Gabriel runs Beauty and Brow based in Emu Plains, a home salon specialising in natural brow restoration and design.

I left a leading salon in 2018 to work full-time at my home-based salon as I did not appreciate working in an environment of rushing clients through the door and selling them as much as possible. The last straw was when I needed to promote eyebrow tattooing. That’s when I left and started on my own. Many times, I was contemplating whether to rent a shop or not. I appreciated working from home during the pandemic, it was a relief not paying rent and other ongoing expenses. Instead, I created a few beauty-related workshops to stay connected with clients. One of the challenges I accounted for was that despite winning brow awards in the past, I did not know how to run a business of my own. I said, “All I wanted to do is brows”. I soon learnt to overcome challenges. It is essential to learn to promote my skills and run a business. My secret is treating a home-based business as a business, not a hobby. For new home businesses, I recommend investing in coaching when starting a new business.

TARA LEAK – PURE SCENTS BY TARA

Tara Leak is the owner of Pure Scents by Tara.

Tara Leak is the owner of Pure Scents by Tara based in Cobbitty, which creates triple scented collection of handmade soy wax candles, melts, reed diffusers, toilet bombs and gift packs.

My business journey started in 2018 as a hobby when my friends and family would compliment on how amazing my house smelled and asked me to make melts for them – so I did. From there, I decided to embark on this challenging, yet amazing and rewarding journey and become an entrepreneur. Despite Covid-19 and the lockdowns, this encouraged me to find another way to get my products into people’s homes. As all the local markets that I would usually attend were closed due to lockdowns, I decided to create my website and committed myself to learn how to promote using online platforms and created ads using Facebook, Instagram, Google and TikTok. I attended online business seminars specialising in social media and marketing. I spent a lot of time putting my website together to ensure it was successful. This year I also took the leap of faith to leave my full-time corporate job and venture into my own personal business full time.

ANNE MCKEOWN – 2MPOWER COACHING

Anne McKeown is the founder of 2Mpower.

Anne McKeown is the founder of 2Mpower – a life coach who supports women in their personal and professional life.

After years as a stay at home mum, I hit 50, menopause, kids becoming more independent and I felt lost and lonely. In search of a new purpose, I started the Sydney Women’s Self-Empowerment Meetup Group and was amazed at how many other women felt the same way as me. My aim for this group was to create connection, meaning and giving back. Adopting the mantra of women supporting women, we regularly contributed to the local women’s shelter. Every month we would meet in person and I’d share coaching tools and techniques to help the women create the life they really wanted. I wanted to be a good role model for my two daughters Maris and Megan, the 2Ms in 2Mpower. I was telling them they could achieve anything at school, yet at home I had become a bit of a martyr. I also wanted to prove to them and myself that it’s never too late to start something new. I have worked from home and used Zoom calls for coaching for six years, so when Covid-19 hit, nothing really changed for me. I have always loved working from home because in between calls I can put a load of laundry on the line, I have no overheads, I don’t get caught in rush hour traffic. I can start early and finish early or work late for clients who are only available after 5pm. I find my work hugely rewarding, not because I work from home but because of the positive difference I see after a woman has gone through my program and transformed her life for the better. I had not realised how much marketing needs to go into running a business. As someone in my late 50s I felt really challenged by the technology and how much money could be wasted if you don’t understand your market or the algorithms of each platform. The second biggest challenge was my own self doubt. I questioned myself all the time, unsure that I could really grow a profitable business. Six years later, with two business awards under my belt and heaps of positive customer testimonials, I have found meaning in my life and work and so I feel very successful

JEREMY DAWES – JEZWEB

Jeremy Dawes runs Jezweb, based in Newcastle.

Jeremy Dawes runs Jezweb, a Web design and hosting business based in Newcastle specialising in WordPress and Woocommerce websites.

I established the business in the early 2000s to help businesses get online. When I saw that there was a gap in the market for reasonably priced and easy to manage websites for small businesses. At the time, is was more unusual to have a website than it is now. If you looked over a page of the Yellow Pages then you would have been lucky to find more than a couple of entries with a website and most small businesses were using dial-up internet to check email. As technology changed and became more advanced, the demand for small businesses needing websites increased and so did the supply for our core business output – website design. Almost every day we launch a new website for a business and often this will lead to inquiries from people who want a great looking site for themselves. The vast majority of our business comes from positive word of mouth and referrals from previous clients. With no prior experience running a business I had a lot to learn and this is really still the case today which ensures there are always new opportunities, technologies and situations to help businesses with which make for a dynamic workplace. There was more interest in e-commerce websites in 2020 and increasing sales for businesses that were online compared to previous years and businesses that had traditionally been offline, focused their renewed enthusiasm into their websites. This was primarily due to the pandemic and the realisation for businesses that they needed to get online to maintain their sales and services where brick and mortar shop fronts were closed due to lockdowns. Working from home has been a huge benefit for us as we don’t have to stress much about our infrastructure and it’s allowed us to focus on our clients and what we could do to help them and reassure them that we would be there no matter how long we had to work from home.

CHRISSIE PAPACHRISTOU – HOUSE OF NATALIA

Chrissie Papachristou runs House of Natalia.

Chrissie Papachristou runs House of Natalia, creating jewellery collections inspired by the Greek Islands.

After a trip to Greece in 2014, I found a new love and appreciation of my Hellenic heritage. I found myself walking into boutique after boutique on the Greek islands and wished that there were retail stores like that back in Australia. Upon returning to Sydney, I began sourcing suppliers and came across a jewellery wholesaler. After finding the jewellery product I was after, I then went ahead and started building my website. After 10 months of uploading products and product descriptions, House Of Natalia went live in 2015. Since then, I’ve expanded to not only stock jewellery, but now include a Greek manufacturer of candles and diffusers and ceramic crosses. I have since added on evil eye ornaments, traditional prayer bracelets and incense only found in Greece, as well as home decor and fashion accessories. In 2020 I began researching how to make Greek Orthodox iconography, as I always wanted to add icons onto my website. After a short while I had taught myself how to transfer images of Saints and Jesus onto Greek marble and crystals. The business grew so fast in the first few months, and kept me quite busy during lockdown. It was a unique handmade product and word spread quickly among the Greek community. It’s been quite a blessing to be able to work from home, especially with the hurdles small businesses faced during Covid lockdown. Although there were supply issues and delays in receiving stock from suppliers in Greece during the pandemic, customers were very understanding of the situation we were all in. I’ve always strived for a healthy work/life balance and I’m glad I’ve been able to achieve that so I could be there for my daughter.

DANIELA MILLS – ELLA WICK

Daniela Mills is the owner of Ella Wick.

Daniela Mills is the owner of Ella Wick, which creates ethically sourced and sustainable candles, hand crafted on the north shore.

With a creative passion, a love of candles and a bit of time on my hands during the Covid-19 pandemic I wanted to create a product that was sustainable, something I loved and something that would evoke memories from within. With a gap in the market for candles designed especially for dogs and cats, and a good push from family and friends, I took the leap and haven’t looked back. The benefits of running a small business from home included reduced overheads. There isn’t much margin in candles so keeping costs down is very important and working out of my garage seemed the perfect fit for now. I’ve managed to grow the business with the help of social media Facebook and Instagram, although I haven’t quite mastered TikTok yet, along with a couple of local markets. I’m grateful that most of my growth has been through word-of-mouth and referrals. Everyone wants to smell candles before purchasing so launching the business during the never-ending series of lockdowns was very challenging – I just had to make sure I was super creative in the descriptions of the scents.